Preliminary Objection in accordance with Section 57(3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly in respect of Bill No. 1065/PJL/AN to Institute the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities.
By The SDF Parliamentary Group
Rt. Hon. Speaker,
My Hon. Friends,
Hon Ladies and Gentlemen;
The SDF Parliamentary Group is raising this preliminary objection in order to have this bill which is marked only by its voluminousity and emptiness with no serious attempt to solve the current socio-political quagmire that the country is undergoing withdrawn and resubmitted only after a
consensual constitutional amendment.
In effect, presenting this bill without first reviewing the fundamental law of the Land is synonymous to putting the cart before the horse. The bill is marked by contradictions and a strong desire to hang on to the government’s Jacobin and inert tendencies.
We should stand boldly to solve our problems and not always sweep them under the carpet hoping that some strange extraterrestrials will come from a faraway planet to do so for us.
The threat to National Unity is as a result of the existential problems raised by the English Speaking Southern Cameroonian minority which freely took a political decision on the 11th February 1961 to, on attainment of its independence on the 1st October 1961, join the independent Republic of Cameroon who attained independence on the 1st
January 1960 in a Federation of two States equal in status.
This minority population was met with a condescending
attitude and violence when it raised the legitimate existential problem.
Mr. Speaker,
The root causes of this problem have nothing to do with language, the patronage of appointments such as those of the Prime Minister Head of Government and or Ministers just to mention these. They are just a manifestation of the problem.
The English speaking peoples of Cameroon who came into a
union with the French Speaking peoples of Cameroon were a
separate people. They came into the union bringing along with them a set of core values which included:
- A Parliamentary System made up of a House of Assembly
and a House of Chiefs - A Legal/Judiciary System based on the Common Law
- An Economic/Infrastructure System (roads, railways,
airports, seaports, agro industrial complexes, commerce and industry, a strong agricultural base etc.…) - A Political System with political parties competing harmoniously
- A Security System with a strong police force and a
paramilitary police mobile wing force - A Traditional/Cultural System
- An Administrative System with a Divisional, Sub
Divisional and District set up - A Governance System based on indirect rule
- A solid Educational System based on the Anglo Saxon
System of Education etc.
The present conflict arose when contrary to the Foumban
agreement all these core values were gradually and
systematically deformed, adulterated, polluted, dismantled and erased through discrimination, marginalization, domination, subjugation and assimilation by the majority
French Speaking government.
This was to satisfy some weird ego that was sloganized as ‘national integration’. As was
publicly admitted on Mondo Vision by the Head of State this
has failed. As a consequence, these core value systems of the
English- Speaking Cameroonians need to be restored, protected and defended.
The bill in question has failed to do so. It has just papered over the problems with half-baked solutions that are unlikely to restore peace to the agonizing English Speaking Minority.
Mr. Speaker,
The recently unilaterally organized Major National Dialogue was principally meant to resolve the Minority English speaking problem whose existence was originally denied. As per the recommendations of this Dialogue, the North West and
South West Regions were proposed a special status which is violated in the bill under consideration in the following points:
- Deliberative and not legislative organs are proposed
- Elected officials being subjugated to appointed
officials - The obligation of putting in place judicial organs which take into account the Common Law imperatives all the way to the Supreme Court not enshrined in the law
- The failure to give financial autonomy to the North West and South West Regions through a proper yearly devolution of the State Budget
- The failure to guarantee the autonomy of the Anglo-Saxon
educational system in the North West and South West Regions instead insisting that the System as well as the Common Law System are Subsystems.
Mr. Speaker,
This renders the Special Status special only in name.
Mr. Speaker,
My Hon. Friends,
Hon. Ladies and Gentlemen;
For the reasons articulated above, this bill if voted and promulgated into law will, contrary to the sentiments of the Major National Dialogue, not bring about a return of peace and the violence will unfortunately rage on. It should therefore be sent back to government for inclusive discussions in forums such as of the aborted Anglophone General Conference before resubmission to Parliament.
Done in Yaoundé this 18th day of December 2019.
The SDF Parliamentary Group Leader
Hon. Chief PAUL NJI TUMASANG MP