By Ikome Christie-Noella Eposi
The President of the Fako Lawyers Association, FAKLA, Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla has noted that all peoples have the right to self determination which according to him is a fundamental human right enshrined in article 1 sub 1 of the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights. He however regretted that the path to self determination in a country like Cameroon is very irregular due to the awkward nature of the state.
Balla also regretted that in Cameroon, anything you do or say which has to with self determination would either earn you the name of an enemy of the state, a terrorist and someone who is trying to incite of civil war etc.
Balla was speaking last Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at the Catholic Church Buea Town Hall during the commemoration of this year’s International Human Rights Day under the theme; “Our rights, our freedom always”
He went further to explain that, the right to self determination is not only legal but also political and called on Fako lawyers to stand up for their human rights and stop harboring the spirit of fear. He advised them to know the laws to their finger tips so as to make use of them especially in cases where their fundamental human rights are violated.
“Unity in diversity is what we all want to achieve but this does not guarantee the imposition of things on another person. Every person should act according to how they know best. We must exercise internal self-determination if not, history will hold us responsible” Balla noted
“No matter anyone’s stand in the present Anglophone crisis, it all falls under the right to self-determination. The only problem might be at the level of implementation which might be a wrong move. We call on the Cameroon government to create an enabling environment that will not make the Southern Cameroonians feel like second class citizens.
“We need to fight, promote and protect human rights not only for us the lawyers but for each and everyone especially in Southern Cameroon” , Balla added
Gerald Nsa, another lawyer who spoke to The Sun blamed international bodies like the United Nations for the gross violations of Human rights in Cameroon and the world at large.
“Human rights today in this world is a myth, the rights of individuals are being violated all over in one way or another and the UN has done absolutely nothing. We are totally disappointed with the United Nations for being so unreliable and we think they need to rethink their strategy” Nsa noted.