Can the Canadian Model Federation Be Solution?
The unitary state came into being on May 20, 1972 following a referendum that abolished the Federal Republic of Cameroon of two federated states of East and West Cameroon.
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Separately, West Cameroon voted in favour by 99.98% and East Cameroon by 99.97%. This ended the two -states federal structure put in place in 1961 when Southern Cameroons voted in a plebiscite for re-unification with the Republic of Cameroon on February 11, 1961
The federal Constitution provided adequate guarantees for the protection of West Cameroon minority in a country where Francophones constituted 80% of the population.
Former President Ahmadou Ahidjo and other proponents had before the vote argued very strongly that running two governments-that is the West Cameroon government and the East Cameroun government, was too costly for the Federal Republic; that the billions of FCFA that were used to maintain both governments could be better used for the socio-economic development of a united country.
Consequently, the May 20, 1972 referendum that gave birth to the unitary state put an end to the federal structure and replaced it with a unitary structure.
This also brought to one the four assemblies that the Federal Republic of Cameroon ran namely: the 50-member Federal Assembly, the East Cameroon House of Assembly, the West Cameroon House of Assembly and the West Cameroon House of Chiefs.
The unitary system became a reality based on hopes that it would become an El Dorado for all citizens; poverty and suffering would become a thing of the past; a country where there would be no bribery and corruption, no tribalism, no nepotism, no mismanagement and embezzlement, a country that would be truly democratic and offer equal opportunities for all.
But the hopes of millions of Cameroonians especially English-speakers seem to have been dashed as they complain of gross marginalization and discrimination by the majority-French speakers. The built-up anger of Anglophones peaked in late 2016 with the eruption of the ongoing Anglophone crisis, which has morphed into a deadly conflict.
The ongoing Anglophone crisis has left thousands of people dead, whole villages burnt down, and property to the tune of several billions of Francs CFA damaged, as the separatist fighters and the Cameroon security forces engage in a fratricidal war.
The UN estimates that over 40 thousand Cameroonians are seeking asylum in neighboring Nigeria, with over half a million internally displaced.
Aware of the problem, the government has been forced to engage in a process of decentralization with an attempt to give autonomy to the ten regions, yet that has not been considered as satisfactory by the English speaking regions who think that they have not had a fair deal in the union. While some are yearning for a return to a two-state federation, others have gone out calling for complete secession and full independence for the former West Cameroon.
Even the so-called special status granted to the Northwest and Southwest regions appears to be of no political substance. In fact many say that it is an empty shell. With the political will the government could borrow a leaf from the Canadian Model of federation as a way forward.
All truth told, it can be said that the unitary state, 50 years after, has failed to deliver on its promises to guarantee sustainable peace and stability. Political leaders must go back to the drawing board to work out a sustainable political structure that will guarantee peace, democracy and stability for all Cameroonians.
