Cameroon needs states, not regions

For Cameroon to be prosperous and remain in one piece, the country must return to the federal system of government which was obtained in 1961, with an Anglophone state and a Francophone state

By A. S. Ngwana,

We are very disappointed to read that on Wednesday, 12November, President Paul Biya signed a decree changing the 10 existing provinces to regions. A worthless change of name.
Cameroon requires states, not regions. Cameroon needs a federal system of government, not a unitary system of government with decentralisation
In the federal system, the people vote their own chief executive (prime minister or governor) who owes allegiance to his electorate and is answerable to them. In the present system (the unitary government), the governor or chief executive of the region is appointed by the president and he owes allegiance to the president and not to the people of the region. He is just a senior civil servant who can be sacked or transferred by the president at will.

Cameroon is a bilingual country, and if we want it to be happy and prosperous, if we want Cameroon to remain one corporate unit, we must return to the federal system of government. We must return to the 1961 constitution of the Federal Republic of Cameroon. That constitution guaranteed equality of status between the Anglophone state of West Cameroon and the Francophone state of East Cameroon. It guaranteed equality and equal opportunities to all Cameroonians.
Since the abolition of the federal government, Cameroon has not been the same again. The Anglophones have suffered from marginalisation and discrimination. Subsequent manipulations of the constitution have further driven Anglophones to desperation.

Today the majority of Anglophones are fed up with Cameroon and some even want a break-up of the country. Every action of the CPDM government headed by a Francophone for 47 years since independence, has alienated and provoked Anglophones more and more.
In the interest of peace, economic development, happiness of all Cameroonians, we should return to the federation. Only in the federation shall all Cameroonians feel a sense of belonging; only in the federation shall we guarantee the corporate existence of Cameroon.