Toeing the People's Will

It was surely the turn of historic events that gave Cameroon its linguistic shape. And as fate would have it, the people approved of it and that is why English and French became the two official languages of this great triangle. This year, as the nation celebrated the bilingualism week it became necessary to regale minds of the fact that bilingualism is rather a binding force for national integration and a springboard to peace and development than a bone of contention that should put people at loggerhead. Apart from the historical element that obliges Cameroon to institute English and French as official languages, the whole idea of speaking the two languages remains a huge advantage.  English and French are two very important international languages that cut across several countries of the World. Bilingualism, it should be underscored, opens up chances of grabbing a job, eases the mastery of instruments of communication and access to communication technology, widens the sphere of human relation as well as the capacity to adapt to the exigencies of the changing World and finally, helps to develop not only a critical spirit and initiative but also the spirit of creativity. All these are qualities clear enough to know, unfortunately, because of reasons, mainly linked to greedy politics, the whole policy has so far not hit the target. And of course, the consequences have been such a bitter pill to swallow.

The law on the promotion of the two official languages adopted in parliament, materialises the prescription of the Head of State to reinforce the bilingual character of the country. This prescription draws inspiration from the medley of problems emanating from the low or non application of the two official languages in their equal status as stated in the constitution. The English language being the greater victim in the discriminatory use, it is highly understood to be at the centre of the upsurge of protest in the North West and South West Regions. In the wider sense of it, it's not just speaking the language but the fact that it is the substratum of the two distinct systems. Having realised this, the President proposed this law to ensure the use of the languages in public places, public offices and spur Cameroonians towards their usag...