*AN OPEN LETTER TO MARK BARETA AND TAPANG IVO TANKU BY FR. JOSEPH NKEZE*
Canon Law regulates the powers of a Diocesan Bishop. Can. 391 (1), “It is for the diocesan bishop to govern the particular church entrusted to him with legislative, executive and judicial power according to the norm of law.”
Can. 394(1) “A bishop is to foster various forms of the apostolate in the diocese and is to take care that in the entire diocese, or in its particular districts, all the works of the apostolate are coordinated under his direction…”
The Bishop is the proprietor of schools, colleges and universities within his jurisdiction, and everything is coordinated “under his direction.” The Bishops of the Ecclesiastical province just issued a letter telling the government they did not close any schools.
Ivo Tapang and Bareta’s holy hostility against ‘unbelievers’ of the Anglophone cause is troubling and shocking. Their over reach and over zealousness shows their structured ignorance of the direction of this struggle.
Let me remind them again. The Anglophone struggle is against the government and elites who have and enjoy political power. It is against the forces of law and order and the police who militarize and brutalize our citizens. It is for a two-state Federation. It is for the release of all Anglophones locked up in jails with no due process. It is against CRTV that propagates lies, and it is for the restoration of the internet in our zone.
The reason why I supported Dr. Agbor Nkongho was because he articulated these issues in the most succinct, clear and non-violent manner. He did not attack people even when they disagreed with him. He always repeated that he did not have the monopoly of knowledge and solicited advice to strengthen the struggle. He knew all anglophones did not support the struggle, but was ready to persist in his belief. That is why I joined this struggle. I contributed as an intellectual with my vast knowledge in political science and Law. I articulated the problems and solutions, but never advocating for Biya or the Betis who do not support us to be killed or harassed. This is the struggle I know and subscribe to.
On the other hand, we have Mark and Ivo who have taken malicious pleasure in calling people out, obtuse, implanting suspicion and mindless intolerance against those who disagree with them as un-anglophone. The Barestic and Tankustic Dictum have become the order of the day. "If you do not follow what we say, you will be lynched or martyred."
The competitiveness for public attention has become the hallmark of so-called piety in our society, leading to obscene advancement of self-declared seers of the future, who trigger off and feed upond the anxieties of their fellow human beings.
Tankustic Dictum: “ Rev. Fr. George Nkeze and Fr. Sop should respect themselves. Let them know that atheist are in the struggle and will stop at nothing just to exact justice or revenge on them in anyway.” He adds: “ Do they want to become young martyrs? This is clearly a call to violence against them. If you had only read the Canon Law, you would have known the truth. The Bishops themselves said they never closed their schools, and so calling for teachers and students to return does not mean they will return. The government and Governor of the South West Region tried and failed.
Such atavism towards the Lex Talionis is troubling and should be condemned with vehemence. Our struggle is being used to settle political scores, and This costly spasm of intolerance nd prophetic impudence will seek to derail the overall prize Anglophones have been fighting for months.
I also want to caution both of you in this struggle- structured ignorance and holy frenzy are not part of a peaceful civil disobedience. The force of the argument and not the argument of force wins the day. When you respond to people with a sense of elevation and entitlement, you are overloading that cauldron which might explode.
Lastly, I want to assure you anyone born of an Anglophone parent is an Anglophone. Bassa Anglos, Bamileke Anglos are our brothers. To look at a person’s last name and castigate and harass them goes against our Anglophone blood stream. It means we are not any different from the regime we are fighting.
Let us avoid being petty in this struggle.
Dear Fr. Joseph Nkeze you have use your knowledge of the Canon Law to explain your worries.To you is ok because someone somewhere wrote it and you studied it. Now let me use my experience as a Southern Cameroonian to expain. Anyone resident in Southern Cameroon no matter your position, if you for what soever reason call for those under you to go against this fight of marginalization l will call you a black leg. l wish l had time l would have written an open letter to you as well. l'm just an open minded thinker.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Fr. I fully share your thoughts, and I say we must not become like those we are fighting against.
ReplyDeleteI think it's time both party should keep all grudges out and marry the struggle. We are still family . No need for vocabulary assaults. Let's join and together we shall conquer
ReplyDeleteMistake will always be made somewhere along the lines of a struggle as we Cameroonians have always remain docile because of fear. This is possible our first real attempt at national activism so we will be looking for ways to make this struggle bear fruits, by falling and stumbling. I think Ivo Tapang and Mark Bareta started reacting “harder” the ways they did due to the actions of the government.
ReplyDeleteYou have not said that the government “bent backward” to negotiate in peaceful manner with its subjects Dr. Agbor Nkongho and the other of the education section. When the police went to campuses and brutalise student I changed my own stance for peaceful protects and would have even gone further had I been the leader of this forum.
In my opinion, Ivo and Mark are acting the way they are, as you have described because they know Cameroonians and the government. Playing it soft will make people start collecting bribes and the struggle will collapse while those arrested are forgotten in jail. There must be continuous pressure on the government to release those lucked up and for dialogue to resume – with them (Dr. Agbor Nkongho). This is not difficult and Biya should not be ashamed by doing that.
The person calling for violence, which you have been afraid to mention, is former Prime Minister Peter Mafany Mussonge. He calls for ethnic cleansing of the Norther westerners. Mark and Ivo have not called for violence.