INSIDE CAMEROON PARLIAMENT: Ongoing Talks Center Around Paralyzed Decentralization

[DECEMBER 13, 2019] Contrary to the views of many who thought King Biya of La Republic du CameroUN would have learned some classroom lessons from the pressure from the international community, we have gotten information from reliable sources that ongoing talks in the extraordinary session of parliament scheduled for today center around decentralization - the failed government policy existing for over 20 years today.

Many had earlier thought that the child born of the last National Dialogue, the Special Status, was going to be the topic of the day, but unfortunately, it is not the case.

Below is an extract of what is going on in the parliament (from Le Gideon);

The Cameroon Government has submitted a draft law to an extraordinary session of parliament holding today Friday, December 13, 2019. The draft legislation aims to redefine certain provisions in the section of the constitution concerning the decentralization project.

The summary of the draft law identifies the following areas that need redefinition and elaboration.

• the general legal framework for territorial decentralization;

• the status of local elected representatives;

• the rules of organization and operation of the Territorial Collectivities;

• the specific regime applicable to certain Territorial Communities;

• the financial system of the Territorial Communities.

Probably, the most important and most sensitive aspect has to do with the demands of English-speaking Cameroonians for a separate country of their own. Responding to the recommendations of the November Major National Dialogue for a special status for the two regions of the Northwest and Southwest, the government proposes in Article Three of the said Law that:

1. The North West and South West Regions enjoy a special status based on their linguistic specificity and their historical heritage.

2. The special status referred to in paragraph 1 above is reflected, in terms of decentralization, by specificities in the organization and functioning of these two Regions.

3. The special statute also results in respect for the particularities of the English-speaking educational system, and the taking into account of specificities of the Anglo-Saxon judicial system based on Common Law.

4. Specific texts specify the content of the specificities and particularities referred to in paragraph 3 above.

QUESTION

How can the specificities and particularities of the Anglophones be taken account of, when the same parliament just forced the so call Bilingualism Bill through to approval, which will see more magistrates and teachers from the French background presiding over cases and teaching in French respectively in the Anglophone area.

Stay tuned!