10-3-2024
Abdulkarim Ali
Kondengui Central Prison, Cell 23.
The notion of one or more States separating from a union is gravely misunderstood and poorly perceived as much as modern day pastors misunderstand the out look of first century Pharisees, a major sect of ancient Judaism. The Pharisees seldom get any credit from today’s brethren because we wrongly assume they were all anti Jesus’s movement. Concluding that all Pharisees were hypocrites is like saying that all Catholics are blasphemous. There were righteous Pharisees, moderates and bad ones; in the same way, the Catholic church consists of good, moderate and bad Christians. The separation of a State from a failed or an unproductive union attracts a similar connotation; wherein the beneficiaries of the despondent union promote the notion that separation is equal to__not patriotic. In this article, i will argue that separation can be the only self determination option left to salvage/protect nations and territories whose union don’t serve it’s foundational intent and purposes any longer. In fact, history provides a wealth of undeniable verdict in support of my argument (Separation remains a solution to failed geopolitics).
Separatism And Unionism
The elephant in the room between the advocates for separation and incumbencies is in the definitions of Justice and Injustice. This explains why the incumbent habitually labels any call/action of separation as terrorism, a neo colonialist deterrent construct. When victims refuse to be perpetual victims, they are called terrorists. Philosophers like Locke, Montesquieu and Rousseau have argued persuasively in favor of both separation of power and the separation of Peoples, Ethnicity, Nations and States; hence the concepts of internal and external Self Determination. Separation is a transformative journey that requires courage and conviction. Moreover, i find nothing wrong if people decide to separate from a union that no longer serves its purpose. This fact can be demonstrated in distant and near past. Let’s look at a few examples: Most European powers recognized de facto independence of Belgium when the kingdom of Belgium declared its independence from the kingdom of the Netherlands on October 4, 1830. Since then both countries are thriving and remain respectful and competitive with themselves and other States. In 1905, Norway parked out of the union with Sweden, allowing room for both countries to explore full potentials. Elsewhere, through the declaration of independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Britain. The United States of America has since then grown to become none of the most stable and prosperous economies in the world, in its diverse unity. In Africa, the confederation of Senegal and the Gambia was dissolved in 1989 allowing the two Nations to identify with themselves and compete as good neighbors. In Asia, on August 15, 1947, the Indian Independence Bill paved the way for the independent nations of India and Pakistan out of the former Mogul empire. India since then has been one of the world’s leading economy and compete at world class level in medicine and IT. Let’s not forget Singapore; because of ethnic, political and economic differences, Singapore separated from Malaysia on August 9, 1965. Both countries are now surging in development and remain peaceful environments.
Separation isn’t about war or violence. However, most attempts to peacefully separate from mutilating unions have been met with violent military responses which have resulted to armed conflicts before the inevitable lasting solution, separation. States can and should honorably separate from each other if they can’t live under the same political, economic and social ideologies. Peace cannot be brought by force. It is worthy noting that many separations were peaceful despite the odds. For example; in 1993 Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic and Slovakia Republic peacefully. Montenegro peacefully separated from its union with Serbia in 2006. In same value, Kosovo unilaterally declared de facto independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. Similarly, East Timor peacefully separated from Indonesia, the same way Iceland severed its ties with Denmark.
Friendly competition between States lead to surging growth and development. Unisom is arguably a good political concept. But, the instruments of unity can’t be autocratic; where the incumbent declare the States to be one and indivisible. The indivisibility of a union can’t be a government policy. Rather, it is the values (respect, security, economy, politics and socio-religious) that guarantee the stability of the union. By definition, Union means bringing together or joining more than one entity as a whole. If they can be joined, then allowance for separation is a moral given. No union should be autocratic, total and exceptional. Unity cannot imply that big or powerful States consume smaller ones via whatever means. Unionism is the product of mutual understanding, respect, honor and agreement. This is why International Law stipulates that the legality of a Union is the establishment of a Union Treaty. The Union Treaty regulates the relationship between entities/States, so that the essence of any union are upliftment, enablement, prosperity, security, love and peace. Once a union falls short of these core moral standards, the inescapable outcome is the desire, call for and or fight to separate. Totalitarian and authoritarian leadership are noted for ethnically truncating unionism, hence plunging States into war that might have been otherwise avoided by simply separating.
Clarion Call To Africa
As the consequences of the Berlin Conference of November 1884 – February 1885 remain the most dehumanizing things to Mother Africa, the children of Africa must be indefatigable in their efforts to humanize the continent. I argue that a comprehensive and sustainable way forward is the recognition to the ethnic identities of the people of Africa. As shown the above examples, separation from abused unions is a powerful catalyst for positive change, dignity and integrity. Singapore for example, won’t be the global financial hub it is today had it been tied unto Malaysia.
What does this mean for the people of Southern Cameroons and La Republique du Cameroun ( LRC) ?
No human can survive the fury of desperation. The right to self determination is natural and inherent; therefore its significance in international law. What is the point of killing anyone in a bid to maintain a union which doesn’t serve the nations, including the incumbent leadership? From a moral perspective, there isn’t any logical and consistent argument for applying force to achieve peace in a union. This can only be argued from selfish strategic perspective. Peace can only be brought about through social justice and mutual understanding, not by violence. Violence frequently meet resistance at some point. Ironically, when the victims of injustice resist, they are named and condemned as terrorists, making them justifiable murder targets.
The people of Southern Cameroons have experimented a legally questionable union with LRC from 1961 to 1972 to 1984, after which LRC annexed Southern Cameroons via settler colonialism. This political subterfuge resulted to parachute identity discrepancy, subjugation, desolation of Southern Cameroons economy, relegation to a second class citizens, exile, systemic murders, pauperization, erosion of traditional customs and the erosion of both the legal and educational systems etc. Consequently, there is an ongoing war declared by LRC since 2017. War which has exiled over 1 million Southern Cameroonians, killed over 30,000, incarcerated over 3000, displaced over 1 million, razed over 400 villages–700 homes and over 100,000 refugees. My question is, how can such peoples unite in good again? Here, the argument for separation could not be more persuasive.
In the course of history, States have rejected their colonial names and adopted new names that represent their ethnic and or geographical specificities. For example: Gold Coats became Ghana, Upper Volta- Burkina Faso, Dutch East Indies-Indonesia, Ceylon-Sri Lanka, Southern Rhodesia-Zimbabwe, Northern Rhodesia- Zambia, Buurma- Myanmar, French IndoChina-Vietnam, French Sudan-Mali etc.
On October 1, 2017, Sesekou Julius Ayuk Tabe unilaterally declared the restoration of the Statehood of Southern Cameroons and renamed the territory as Ambazonia, the name coined by the God Father of Southern Cameroons self determination struggle, His Majesty, Fon Gorji Dinka along with Honorable Bernard Fonlon and Professor Carlson Anyangwe, in 1984. Since then the people of Southern Cameroons have referred to their occupied territory as Ambazonia. Abandoning colonial names can be a powerful step towards viable emergence.
Conclusion
