By Ikome Christie-NoellaEposi in Buea
During a groundbreaking rally organised by the Member of Parliament for the Buea Urban Constituency, Honourable Malomba Esembeon Friday, December 16, 2022 in Muea, Buea, the chiefs of Buea declared their unflinching support for the President of the Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Paul Biya and also applauded the efforts made thus far by the government in addressing chieftaincy issues in Fako.
Taking place at the quadrangle of the Government Practicing School Muea, Group II, the rally which brought together the civil population, traditional rulers, elites and other community stakeholders was a forum for the Member of Parliament to exchange with his constituents, give them account of the proceedings of the November 2022 ordinary session of parliament and also to hear from them.
Addressing his constituents, Hon. Malomba expressed gratitude to them for their constant support and explained to them the work that was accomplished in parliament at the just-ended budget session. He gave them a summary of the configuration of the yet-to-be promulgated 2023 finance law of the state, informing them of the allocation of FCFA 15 Billion for the reconstruction and development of the Extreme North, NW and SW regions which includes Buea, under the salutary special presidential plan for the three post conflict regions.
While explaining the role of public investment budget as a tool for peace and development, the dynamic Member of Parliament also talked of his engagement as chairman of the SW regional committee for the monitoring of the execution of PIB in ensuring that projects are executed.
“Peace and living together are the core policies of the Head of State, President Paul Biya and these are pre-requisites for development. We strongly condemn hate speech and xenophobia”, he averred. Hon. Esembe saluted the communion among the cosmopolitan population of Muea in particular and Buea in general and urged all and sundry to strengthen the bonds of living together, stating clearly that he is MP of all ethnic groups in his constituency.
He preached the respect of state institutions including chieftaincy and urged the people to respect the chiefs in their communities.
In his welcome address, the Chief of Upper Muea, His Royal Highness Molinge Edward Nganje said the gathering is a fruitful one as it is aimed at improving the current state of the various communities under Muea. “I want to thank our MP for his efforts in seeing that Muea becomes bigger and better. We can build on this progress and do more to encourage growth and sustainable development”, he stated.
According to the President of the Muea Court Area Chiefs, Chief Mokwa Philip Ikome, the event is first of its kind ever in the history of Muea. “Hon. Malomba has done what all his predecessors have never done”. He talked on administrative, security, chieftaincy matters as well as infrastructural development in Muea where he noted that Muea has been abandoned when it comes to infrastructural development. “If these children are having a strong hold in this area it is because of the absence of good accessible roads. We also experience acute water shortage and we think boreholes in our communities will be of great help” he voiced.
Other speeches were made by the secretarygeneral of the Muea Sub-Section, the former President of the SW Chiefs Conference amongst others. A declaration was made at the close of the rally wherein the participants reaffirmed the attachment to the policies and values of the state.
In a response message, the MP assured his constituents that their worries will be addressed to the competent authorities for a proper follow-up. On the spot, he donated the sum of FCFA 500,000 to the water management committee headed by the 2nd class chief of Upper Muea to assist in the management of the water crisis in the area.
The ceremony was characterized by a diverse representation of dance groups from different ethnicities in Cameroon. The icing on the cake was the thunderous display of the dreaded Bakweri Malley dance which crowned the history-making event.