Common Law Lawyers Strike Action, Understanding The Silence of Paul Biya

It is over one month now since Common Law Lawyers launched an indefinite strike action calling among others for the translation of the OHADA Uniform Act.

The strike action has already divided the Bar Association with Common Law Lawyers creating their own Bar Association known as the Common Law Lawyers Bar Association. Several others described as black legs among the Anglophone lawyers have attempted to digress discussion and manipulate public opinion by declaring that they are not in support of the strike but the Common Law lawyers despite the attempted bribery of the leaders by the regime have remained stable.

The lawyers have multiplied strategies with the latest being the peaceful match across the streets of Bamenda.

The heavy deployment of forces of law and order which is normal in every peaceful protest had a hidden agenda.

And that was quickly unraveled when police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the striking lawyers, even though they will argue that bike riders entered the strike to cause chaos.

The peaceful transformed to chaotic protest wouldn’t have been witnessed if authorities had taken the plight of Common Law Lawyers serious,yes the ugly incident seen in Bamenda where people of the Third estate are treated like dogs wouldn’t have happened if the New Deal Government of Mr Biya had acted promptly since the warning bells.

But the Silence of Etoudi has plunged the entire system into total disorder giving the lawyers the impression that the President cares less about their demands. After all who are they; they could just be another SCNC in disguise, after all they cannot strike for long because they will soon be hungry, after all they can be easily bribed.

The Yaoundé regime has not even replied or send an acknowledge receipt or their 2015 Memorandum after the All Common Law Lawyers Conference in Bamenda.

The silence of the Head of state speaks volume and the inability of Justice minister to arrest the situation could plunge Cameroon into total chaos especially as teachers in North West and South West regions have announced they are joining the lawyers on November 21, 2016.

The Bamenda show down could have been fantastic for some young Gendarmes and Police men to train after school but the event itself is the turning point in the struggle. The struggle is not only to have the translation of the OHADA law into English, it goes beyond that, it is also a struggle to marginalization of Common Law practice in Cameroon, the hijacking of Common Law judicial systems by Civil Law Lawyers sent by the Yaoundé regime.

The figure are alarming and sends one mourning at the level at which the Anglophone has been marginalized in his own country. The lawyers are striking because in the South West region out of 148 Magistrates, 58 are francophone magistrates making 39.2 %. Out of 89 magistrates in legal department in the South West region, 54 of them are francophone, making 60.7%. Out of 50 magistrates working in Buea (Bench & Legal Department) 20 are francophone making 40 % of francophone.

From the 28 magistrates in the legal departments Buea, 20 of them are francophone making 71.4%. Out of the 30 new bailiffs appointed in January 2014, 28 of them are francophone, making 93.2%. In the North West region, there are 128 magistrates and 67 francophone magistrates making 52.3 % There are 97 Magistrates in the Legal Departments, 64 of them are francophone, making 65.9%.

Out of 45 Magistrates working in the Bamenda, 22 of them are francophone, making 48.9%. The Bamenda legal department has 27 magistrates and 21 of them are francophone, Making it 77.8 %. When 21 new bailiffs were appointed in January 2014 people were surprised that all of them were francophone making  the it a 100% occupancy.

Comparing Major Regional Head Quarters:

Situation of Anglophone legal practitioners in Douala and Yaoundé Courts compared with situation of their Francophone counterparts in Bamenda and Buea. The list is long and not pleasing to read. We of Cameroon concord think that it is high time the Biya regime gives a listening ear to the plight of Common Law Lawyers, because neglect will only cause more problems.

The government should look at the protagonists of the French Revolution; Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre was a French lawyer and politician who was one of the leaders in French Revolution.What happened in Bamenda could be just the beginning of something big is coming.