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| BARRISTER AJONG: WE SHOULD LEARN FROM UK |
BY BARRISTER AJONG STANISLAUS*
As a resident in the UK, fate has made it possible
for me to part take in two elections for my short stay here. First, it was a
pleasant surprise to learn that I was eligible to be entered into the electoral
register of the United Kingdom!
When I decided to, it took less than two (2)
minutes for me to be regularly entered into the register (online) and my
voters’ card delivered in just two weeks! I voted in the local elections of
Members of the Scottish Parliament of 5th May 2016 and the European Referendum
of 23/06/2016.
Don’t ask how I voted! I am concerned here with two
things;
- -The fact that a referendum was called
for the British people to exercise the right to stay or leave the EU and
- -That they voted to leave.
Though
not generally encouraged, there is nothing that is brought together that cannot
be given the opportunity to separate. Because separation is
not an ‘of course’, the then British Prime Minister David Cameron thought it
wise to organize a national referendum for the people to decide whether the
Union with Europe should continue.
It is being labelled here a gamble that
failed because the PM actively and energetically campaigned for a ‘remain’
which never won. So, question; if the PM really wanted a remain, why did he
call the referendum? Was it absolutely necessary for a referendum to be called?
This is a society of rights and the respect of the
rule of law. This is a Country where politicians vote as per their conscience
and the aspirations of their constituency and not necessarily on Party Lines. Unlike
other Countries the world over, Great Britain does not have a written
Constitution.
However, they have succeeded in maintaining high moral standards
in managing public office. The public eye does not blink! The British are very
proud of their System. Very proud of their Pound Sterling. Very Proud of their
Public Order. The idea of the European Union started in 1950 with
the Schuman Declaration. It took off as the European Coal and Steel Community.
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| DEMANDS FOR RESPECT OF HUMAN RIGHTS |
The six founding countries were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and
the Netherlands. This progressed to the European Economic Community or the
Common market in 1957.
The government and people of the United Kingdom only
joined the Union in 1973. The Maastricht Treaty brought in the European Union in
1993. Membership of the Union has grown from the six founding members to 28
when the British voted to leave on the 23/06/2016.
The relationship between the Union and the UK has
not been honey and milk. This is not the first time the British have been consulted
by referendum whether they want to stay in the EU. In 1975 when it was still
called the Common Market, a referendum was called and 67% voted to remain. Though
voting with a comfortable majority to stay, the British never really fully
integrated into all the facets of life of the Union.
When the Shengen Agreement
was signed in 1995 allowing for free movement within the Union, holders of the
‘Shengen’ visa were and are not allowed entry into the UK. Where a visa is
required for entry, you must obtain a UK visa before you could be allowed
through the border control. The Agreement instituting the EURO as a common
monetary denomination in the Union has never been functional in the UK. As one
Briton asked when the EURO was introduced, “Does this mean that Her Majesty’s Pound
Sterling will be controlled from Brussels?”
It can therefore, be safely stated that from
inception, the British have been ‘one foot in, one foot out’ in their
relationship with the EU. This raised concerns amongst certain members of the
Union who thought rightly or wrongly that the British had preferential
treatment in the marriage.
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| BARRISTER AJONG: WE SHOULD GET SERIOUS |
While there were complaints from outside that the
British were given privileged treatment, there was growing discontent at home
that too much of the Tax payers’ money was being used on Europe. That locals
were losing jobs in favour of the new influx of Europeans from member states of
the union.
This led the government of David Cameron to go into
negotiations with the Union for certain guarantees in order to go for full
integration. He did obtain positive guarantees which he deemed favorable for
the UK in the case of full integration. Being a democracy, he then called a
referendum to sell his new brand full integration with the EU or leaving it
altogether. The leave campaign won with 52%.
David Cameron resigned and Theresa
May was asked by the Queen to form a new Government. Today, the government is
on the path of negotiating the exit.This is a democracy that is ready to listen to the
people! David Cameron went out of office smiling, though he ‘lost’ in the
referendum. He respected the wish of the people. Calls for a second referendum
have simply been ignored.
Can
we and the government of Cameroon learn anything from the British Experience?
Theresa May campaigned with the PM on the remain Ticket. Today as PM, her
Foreign Secretary is someone who was very vocal in the exit campaign team!
No
political marriage or union can last forever if the people wish otherwise. We
might just be playing with a time bomb if we decide that ‘the right to leave’
does not apply in the case of Cameroon.
*AJONG
STANISLAUS
Barrister
at Law,
Chevening
Scholar,
Aberdeen,
UK
Disclaimer:
All the views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the position of the Chevening Secretariat or the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO)
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