According to the Cameroonian Government's spokesman, dialogue is the key
word that the Head of State has instructed his government and the state as a whole.
The Minister of Communication Issa Tchiroma Bakary was the guest of Africa
of Radio France International (RFI) on January 25, 2017.
RFI: The crisis has been going on for two months and the protest is not going
away. What is the Government's message?
Issa Tchiroma Bakary: The government favors dialogue as always. Two committees:
one in charge of meeting the teachers 'unions and the other, the lawyers' union.
These two commissions have been set up, have worked tirelessly with each other.
Unfortunately, whenever a solution has been reached, there have always been
some people who withdrew, to make a verbal upbraid, and to present new demands,
the most recent of which are federalism and secession. But the Government
remains open. And dialogue is the key word that the Head of State has
instructed his Government and the State as a whole.
The consortium of Anglophone civil society is banned, its leader is arrested,
the Internet is cut, the media are threatened with closure, the government still
chooses the way of repression?
The responsibility of any Government in the world and in particular that of
Cameroon is to preserve public order. When a handful of people, through violence,
insurrection, and threat, take a whole region hostage, it goes without saying
that this is unacceptable to any self-respecting state.
How many people were arrested?
I can not tell you the number of people arrested, but anyone who participates
in the dead cities and the insurrection must expect to meet the rigor and
requirements of the Laws of the Republic.
The deployment of defense and security forces in the northwest and south-west
seems impressive. Does not this strong way risk radicalizing feelings?
Instead, it gives people confidence. For example to the merchant who finds
himself in violence and who is obliged to close shop. Parents of pupils
who are obliged to keep their children at home. All of them appreciate
the efforts of the Government. You may not have seen the pictures where
students are being molested who want to go to school. One enters the
classrooms with iron bars and clubs to force students and students out of
classrooms.
We can also see images of the repression of the demonstrators.
This is not madness. What do you want when you have people in front of you
who incite hatred and violence? Our constitution makes Cameroon a united,
fraternal, bilingual and democratic state. I say that anyone who puts
himself through this principle obviously becomes an outlaw
You say neither federalism nor secession?
I always add on behalf of the law.
But a man like Cardinal Christian Tumi explains that federalism is not
division. Why not discuss these themes?
We say that federalism is a backpedaling. And it was the people of
Cameroon as a whole in 1972 who wanted to move from federation to unity.
That is why we are celebrating May 20 [National Unity Day].
Is it for this reason that we now arrive at this situation of
incomprehension?
No. When you have to do to violent extremists who refuse to look at
the laws of the Republic, it goes without saying that there is no
deafer than one who does not want to hear. There is no more blind
than one who does not want to see. We therefore say that within the
framework of decentralization, within the framework of the full
application of bilingualism, there is no problem that can not be solved.
Source:Cameroon-Info.Net
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