By DOH JAMES SONKEY
Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril have both expressed satisfaction over deliberations during the just ended June ordinary session of Parliament.
The two expressed their satisfaction during the official closing of parliament, last July 10, chaired early in the day at the Lower House of Parliament by the Speaker of the House, Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril and later in the afternoon by Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji.
Closing the Upper House of Parliament, Senator Niat Njifenji thanked Senators for their great contribution to the fruitful deliberations of the session, for their sense of duty and love of hard work. He also thanked the Senators for accepting to participate at the 4th Congress of Parliament for the swearing in of Madam Florence Arrey Rita as member of the Constitutional Council and also scrutinizing and adopting 11 bills which will basically contribute to the attainment of Cameroon’s development goals and the emergence of Cameroon.
Niat saluted President Paul Biya’s diplomatic victory as Senior Vice President of the National Assembly, Hon Hilarion Etong was elected to the prestigious post of Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie.
He concluded that “crucial elections are coming up in a few months. We must make them great moments for the revival and consolidation of our democracy. I therefore call on all Cameroonians of voting age to get enrolled on the voters’ register which will remain open till August 31, 2024.”
Speaking earlier, the House Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril added that “three question time sittings and a plenary to scrutinize the 2025-2027 Medium Term Budgeting and Economic Planning Paper were held.
Speaking to The SUN in a chat, Fako CPDM Senator, Mbella Moki Charles said “We continue to plead on the government to transfer the remaining 15% budgetary allocation to local councils so that it will go a long way in cautioning the effects of the population’s displeasure with government and their displeasure with the atmosphere that is prevailing in the country now. Somehow, something has been done; it is a good beginning, a good response that is adequate for the moment that is so strategic to the history of our country.”
The opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party National Chairman, Hon Joshua Osih told The SUN that “I think the June Ordinary Session of Parliament was very rich especially as we had nothing to do last March as everything was brought forward to June. I already gave the position and that of my party on the prolongation of Members of the National Assembly’s mandate and I hope that it will not end up by having the regional election without the renewal of municipal councilors because that will be blatant cheating. It was an interesting session. We proposed a good number of private members bills and unfortunately they are still in the House Speaker’s drawers, they were not brought out but we know that is the usual game. As we did in 2022, we tabled a request for resolution to put in place a committee of inquiry on the Glencore scandal which also did not produce any favourable response from the House and we equally asked for a special plenary sitting to debate on the issue of the National Identity Card in Cameroon which had the same fate as the others. It shows that having an obese majority in Parliament is not a good thing for the health of the country’s democracy. We will keep working because we know that come October 2025, Cameroonians will have the chance of changing everything.”