By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The Secretary General of the leading opposition Social Democratic Front, the SDF party, Senator Jean Tsomelou has disclosed that their party has taken a firm commitment to use all means possible to draw the attention of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya on the need to institute dialogue as the only efficient solution to the Anglophone crisis.
Speaking at a press conference granted at the SDF party Secretariat in the Centre Region last December 13, 2017 on the day Parliament closed the November Ordinary Session, Senator Jean Tsomelou said that since the regime, through its CPDM dominated Parliament, gave deaf ears to SDF operation ‘blocus’ aimed at drawing the attention of all to the gravity of the Anglophone crisis, their party is determined more than ever before to defend the population’s rights to justice and equity in respect to their slogan “power to the people.”
Senator Tsomelou told journalists that “it is within this framework that we SDF Parliamentarians will go down to the field to explain to the population what we came and did in Parliament during this session. The Speaker and his CPDM Parliamentarians opposed the creation of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on the Anglophone problem.”
SDF MP, Hon Fobi Nchinda Simon said their boycott and later on operation ‘blocus’ was directed towards the President of the Republic, Paul Biya who has the duty to call for dialogue and end violence in the country.
On his part, SDF MP, Hon Joseph Mbah Ndam who doubles as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly raised alarm on an alleged plot on their lives by the regime to use the military and eliminate them in the field and lay the blame on civilians. He declared that “In fact, we are safe in the hands of our population, thus we do not need the military to protect us as they claim.”
Senator Sonkeng Etienne added that “if we go down to the field and instead of accompanying us, the military blocks us as usual, it will be enough proof that Anglophone regions are indeed militarized.”
SDF Group Leader at the National Assembly, Hon Joseph Banadzem challenged House Speaker that “instead of making a mockery of us because we were blowing whistles and vuvuzelas in the House Chamber calling for dialogue on the Anglophone problem, he should rise up to the level of a statesman so that he can understand the gravity of the situation at hand.”