By Joe Dinga Pefok
Two university student unions, the Association for the Defence of the Rights of Students at Yoaunde University 1, known by its French acronym as ADDEC, and the National Front for the Liberation of Students Consciences, FRONALICE, at the Douala University, have come out in Douala to show solidarity for the students of the University of Buea, UB, following the crisis which erupted here recently.
Leaders of the two unions recently visited some campuses of the Douala University, to sensitise and mobilise the students to show solidarity with their striking mates of the UB.
They called on Douala University students not only to boycott classes, but go about in black as a sign of mourning their fallen mates of UB. Douala University authorities, which had been earlier hinted of the plan, called in armed policemen and gendarmes who forced the students' leaders to flee.
The police even arrested and questioned a journalist of a French language daily newspaper, Le Messager, who was spotted taking down notes on one of the campuses.
The student union leaders told reporters that they would not give up mobilising the students, to show solidarity with their colleagues of UB.
When The Post visited the main campus of the Douala University on December 6, things seemed to have returned to normal.
"Lambi and Fame Ndongo Should Go"
However, some of the students talked of the presence of many plain-clothes security operatives on the campus. It was also gathered that the regular security guards at the campus, had received instructions from the university authorities not to allow any of the leaders of FRONALICE into the campus.
The Chief of Communication of ADDEC, Miss Rufine Nguitcheu, declared in an interview granted Radio Equinoxe on December 5, that the position of the association is that both the Vice Chancellor of the UB, Prof Cornelius Lambi, and the Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo, should resign.
She said ADDEC finds Lambi guilty of having sparked the crisis signing the list of students declared to have passed the written part of the competitive examinations into the newly created Medical School at the university. She noted that the publication of the results was beyond the competence of the Vice Chancellor. She also said ADDEC does not consider the simple apology of the Vice Chancellor as enough, and insisted that he must go.
She also blamed Prof Lambi for fanning the Anglophone and Francophone divide, by giving the "erroneous impression" that the Medical School at the university is exclusively for students who hail from the two Anglophone Provinces.
She said that there was a bias against Francophone candidates during the registration for the examination. Nguitcheu blamed Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo for making a bad situation worse by handling the crisis poorly.
She said most of the names on the list of 26 that the Minister added were mostly persons from the South Province, and that consequently, even the Minister himself did not respect the national character or regional balance that he claimed the additional 26 names were meant to take care of.
The ADDEC Communication Chief said the stance of the association is for the cancellation of the results and that the examination be rewritten.
I am a little bit surprised to hear a group of soo called students represententatives from La Republique Du Cameroun in their mundane association "ADDEC" can be writing this long worthless communique relating to the slaining of two of our brothers.
ADDEC argued that:
"She also blamed Prof Lambi for fanning the Anglophone and Francophone divide, by giving the "erroneous impression" that the Medical School at the university is exclusively for students who hail from the two Anglophone Provinces"
How did Lambi gave that impression? Instead we think he like other colonial agents have been giving the impression that the said medical school is for francophones. That is why they want to fraudulently impose students who did not take nor pass the traditional entrance examination.
"She said that there was a bias against Francophone candidates during the registration for the examination"
How was there a bias against Francophone candidates in the entrance examinations? In terms of your need to effect a regional balance, how many anglophones have been forcefully admitted in the different institutions of learning in La Republique?
By quoting a ministerials order vis
"It indicts the UB Vice Chancellor for igniting fire by publishing the results of a competitive examination into the Medical School in stark violation of ministerial decision number 18060388/MINESUP/DDES of October 2006"
without questioning the integrity of the said ministerial order, they have indirectly supposes that they dont want justice to take its course. We all know that there are lots of such fake rules in La Republique. We only hear of them when Southern Cameroonians are to be manipulated.
Let me remind this soo called ADDEC members that concepts and principles are customarily presented in words, and such words can be interpreted creatively. The government of La Republic have a long history of unregulated and unethical behavior, and that is what concerns us most. We have not seen any moral and regulatory rejection of such creative complaince and unethical behavior by members of that corrupt junta. Instead, everytime they do harmful things to us, we hear of this or that text, etc.
If ADDEC wants to quote rules, then its objectives and rules should be made clearer and clearer, so that we should'nt allow people to say they did'nt know what to do. That is cheap excuses and lies that we cannot tolerate.
Posted by: rexon | Monday, 11 December 2006 at 03:41 PM
The Southern Cameroons Center Germany
Oberstr. 25,
D- 44082 Bochum
Tel:492342970372, 491744890751
Email:sccenterg@web.de
Web: fdrsoutherncameroons.info , www.scylforfreedom.org
10.12.2006
Following a meeting of the Southern Cameroons heled in Bochum-Germany on the 9th of December 2006, we resolved on a couple of issues including a reaction to Mr. Inoni`s Press Release over The Post Newspaper.
SCNC and SCYL Germany`s Reaction to La Republique du Cameroun Prime Minister`s Press Release over The Post Newspaper
The SCNC/SCYL Coalition in Germany view with scorn and dismay recent developments in the University of Buea that has imposed unnecessary and untold hardship on the student community and the inhabitants of The Southern Cameroons capital of Buea. Retracing the creation of UB, The Southern Cameroons Center Germany reminds the occupying regime that the birth of this institution came as a result of sweating and determined efforts of Southern Cameroonian parents, students and civil society to change the educational status-quo that had for long favored citizens of La Republique du Cameroons.
Successive batches of Students have resisted the gradual degradation of values, morals and educational standards that are the hallmarks of an Anglo-Saxon educational system.
We salute the courage and determination of the students who have resisted and continue to resist the corrupt and illegal Machinations to impose fraud and illegality on our cherished Anglo-Saxon Educational System.
On The Statement From Inoni`s Office
La Republique du Cameroun has a sad track record of Mr. Inoni`s proclaimed principles of “Excellence, transparency, objectivity and equity” as demonstrated by its brutal reactions to the calls of unarmed aggrieved parties for upholding of the said principles. The killings of civilians whether in a combat or non-combat situations should be condemned by any government rather taking side with the military in an uninvestigated scenario like that of the UB and this is the least we expect from the occupying regime.
Finally, we call on Southern Cameroonians in Germany to rally before the Consulate of LRC in Essen-Germany on 10th February 2007 as from 13:00prompt for a marsh of defiance and solidarity with the students of the University of Buea.
We call on the Students to continue in this spirit of defiance and that international law prescribes that every people especially those under occupation facing an uncompromising and brutal regime have the right to defend themselves by any means necessary.
We will extend our support to the students in any form or shape as in the final analysis, victory or defeat shall be determined by what the students, we as a people, individually and collectively choose to do or not to do in the theatre of operation which is The Southern Cameroons.
Done in Bochum, 10th December 2006
The Ambassador
Fuabeh Victor Achankeng
Posted by: rexon | Monday, 11 December 2006 at 05:59 PM
A TRUCE BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY OF BUEA STUDENTS UNION(UBSU) AND THE UNIVERSITY OF BUEA ANDMINISTRATION.
Considering the fact that the university of Buea authorities under the able leadership of prof. Cornelius M. Lambi have publicly acknowledged the they erred in the publication of results of the written part of the competitive entrance examination into the department of medicine of the faculty of health science of the university of Buea, which provoked a student strike action leading to the gruesome murder of two students on the 29th Nov 2006, and wanton destruction of public and private property both on and off campus;
Mindful of the recent Ministerial Order N# 0028/05/12/06(Article 1 new) which officially increases the initial 60places to 85 as indicated in the final list of successful candidates published by the honourable minister of higher education;
Given the t additional names that made up the 153 list which is said to have been based on regional balance had already been endorsed; we find it difficult to blend the subject of regional balance with the conventional norms of meritocracy.
Considering also that there is the absence of a mechanism at our disposal to implement our opinion, we therefore call on the powers that be to set up a committee to kindly make clear the justification of regional balance.
Given that a mixed committee of both staff and students have been put in place to ensure the proper implementation of the points below;
Considering that the students of the University of Buea also had other problems, which were presented to the UB Administration in a memorandum of nine points, upon which the vice Chancellor verbally granted the following:
.Absolute and unconditional immunity to all the students of the University of Buea after the strike
.A complete evacuation of the forces of law and order from the campus of the university of Buea at the event of signing this truce.
. The provision of a comfortable working office for the university of Buea student Union(UBSU) at the event of signing this truce
. Payment of Olympic benefits ( During the University games of 2006) to UB participants.
.Equal payment of registration fee for undergraduate and masters programmes(50 000frs) as in other state universities.
.Free of charge initial transcripts for all students of the university of Buea.
. Cancellation of 10000frs penalty for the late payment of registration fee.
. A forwarded request by the authorities an the publication of findings for the students who were shot dead during the April-May 2005 strike action and the November-Decenber2006 Strike action.
. Payment of hospital bills for students injured by the forces of law and order.
Considering the healthy relationship that exists between the students and the UB Administration, which clearly reflects the "OPEN DOOR POLICY" of prof. Cornelius M.Lambi, Vice Chancellor of the University of BUEA;
We the students and administration of the University of Buea have appended our different signatures to this document as an amicable truce to suspend the two weeks of crisis that has hit the university of Buea.
DONE IN BUEA,THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2006
FOR THE UB ADMINISTRATION
Prof. Cornelius M. Lambi
Vice Chancellor Universiy of Buea.
FOR THE STUDENTS
Abia David Amabo Marcel Donatus Asu WAN-OBI
UBSU PRSDNT - UBSU.SEC.GEN - CHAIRMAN UBSU PARL
Posted by: Kappo | Wednesday, 13 December 2006 at 05:26 AM
I,m not a law student but what wonders me much is the validity of cameroon law. jacgues fame ndongo is already guilty of corruptive practices and murder. what next.................?
Posted by: BONAVENTURE | Wednesday, 13 December 2006 at 11:53 AM