March Parliamentary Session
Anglophone crisis hovers over parliament
-Niat, Cavaye may be sacrificed to appease Anglophones
-Honourable Joseph Wirba’s immunity on the line
-Anglohone CPDM, SDF MPs expected to voice Anglophone anger
By DOH JAMES SONKEY AND ELAH GEOFFREY MBONGALE
The National Assembly and the Senate open their doors today, Monday March 13 for the first Ordinary Session in the 2017 legislative year described by many keen observers as a parliamentary session of high stakes given that the sociopolitical crisis in the two Anglophone regions of the North West and South West is yet to be over despite government’s efforts to end it.
The official opening ceremony of the March 2017 session will be chaired as usual by the eldest Member of the National Assembly, Hon Enow Tanjong and eldest Senator, Fon V.E Mukete who are coincidentally Anglophones flanked by two youngest members of both houses for a very brief period in prelude to the election of the permanent bureau as stipulated by the Standing Orders of the National Assembly and the Senate.
Speculations are therefore rife within keen observers of the political arena in the country that if an Anglophone is not elected to head one of both houses, government may introduce bills to tackle some of the grievances expressed by Anglophones who decry marginalization at many spheres of life in the country.
Political pundits say Biya might sacrifice either the Senate president, Marcel Niat Njifenji or the House Speaker at the National Assembly, Hon. Cavaye Djibril to appease Anglophones.
It is thus almost certain that the shadow of the Anglophone crisis will be shedding Cameroon’s Lower and Upper Houses of Parliament as it is alleged that the parliamentary immunity of SDF MP, Hon Wirba, one of the most outspoken MP on the Anglophone struggle will be lifted for him to be arrested like other leaders.
However, some reports have emerged that the Honourable Member of Parliament who made an impassioned speech at the National Assembly during their last session and whipped up sentiments of Anglophone marginalization has allegedly fled the country through Nigeria. This unconfirmed reports say he left through Bamenda to Nigeria where he was allegedly spotted at the US Embassy in Abuja.
If the reports are true, Hon. Wirba will be following the trail of other Anglophone leaders like Barrister Bobga Harmony, Barrister Eyambe and Tassang Wilfred who have all left the country for fear of being arrested like some of their peers who championed the what has been described as the Anglophone struggle including; The President of the outlawed Cameroon All Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CAASC, Barrister Nkongho Agbor Balla, his Secretary, Dr. Fontem Neba, Supreme Court Advocate, Hon. Justice Paul Ayah Abine, Leader of the ‘coffin’ revolution, Mancho Bibixy and a host of others.
Speculations are also rife that government might table a bill to amend the constitution to create the post of the Vice President of the Republic in order to appease the Anglophones. It is also rumoured that an amendment may be tabled to cut the Presidential mandate from seven to five years.
Such a bill will be hinged on the amendment of Article 54 of the September 17, 1992 law, laying down conditions for the election of the President of the Republic and the alternate.
Some critics say, the March 2017 session of Parliament will be used as a means to test government’s will in bringing lasting solutions to the sociopolitical crisis in the North West and South West regions that has exposed lapses in crisis management in Cameroon given that many people are still arguing that the current crisis could have been prevented if the government did not allow much time for the grievances to accumulate.
Also, like Hon. Wirba and other MPs did in the last session, Anglohone MPs from both sides of the political divide are also expected to make their voices heard loudly on the parliamentary rostrum considering that most of the resolutions and suggestions proposed and tabled to government have largely been ignored.
