Empty special status: CPDM Anglophone elite frustrated at the centralized ‘decentralisation’ process

Four months after the complete implementation of the decentralisation process, regime guards belonging to the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement Party (CPDM) of Anglophone extraction are frustrated by failed promises of the regime.

In an outing on CRTV’s flagship news magazine programme, Cameroon Calling, Sunday May 16, the vice president of the Regional Assembly and President of the House of Chiefs for the South West, Chief Dr Atem Ebako poured out his frustration at the regime’s neglect of resolution arrived at during the Major National Dialogue.

‘‘I did not see this type of frustrating period in the life of decentralisation, nothing is happening’’, Chief Ebako cried out.

Blaming the Biya regime, he furthered that ‘‘Yaounde has completely hijacked the voice of people’’.

He argued that the Law on Local Authority was meant for immediate take off so as to appease disgruntled Anglophones who have been witnessing and experiencing smoky barrels for four years now.

His outing comes ten days after a CPDM bigwig from Fako in the South West Region, Senator Mbella Moki Charles took to the media to express similar frustrations, condemning the manner in which the Ministry of Decentralisation and Local Development has been managing affairs of the ministry with respect to the devolution of power to regional authorities.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian Post, Cameroon’s lone daily English newspaper on May 6, Senator Moki playing the whistle blower, lamented the purchase and installation of computers, software in French language in North West, South West assemblies by Yaounde.

He accused Yaounde for tampering with budget allocated to Regional Councils, vexed at excessive control of Regional Councils by Ministry of Decentralisation.

He furthered that the ‘‘non-effective take off of Regional Councils is potential source of further tension, civil strife in NW, SW’’.

To Chief Ebako who wears the shoes and feels where it pinches, the regime is diminishing the trust left in the fibres of Anglophones warning that ‘‘…we cannot run a country with slogans’’.

The CPDM diehard however remains hopeful that the ‘special status’ is the solution to the Anglophone crisis rocking the North West and South West regions since 2016.