By Sah Terence Animbom and ELAH GEOFREY M.
Over 1,400 advocates in training sat for the BAR part two exams also known in French as examen de fin de stage. This is the exam that all student lawyers must take to be fully considered as lawyers. It starts with the first part commonly referred to as BAR part one.
During this first stage, successful candidates go to be trained in law chambers across the country and after two years they are supposed to sit for BAR part two which enables them to be lifted to full lawyers if they are successful in the exams. To succeed in the exams, Advocates in training must average above 12/20 to make a pass.
According to Barrister Atoh Walter M. Tchemi, Human Rights lawyer, member of the Human Rights Commission of the Cameroon Bar Association and Founder/CEO of The Times Law Firm in Kumba, the setting of exam questions in French and directly translated into English did not take into consideration the bi-jural nature of the legal systems in Cameroon, therefore playing unfavorably to students from the Common Law extraction.
“In the course of harmonizing the Cameroon Bar examination which started on February 17, with the general knowledge paper, it would have been noted that by translating the said paper which was originally in French into English, it was observed that the subject matter as perceived in the French language became tainted when said paper was translated into English from French language. The translation was awful and appalling mindful of the fact that it was predicated upon the ‘word verbatim’ translation
“It is my humble opinion that this awful translation must have misled many English speaking candidates who sat for the said exams and I urge the examiners to accord a certain degree of consideration to this effect, for that will be justice”
Talking with Barister Kemende Henry Gamsey, a prominent lawyer in Bamenda who is also one of the members of jury in the said exams on the irregularities of the bar exams, he cited the situation of the law on the organization of BAR exams in Cameroon.
He noted that the law states that the exams are supposed to be organized at the end of every calendar year and the ministry in charge is the ministry of justice. Though the BAR part two is supposed to take place two years after the first intake, the batch of advocates in training sitting for this Exam have waited for six years reason why the number has dropped from about 1500 to about 1400 as many have joined other professions. He regrets that the law is one of those dead paper laws that are not implemented.
The ministry of justice seems to be less concerned with the intake of lawyers as many people who study law in Cameroonian universities have had to wait for some times as long as 9 years for the BAR exams to be launched.
Recently the Cameroon BAR Association has been putting pressure on the ministry of Justice to organize the exams reason why the length of time dropped from nine years to seven years and very recently, two years.
However it is worth noting that the law on organization of BAR exams has never been respected as stipulated.
Contrary to some claims made by law students who have waited for so long for the BAR exams to be launched and given up as well as the common man who has never understood why it is so difficult for one to become a lawyer in Cameroon thus concluding that the Cameroon BAR Association may be deliberately causing the delay of the Exams.
Barister Kemende refuted the claims that this delay is a deliberate ploy by the Cameroon BAR to make it difficult for students to become lawyers by making it known that the Cameroon BAR owes no allegiance to those who want to become lawyers.
He said it is the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Justice to organize exams for its citizens who want to become lawyers as stipulated by the law and that the delay can only be blamed on the ministry as the reason for their strange delay is not known.
Oral session of the exams will take place from Monday 19th to Saturday February 24th 2018.