Here are the Resolutions Sent to Gov't by Common Law Lawyers

RESOLUTIONS MADE AT THE INAUGURAL ALL CAMEROON COMMON LAW LAWYERS’ CONFERENCE HELD AT BAMENDA IN THE NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON 

We,Lawyers of the Cameroon Bar Association, of Common Law Extraction, which comprise the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon, 

·        Mindful of the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon;

·        Mindful of the Charter of the United Nations;

·        Mindful of the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights;

·        Mindful of the United Nations International Covenant on Social, Economicand Political Rights;

·        Mindful of the United Nations Convention on the Protection of Minorities;

·        Mindful of the United Nations Declaration against all forms of Discrimination;

·        Mindful of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights;

·        Mindful of the non-implementation of the United Nations General Assembly resolution 1608 (XV) of 21st April 1961 on the future of the trust territory of the Cameroons under the United Kingdom administration. 

·        Mindful of all human rights treaties duly ratified by Cameroon. 

·        Mindful of the United Nations Trusteeship Agreement on Trust Territories 

·        Considering the need for the proper Administration of Justice in Cameroon 

·        Considering the movement of judicial personnel in recent years without regard to the Bi-Jural and Dual Educational System of the Country. 

·        Meeting this ninth day of May, 2015 at Bamenda in the North West Regionof Cameroon, after carefully and assiduously deliberating on a wide range of issues affecting the nature and quality of the administration of justice andthe rule of law in Cameroon, especially as they negatively impact the minority English-speaking members of this Bi-Cultural, Bi-Jural, Bi-Lingual Nation, takethe following resolutions; 

1.      We strongly condemn and oppose the bias nature oflaw making in Cameroon and particularly condemn the past discriminatory amendments of the Constitution; we demand Government to immediately take measures to call for a constitutional conference or a referendum for the amendment of the constitution. 

2.      We note the deliberate and well planned program of whittling away and replacement of the Common Law-inspired rules of Criminal Procedure, Civil Procedure, and of Evidence,  with  a system andculture of French-inspired or copied Civil Law and strongly and unequivocally reject this process and practice and demand the restoration of the referred Common Law-inspired Rules of practice and Procedure.   The spirit of interpretation of harmonized laws within the South West and North West Regions should be common law inspired; inparticular, the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), OHADA UNIFORM ACTS, Cima Code,etc 

3.      We oppose and reject the progressive replacement of Common law inspired rules and principles of substantive law in such areas ascontract, tort, land law, family law, etc. and call for their restoration within the Common Law jurisdiction in strict respect of the bi-jural nature ofour country and in keeping with the Country’s Constitution; 

4.      We strongly condemn the absence of independence ofthe Country’s Judiciary and the domination and control of the judiciary by theexecutive with the resulting loss of a truly transparent, credible and independent system of administration of justice and its attendant unpredictability and call for an immediate review of the justice sector of the country with a view to rendering it more Just, Functional, more credible, less corrupt, independent, dependable  and reliable in the service of justiceand a truly democratic society; 

5.      We deplore the lack of independence of the CameroonBar Association. 

PROPOSALSFOR A NEW DIRECTION IN THE JUSTICE SECTOR IN CAMEROON: 

1.      We demand an Independent Bar Association free ofany Government Supervision and Control. 

2.      We hereby propose a new direction for the future ofthe Justice Sector in Cameroon and recommend the creation, of a national, Independent Law Reform/Review Commission comprising principally, Practicing Lawyers, Jurists and Judges.

3.      We therefore recommend that:

  i.           The government should halt any project on the harmonization of laws until the national law commission is put into place and functional. 

  ii.           All Judicial Processes and proceedings in the Common Law Jurisdictions should be conducted in the English language - in criminal matters; this should be from interrogations through investigations to hearing and Judgment. 

  iii.           The Two Divisions of Common Law and Civil Law be clearly defined and operated side by side in ENAM and the quota of intake in both divisions known in advance. Only common law trained Magistrates to be posted in the South Westand North West Regions and Civil Law Trained Magistrates to the Civil Law Jurisdictions. 

  iv.           That the Educational System in the South west and North West Regions shouldnot be adulterated, English speaking citizens should have their studies in the English language from cradle to professional life. That all Public Examinationsbe organized in two Poles; English and French with none being translated fromthe other and the quota in both poles known in advance. 

4.    We demand the establishment of TWO chambers of the Supreme Court of Cameroon that represent the Common Law and Civil Law System,with Judges appointed to the Chambers from Common Law and Civil Law backgrounds to address legal issues from both legal cultures respectively.  In this regard, we propose the appointment of Judges from the Private Bar into theVarious Courts of Justice of the Common Law System. 

5.    We recommend the amendment of law no. 90/059 of19th December 1990 to organize practice at the bar and make provision for the creation of Law Schools.

6.    We propose the creation of a National Council of Legal Education to ensure the direction of legal education in the Common Lawand Civil Law jurisdictions, develop curricula for academic and professional
training of lawyers and to set up and supervise a system of continuing legal education for Lawyers, Prosecutors, Judges/Magistrates and other judicialactors. 

7.    We also reiterate our previous resolution unanimously endorsed at the Cameroon Bar Association’s General Assembly in Bueaon the 28th day of June 2014; that no Notaries be appointed in the North Westand South West Regions of Cameroon. 

8.    We have observed with utter dismay that there has been and continues to be a lack of protection with regard to the rights of the minority(Anglophone Cameroonians) as provided for in the constitution of this bi-jural, bilingual and bi-cultural nation. It is obvious that the rights of the Anglophones in Cameroon in the spheres of education, socio-cultural values,administrative set ups etc, are continuously and systematically being eroded with a view of imposing the socio-cultural and administrative views of the French and or Civil heritage of the majority Francophone Cameroon. 

9.    We demand that the State should exercise its Constitutional duty to protect the Anglophone minority and by so doing, protectour history, heritage, education and cultural values. Consequently for the better protection of the minority Anglophone Cameroonians and the Common Law heritage, we strongly demand a Federation. 

10.                    We hereby give Government a reasonable period from the date of deposit of these resolutions through the Bar Council to react positively to our demands, failing which this conference shall take the necessary disposition within the national legal frame work and if dissatisfied, seek further redress from international dispute resolution fora as shall be deemed appropriate. 

DONEAT BAMENDA THIS NINTH DAY OF MAY 2015.
SIGNEDAND ENDORSED BY ALL PARTICIPANTS PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE. 

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)