Promotion of Peace : Everyone's Concern

P eace is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity, yet it is also one of the greatest responsibilities as humans. Across the world and particularly in Cameroon, communities continue to yearn for peace not only in words but also in daily life. Peace is the most valuable capital of any society as it is more than just the absence of war-it is the foundation for all progress. As the International community celebrated World Peace Day on September 21 on the theme “In­ vestment in Peace-for Everyone, Everywhere, Every day,” it is a clarion call for all stakeholders to promote the virtues of peace. The theme challenges all and sundry to transcend beyond portraying peace as mere slogan to intentionally building it through actions. Talking about actions, Cameroon’s leader, President Paul Biya has not only made peace a cornerstone of his policy through his repeated calls for peace in Ca­ meroon and the world at large but has also demons­ trated his penchant for peace. Concretely, the President of the Republic is a world class example of peace cru­ sader when he opted for the peaceful resolution of the Bakassi dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria through the International Court of Justice. Up till now, Paul Biya has remained true to himself as he has continued to take actions geared at pro­ moting peace. Despite atro­ cities committed by Boko Ha­ ram terrorists in the Far North and separatists groups in the North West and South West Regions, President Paul Biya has continuously stretched his olive branches and open arms to embrace repentant fighters in di­ sarmament centres created in the aforementioned re­ gions. These are just few examples of actions taken by the first personality of the State but which should prick the consciences of each and every one of us to be peace builders at our various levels. Peace should be built in homes, neighbourhoods, vil­ lages, towns, markets, schools, work places and churches. It goes without saying that peace building is a collective endeavour of everyone regardless of their social status, age, tribe, religion and cultural backgrounds. Political parties should be forbearers of peace by educating and sensitizing their militants on the virtues of peace in nation building. Most often, peace is threatened during or after electoral consul­ tations. Political leaders therefore have a responsibility to at all times, place peace above their personal inte­ rest. However, for lasting peace to take place, there must be justice, fairness, equity, reconciliation, respect for one another, dialogue, and the dignity of every human being must be upheld. So, everyone must be seen playing his part to promote and consolidate peace. Every parent who teaches the child to respect others, every youth who rejects violence and substance abuse, every religious body that promotes reconciliation, every traditional ruler who settles disputes fairly and every community volunteer who serves the vulnerable is investing in peace. While we are called upon to invest in peace, it is also critical to shun hatred and the spread of hate speech which can instigate violence. This is where the National Commission for the Pro­ motion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, a structure created by the Head of State following the Major Na­ tional Dialogue in 2019, have been waging a merciless war against hate speech. Civil society organisations, the media and other stakeholders should also be pivotal in promoting peace. Cameroon is richly blessed with cultural plurality, lin­ guistic and religious diversity as more than 250 ethnic groups and a plethora of religious organisations co- exist alongside each other every day. It is therefore a murky and fragile situation that must be handled with tactfulness. It goes without saying that bu...