Unwritten laws and rules of Cameroon and Brief bio of Peter Mafany Musonge

Unwritten laws and rules of Cameroon

The last unwritten law or rule in Cameroon, and which has since been broken, is that which states that, English-speaking Cameroonians from the south or coastal part of the Anglophone region, which is currently known as the South west province, are/ were barred since the unification of October 1st 1961, to head prestigious posts, designated to English-speaking Cameroonians. Those roles or posts left to English-speaking Cameroonians, which are largely ceremonial, were almost always given to English-speaking Cameroonians from the north of the Anglophone region, otherwise known as the North West province. It may explain why, since the unification, the ceremonial positions of vice president, speakers of parliament and prime ministers, when they are English-speaking Cameroonians, were all natives/nationals from the north of the Anglophone region of Cameroon, otherwise known as North West province. Why were North westerners given preferential treatment by the governing Francophone central government in Yaoundé? It is rumoured that, late El Hadj Amadou Ahidjo, the first president of independent French-speaking Republic of Cameroon and first president of the unified Federal Republic of Cameroon, wanted to punish the people of the south or coastal region of Anglophone Cameroon, known today as the South West. Why? Simply because, the late right honourable EML Endeley MP, former prime minister of British administered Southern Cameroon’s campaigned vigorously against unification with French-speaking Cameroon in the plebiscite of February 1961. The final out come of the 1961 plebiscite set the platform for the October 1961 unification. What is not known is how late Ahidjo would have reacted if as it turnout in the 90s, the Anglophone region of the North West that he preferred became lighting-rod of all those opposed to his regime and the present configuration of the country.

Peter Mafany Musonge

But Paul Biya, the predecessor of late Ahidjo decided in 1996 to stop the appointment of elites of the North of Anglophone Cameroon otherwise known as the North West province to honorary but all the same prestigious position of Prime minister in Cameroon. Hence, he appointed Peter Mafany Musonge as Prime minister. Who is Peter Mafany Musonge? He was born on the 3rd of December 1942 in Buea. Before his appointment as Prime Minister in September 1996, he had held the following post of responsibilities: from 1973-76 he was deputy director at the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, from 1980-84, he was Director General of Laboratoire national de genie civil (Labogenie), from 1984-87, he was Director General of the Parc National du Materiel de genie Civil (Matgenie) and from 1988-96, he was Director General of Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC). He became a card holding member of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) in September 1996 and member of the central committee (decision making body) of the same party in October 1996. Mr Musonge attended his primary and secondary education in Buea and furthered his schooling in the United States. In the United Sates he attended Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia and Stanford University in California. From both institutions, he graduated respectively with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil Engineering and a Masters of Science degree in structural Engineering .