This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
Published on September 25, 2019, Cameroon journalists have proposed a federal system of government with a rotational presidency limited to two five-year terms, as the country prepares for a National Dialogue to resolve the Anglophone crisis.
The Cameroon English Language Newspaper Publishers' Association (CENPA) and the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ) made the proposals to Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, who however ruled out discussing the system of government during the peace talks.
"We want to stabilize the (Anglophone) regions first and then look into the root causes of the problem," Dr Dion Ngute said.
However, the journalists' proposal includes the institution of a federal system of government with elected representatives, rotation of the presidency between Francophones and Anglophones, and limitation of presidential terms to five years renewable once.
"When you take a critically ill patient to the hospital, the first thing medics do is to stabilize the patient before looking at the root causes of the ailment," Dr Dion Ngute said of the proposed changes in the system of government.
The government has increased the number of delegates to attend the conference from 300 to 600, with the Anglophone region producing 400 delegates, on the instructions of President Paul Biya.
