After over 63 years of leadership: Francophones should front for Anglophone President!.

It is a crusade which pundits say neither of the linguistic divides that make up the country can singlehandedly cause an Anglophone to become Head of State, without the contribution of the other.

However, in the equation of working to achieve the desired political breakthrough for an Anglophone as Cameroon’s next Unity Palace occupant, Francophones who make up the majority, are a key building bloc in transforming that much heralded desire to reality.

Fronting for an Anglophone as Head of State, analysts say, is not a crime but the majority Francophone population, must in the spirit of national unity and brotherhood, set aside greed and pride and champion the drive. 

Observers say such a desire among Anglophones is not something built on sympathy but a right that must be nurtured through civilised conversations, compromises and politicking that put the country first.

Across the various political divides of the country, those who share strongly in the need for an Anglophone to be the country’s next Head of State, are underscoring that there is more the country stands not only to gain but teach the world, if an indigene of the two English-speaking Regions is voted to the coveted office, come October 2025.

Far from being a request akin to playing to the gallery or seeking for some window-dressing measure, having an Anglophone pilot the affairs of the nation, bookmakers say, is a national blessing that stands visible on multiple foundations.

Given that in democracy, numbers count, a majority of the votes that will be needed to get an Anglophone to the Unity Palace would come from eight of the country’s ten Regions. 

Francophones, it is being said, must be convinced beyond doubts on what good it will make for Cameroon, if an Anglophone gets the nation’s top job.

For many a Francophone, the question repeatedly being asked is why they should front for an Anglophone to be elected to the office of President of The Republic.

Catalysing, practicising unity

Francophones, it is being said, must without any fear, take the front seat in fronting for an Anglophone to be Head of State as the best message of unity and one the country prides of. 

Pundits argue that in 63 years and still counting since independence and reunification, a lot of sloganeering has been made around unity and equality with many Anglophones still unconvinced and yet to live their reality.

In this light, they say, Francophones must seize the opportunity of pushing for an Anglophone Head of State to send a strong message across that, irrespective of linguistic differences, there is no discrimination against the minority Anglophones or a limit to their aspirations to occupy the highest office of the land.

Track record in pushing for national interest

Still within the bouquet of why Francophones should front for an Anglophone as President of the Republic, analysts, among them some Francophone bigwigs, point to the antecedents of Anglophones in nation building.

They argue that in the last six decades, most of the major changes that have moved Cameroon forward albeit criticisms, have principally been thanks to the efforts of mostly Anglophones.

There is no gainsaying the fact that without the key roles played by two Anglophone patriarch of blessed memory, John Ngu Foncha and Solomon Tandeng Muna, at the Foumban Conference, the unity of both Cameroons, would not have seen the light of day in 1961.   

Citing the return to multiparty democracy, observers say it was an Anglophone, the late Ni John Fru Ndi, who forcefully launched the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party, on May 26, 1990, in Bamenda, leaving the regime with no option than to open up the political space.

Thanks to that sacrifice during which several Anglophones were killed, observers say, most Francophone politicians who had gone on self-exile returned home and have continued to enjoy the gains of such sacrifice.

Additionally, they are also citing the changes that have happened in the polity, since the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions erupted in 2017. 

Pressure from English-speaking citizens led to the holding of the Major National Dialogue in 2019, from where the law on Regional and Local Authorities saw the light of day.

Thanks to the law, additional resources have been transferred to councils. The eight other Francophone Regions are today beneficiaries of Regional Councils among other things. 

Political watchers say it would be sheer pretense or denial of truth, if Francophones deny that these changes and gains didn’t come on the blood and sweat of Anglophones, who simply wanted the best for Cameroon.

On the basis of such level of sacrifice in the interest of the nation, many are unanimous that Francophones stand to benefit more if an Anglophone eventually becomes the first citizen of the country.

Payback time for strategic Anglophone support for Francophone leadership

Francophones are also being reminded that campaigning and voting for an Anglophone as Head of State is synonymous to paying back for several good things people from the two English-speaking Regions have done for the interest of the nation.

They are reminded that it was an Anglophone, the late Solomon Tandeng Muna, in his capacity as National Assembly Speaker, who took the bold step to swear in Biya, a Francophone, on November 6, 1982, as Head of State. 

Muna’s move, analysts said, showed how unbending Anglophones are when it comes to respecting the laws of the Republic.

There is also the case of the late Hon Samuel Ngeh Tamfu, who maturely managed deliberations to enable the CPDM of President Biya enter a deal with the Movement for the Defense of the Republic, MDR, to secure a majority at the National Assembly and to be able to continue governing. This was in 1992, after the parliamentary election of that year.

Bringing Anglo-Saxon virtues home fully

The hugely unexploited Anglo-Saxon virtues, approach to governance and ways of handling issues that have worked for other countries are nearly inexistent in Cameroon. 

With Francophones having had a say in the direction of the country for over 63 years and still counting, with gabs all over, pundits say, now is the time for Francophones who admire the Anglo-Saxon way of life to come out fully and work for it.

Many are unanimous that Francophones should work to have an Anglophone as Head of State, to reap more than what they are already enjoying in the English subsystem of education with its Anglo-Saxon niceties. 

They say now is the time to fully import Anglo-Saxon therapy and right the wrongs of the last 63 years and rejuvenate the country again. The best road to arrive at that level, it is being said, is for Francophones to join the crusade for an Anglophone as Cameroon’s next Head of State.

Anglophone Head of State will cut waste…

It is known across all circles of national life that Anglophones have a penchant for excellent management and are always patriotic in service. 

In most of the corporations or ministries they have managed, the widespread misuse of scarce financial resources and sometimes duplication of functions have always been addressed without discrimination.

Carrying this meticulous way of doing things to the Unity Palace, many are saying and rightly so, would have enormous positive impact on the entire country. 

An Anglophone as Head of State, they say, would ensure resources are properly managed to boost access to the most basic of services, reduce dependence and shore up productivity. 

Minority can’t marginalise majority 

An Anglophone as Head of State, it is also being said and truly so, will be a golden tranquilising effect in ensuring fairness in running the affairs of the land.

Being the minority, analysts say Francophones should rather jump at the opportunity to save themselves of the stress of repeated claims of people from certain clans and Regions taking the nation hostage.

As a minority, any Anglophone voted to the Unity Palace, some are saying, would do everything possible to satisfy citizens, irrespective of Region, tribe, religion and other stratifications.

Deflating power-hungry blocks 

In a nation caught in reported preparation for power in the Centre-South and the Grand North, an Anglophone, some are reiterating, remains the best neutral choice to head Cameroon at this time.

Francophones who have Cameroon at heart, political analysts say, should rather go for the third option of labouring to bring an Anglophone to the Unity Palace. 

The choice of an Anglophone, they say, would deflate the ego and the kill-and-take posture, which political watchers say, is beginning to show up in the horizon for the nation’s top job. 

The way out of such a scenario, which may further plunge the country into unnecessary unrests, analysts are unanimous, is for the majority Francophones to front the campaign for an Anglophone to become the country’s next Head of State.

Wrongs Anglophone Head of State would address

One urgent issue that has dented the unity of Cameroon for decades is the unresolved Anglophone problem that gave birth to a conflict in 2017.

Thousands of civilians and soldiers from all corners of the country have been killed in the conflict. Francophones, conflict experts say, must understand that after 63 years with two of theirs; the late Ahmadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya, unable to address the Anglophone issue, the only other way out is to give the nation’s top job to someone from the two administrative units who will swiftly put an end to the crisis.

An Anglophone as Head of State, some are positing, will end the conflict and stop the wastage of resources and human lives that would rather become vital in building a new Cameroon.

By and large, many are vehement that the time has come for an Anglophone to enjoy national support to serve as Head of State. 

Additionally, some are even saying the need for such is urgent and that both Anglophones and Francophones must not compromise in working together to achieve that much-awaited feat.

The world, analysts say, is watching! 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3269 of Thursday October 24, 2024