Minister of Justice Should Resign or be Dismissed Immediately
Amadou Ali (Minister of Justice and Vice-Prime Minister)
CCDHR condemns the recent statement by the Minister of Justice, Keeper of the Seals, and Vice Prime Minister of Cameroon, Amadou Ali and call on his immediate resignation or dismissal for contravening the Constitution of the country. In a press conference held on January 5, 2007, the Minister of Justice declared without hesitation that he would not welcome questions asked in English. This statement is unwarranted of his status and a serious desecration of the Constitution he is entrusted to uphold and enforce.

CCDHR would like to draw attention to Article 1 (3) of the Cameroon Constitution (Law No. 96-6 of 18 January 1996), which states as follows:

“The official languages of the Republic of Cameroon shall be English and French, both languages having the same status. The State shall guarantee the promotion of bilingualism throughout the country. It shall endeavour to protect and promote national languages”.

Likewise, according to Article 31 (3) of the Constitution, after the President enacts laws passed by Parliament, these laws must be “published in the Official Gazette of the Republic in English and French”.

It is therefore inconceivable that Amadou Ali can pretentiously continue to function as the Minister of Justice after making comments that seriously affect his credibility and effectiveness in upholding the laws of the country. The Justice Minister of any country is supposed to be the chief guardian of the country’s Constitution, while upholding the principles of equality and non-discrimination in the administration of justice. Instead, the Justice Minister of Cameroon has become the main protagonist of discrimination, inequality, and slayer of the country’s Constitution. In such circumstances, the Minister of Justice can no longer be a legitimate enforcer of justice within the national territory of Cameroon and should resign his position immediately.

Amadou Ali’s comment not only diluted the very essence of the Justice Ministry, it equally rekindled debates over the marginalization of the minority Southern Cameroonians’ whose case for separation seemed strengthened, the separation movement emboldened, and its legitimacy further confirmed from comment unbecoming of a Minister, let alone, the Justice Minister. Not only is the Minister’s moral authority at stake, his legal authority to defend and uphold any other laws of the country seems questionable in light of his flagrant violation of the highest law of the country.

Since the reunification of East and West Cameroon on October 1, 1961, the country has undergone various dubious constitutional and political changes. By various processes of intrigue and spite, the Federal Republic of Cameroon was reduced to the United Republic of Cameroon, which today has re-assumed the original status of the La République du Cameroun (The Republic of Cameroon). The name, The Republic of Cameroon was the name East Cameroon used when it achieved its independence on January 1, 1960. Today, Cameroonians of the former British Southern Cameroons cannot understand their status within the context of things as they continue to suffer various forms of marginalization, oppression, and persecution from the francophone led and dominated governments of the country.

CCDHR is calling on the President and Prime Minister of the the Republic of Cameroon to take appropriate action against the Minister of Justice for violating the Constitution and disparaging Anglophone Cameroonians. In the current circumstance, nothing short of a dismissal from his position as Minister is acceptable. The legal basis for such action is guaranteed in the constitution itself. According to article 10 (1) of the Constitution, “the President of the Republic shall appoint the Prime Minister and, on the proposal of the latter, the other members of Government. He shall define their duties. He shall terminate their appointment. He shall preside over the Council of Ministers”. Article 12 (1) states that “the Prime Minister shall be the Head of Government and shall direct its action”; while article 12 (2) states that “he shall be responsible for the enforcement of the laws”.

CCDHR is accordingly requisitioning the President and Prime Minister to exercise their powers under articles 10 and 12 of the Constitution against the Minister of Justice, Amadou Ali. Meanwhile, failure to demand the Minister’s resignation or dismissing him will be tantamount to condoning with his illegalities and hence, guilty by collusion.

Meanwhile, article 11 of the Constitution states that “the Government shall implement the policy of the Nation as defined by the President of the Republic”. As a member of government, the Minister of Justice is responsible for implementing the policies of the President as stated in the above article. Is it therefore safe to assume that the Minister was merely ventilating what he discusses with his boss? The answer to this question will only be determined by the action that remains to be taken by the President. Dismissing him would be the most desired response in the current circumstance thereby sending a strong message to other regime elements who contemplate making statements of a similar nature.

On the other hand, leaving Amadou Ali to continue as Minister would without doubt make the President guilty by complicity for the desecration of the Constitution by his Minister. Non-action by the President or Prime Minister will elevate  the marginalization and vilification of Anglophone Cameroonians and their cultural identity into an official policy of this government which all regime elements are entitled to implement, as per article 11 of the Constitution. Such a policy would be in violation of article 1 (3) and 31 (3) of the Constitution and various other principles of national and international law, and therefore offensive to the union between French and British Cameroons.