BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM
In the midst of blames and and crises, the government of Cameroon is determined to rebuild confidence. Even as results of the major national dialogue are pending, government is striving to restore an iota of peace at least by word of mouth.
The prime minister and head of government Joseph Dion Ngute has put in place coordinators for a peace caravan in the English speaking regions of the country. It in this regard that some commissioned groups would from Tuesday 19th November travel to divisions and subdivisions of the Northwest region to present to people of the grassroots, recommendations of the major national dialogue already tabled to Paul Biya.
This is coming after a two day session on November 16th and 18th 2019 chaired by His Eminence Christian Cardinal Tumi, chairman of the Northwest regional caravan for peace.
The session on Nov 16th featured designated emembers of the peace caravan including religious leaders, elites, mayors and parliamentarians. November 18th session was quite enlarged with the presence of Senior Divisional Officers. The Northwest governor Adolph Lele Lafrique coordinated the sessions; he is a member of the peace caravan at the regional Level.
Cardinal Tumi beckoned that the entire caravan process be motioned with peace and love. “The life principle of peace is love. Where there is love there is peace. Where there is no love there is hatred and therefore war. Let us love one another. This should be the key word during this campaign, I’m not talking of a political campaign but campaign for a capital virtue of love. Let us love one another and let us love our country and encourage the youths to love our country. Anything that helps to build our country should be loved. So our work these few days is to promote love” he said while presiding launching of the peace caravan at MINEPAT conference hall, Up-Station Bamenda.
Seven different teams corresponding to the seven divisions of the Northwest region have been dispatched for this task. Each team is composed of elites and political leaders of the division.
They have the task to explain recommendations of the dialogue but also listen to people in the grassroots and note their needs and desires.
The hard nut to crack in this task remains the challenging security situation in the region and the fact that nothing favourably concrete can as of now be measured from a major dialogue organised in the country two months back.
Just at the Launch of the peace caravan, the Archbishop of Bamenda His Grace Cornelius Fontem Esua appealed for an end to violence for an enabling environment of the peace caravan.
The president of the Northwest chapter of Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists Mr Ambe MacMillian thinks that the media should be part of the peace process for positive communication, the first deputy mayor of Nwa Council Jinkwen Martha complained of difficulty of access to her division for the caravan, the Member of Parliament for Menchum South constituency Honourable Wallang Richard Ebua said it would be difficult to talk about peace without anything concrete to encourage the people, the UDP chairman El Hadj Lawan Bako was worried that some recommendations tabled at the end of the national dialogue did not feature in the final draft recommendation presented to the Head of States Paul Biya, the mayor of Wum Council Dinghambong Anthony was disgruntled that some people chosen to be part of the caravan know nothing about the people in the field.
Would the caravan be accompanied by the military?
How would the caravan be done in the absence of traditional rulers in some villages?
How would it succeed when very little preparation has been done?
The challenges were listed at length. The crux however remains penetrating the hinterlands with the peace mission.
Mr Lele Lafrique has appealed that traditional leaders who are out of the fondom return and be part of the caravan. Cardinal Tumi has pleaded for courtesy and gentility on the part of those dispatched.
At the moment, eyes are on the watch regarding the caravan programmed from November 19th 2019.