For a long time Ambazonia News has advocated collaboration as the way to speed up the Ambazonian Liberation Struggle. That is still true but it now seems a few questions would not be amiss.
It has come to the attention of Amazonia News that the Canadian Pre-talks Facilitation, and before that, the Swiss Process, has succumbed to La Republique du Cameroun’s preference to “solve” the Amazonian Liberation Struggle through the implementation of their “GDN resolutions”.
In conjunction with La Republique du Cameroun’s announcement dismissing Canada as would-be mediators the forgoing preference would militate against the current clamour for “collaboration” in the Ambazonian stakeholders ranks, especially with the avowed objective of “preparing for negotiation” or a “referendum”. Neither of these are about to happen given La Republique du Cameroun’s stance and maybe the stakeholders doing the rounds to promote conferences should expound on their logic and apparent optimism. Are there any secret signs that the suspected distraction, not to say misuse of resources, of such conferences would suddenly bring La Republique to the table? At Ambazonia News we suspect a little stroking by the International Community has proved enough flattery for some Ambazonian leaders. We would be first to admit to being mistaken but logic points nothing else.
Now the questions to address:
Who is the collaboration for?
What is the collaboration for?
Who wants or benefits from collaboration?
Do we know what collaboration is?
Ambazonia News cannot presume to answer the question? These, and many other questions, must be pondered by stakeholders as a way to refine the process and to ensure it works for the purpose and is adapted and adaptable to dribble some of the fringe.
The fringe would be the “unionist” “Ambazonian”. A paradox if ever one existed. Some well-meaning and valid stakeholders have “explained” that the stalled Canadian process involved a “commitment to bring in all Ambazonians including, unionists, federalists and independentists”, Ambazonia News extrapolates, “to prove to the international community how inclusive our Liberation Struggle is”. For the purpose of avoiding blame, Ambazonia News is not naming any of the stakeholders who seek to promote that level of “inclusiveness”. Ambazonia News does not see any malice in those pronouncements but rather a certain naive fall to the simple flattery if being addressed by the international community. Instead Ambazonia News simply calls on all stakeholders to consider the role of the “unionist fringe” that would be invited to “contribute” to the “All Ambazonian Conference” for Ambazonia News fears they would be defending, not to say promoting, La Republique du Cameroun’s position as they (LRC) might, say in a negotiation.
That would leave Ambazonian stakeholders “negotiating” even before LRC has agreed to negotiate and possibly making concessions to LRC in their absence! Given that LRC has distanced themselves from any negotiation process should Ambazonia be “negotiating” and entertaining people we might call “enablers and blacklegs”? Do we need to desperately “prove” our “inclusiveness”? Is that how we got to a state where LRC deemed necessary to tentatively come to the table? Do we actually think that?
Ambazonia News is of the view that that came about as a result of the hostility LRC faced rather than the international community realising our “inclusiveness”.
Are “unionists” “Ambazonian”? No. In a sense this is a non-issue as it would be really odd and incongruous for anyone who professes “unionism” to figure in an All-Ambazonian Conference. The bigger deal is that this clamour is yet another potential distraction that could lessen the momentum of the Liberation Struggle, to the advantage of LRC. Of course there are a number of high profile figures with the dry-eye to unfurl their carpet bags at AAC if we keep pounding the idea of such inclusivity especially if these figures think we are seeking to impress the international partners. Some have been to Swiss … As this op-ed is committed one outing, more on which later, by Dr Munzu, is doing the rounds as if to make the point of this post.
Ambazonia News would not see the “AAC” clamour as the right collaboration for it would not work for Ambazonia, even if it “works” for the “international community”.
Instead the collaboration that would survive and not succumb to illogic of the “inclusive” collaboration would be the collaboration of independentists. It is self evident what makes any stakeholder an independentist. While this might not necessarily “work” for the international community, we should not be so sure that it wouldn’t. Logic says that that is actually what moved the international partners who have so far been moved to break cover and approach LRC even in the timid steps. Those approaches would not have accrued any outcomes had LRC not also experienced the “hostile” environment that a collaboration of independentists would only intensify.
There has also been talk of referendum. Ambazonia News presumes, even understands, that the idea is that the international community would come in and organise such a referendum. Would they (the international community) be able to impose it if LRC refused? Under what conditions would such a referendum be “imposable”? Would an “inclusive” Ambazonian Conference including the fringes induce LRC to yield? Would it persuade the international community to impose a referendum – and impose it if need be? Have they shown any prior willingness to put themselves out to bat for Ambazonia without the discomfort of LRC?
Ambazonia News invites all our groups to consider these questions before they are carry away with the nudges of the international community who may be utterly ambivalent when it comes to the outcome. In fact their implication will often be on condition of neutrality and that belies any belief that the international community is about to come to Ambazonia’s rescue.
Ambazonia News will continue to rely on the Watchman of Nation who has navigated the most improbable tight corners on our behalf even when our own mistakes have threatened. He will guide collaboration when we the time is right and who knows? Maybe this is the time and the clamour to “prepare for negotiation or a referendum” will lead to the real logical collaboration “by mistake”!
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