Why am I in the United States of America and not in Cameroon? I was not born here. There is a difference between being a refugee and political asylee. I am an asylee and will like you to learn more about me. I requested asylum after I was trafficked into the US. But why do people escape from their countries to seek political asylum in other countries? In that way, you will understand why I still respect, value and admire the United States.
An Asylum officer in the United States approves my asylum request on Dec 17th 2001 as follows;
“ It is has been determined that you are eligible for asylum in the United States …pursuant to section 208(a) of the immigration and naturalization Act. You have been granted asylum for an indefinite period…Asylum status may be terminated if you no longer have well –founded fear of persecution because of a fundamental change in circumstances…committed certain crimes or engage in certain activities that make you ineligible to retain asylum in the United States see INA Section 208(c)(2)”
I am not suggesting that it is a bad idea to be in the United. I am just saying that you should understand what bothers me about societies where the leaders are not civilized and free. If the leaders are not themselves civilized and free then how can people they lead be free and civilized? There are crisis in our nation Cameroon that could result to civil war or genocide like in other societies.
Nobody has earned more rights to be in this universe than you and me. We must figure out how to co-exist peacefully under a political system other than monarchical- tyranny, which looks like that of free and civilized people. This is the 21st century and I must believe that a new political culture is possible for Cameroon as a resemblance of this one in the United States of America.
People who are gravitating toward capturing the political culture of the United States of America or other countries where they feel strongly about are part of this drive to bring about change in the universe. No doubt Albert Einstein once said that logic will take us to point A and B but imagination will take us everywhere. I have captured this imagination since I was born. That is why I could not condone falsehood while in Cameroon and when I began speaking the truth, it got people panicking. I was forced to escape in order to raise awareness about these ills in Cameroon and Africa .
My role is to make sure that the world understands that we are sick and tired of genocides and civil wars in Africa. We must send a strong message now or never that it is possible for Cameroon to change without genocide or civil war if people just think of themselves as mortal. Do not underestimate the power of your importance in this matter. This is a noble cause to foster a world that is fast becoming a global village where people are different/diverse. It thus require us to consider seriously the need to embark on a new set of rules (ethics) to guide us co-exist peacefully.
However, I have the moral authority on grounds of my political asylum status to clamor for positive change since I reported them to the United States government. It would have been improper for me to abandon what I stood up for and all the people who stood firm with me. I have to defend and justify my asylum by working peacefully to bring about a peaceful political change in Cameroon. In this light, I am one of the voices for about two million Cameroonians in the United States who escaped from the country as either refugees or political asylees.
All I want is our asylum stories should not be in vain. It should be productive for our people abandoned under the rubbles of monarchical- tyranny/ dictatorship. I am here to advocate and influence public and foreign policy by reaching out to our elected officials and other organizations to support our effort to ensure that there is peaceful transfer of political power without bloodshed.
Our drive for a peaceful political transformation of Cameroon is very thoughtful and necessary. All intellectuals and geniuses doing business in Cameroon need to work together to prevent genocide and civil war in Cameroon. A peaceful political transfer of power is not going to happen by ignoring the concerns of British Cameroonians.
It is going to occur when we all come together and work together for a peaceful and better Cameroon. Under the terms of the peace plan suggested by me, we are asking President Paul Biya and his ministers to declare their assets and return 50% of all ill-gotten wealth after, which they must peacefully retire for the sake of peace.
In that way we shall re-organize our country and then proceed to electing a new President. If we threaten him with arrest and trial, he will prefer to fight and destroy, and may be even escape to China. That will make things more complicated. Genocide and civil war have not quicken or helped to bring about positive change in other societies in Africa. Everyday in those countries is a painful memory animated by poverty and suffering in or outside of refugee camps. It is better for us to preserve the current achievement we have realized for the past 50 years and hope for a better tomorrow.
Therefore, invest now and harvest tomorrow. Leave the world a better place. Einstein said,” Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning”. Yes, I have never stopped questioning and wondering what a world we live in with such contradictions and disconnects. But we can make it better by educating people with the truth.
I believe that we are propelled to become instruments for justice and peace in this journey into the 21st century, a journey that underscores the common bond we share as human beings; the common thread that runs cross-culturally to lead us to the shores of a beautiful diverse community; the desire to put our knowledge and skills to work by inventing a new society so that it must compete and co-exist with other civilized and free societies like the United States of America. Cameroon should not be an exception to the rule of law and good governance. This is what I crave for my country ,Cameroon in the 21st century.
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