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| Hon. PC Fonso |
HONOURABLE P.C. FONSO, PRESENTED
DURING THE FIRST ORDINARY SESSION OF THE 2013 LEGISLATIVE YEAR TODAY MONDAY
11TH MARCH, 2013
Mr Prime Minister, Head of Government,
The First President of the Supreme
Court,
The Procureur General of the Supreme
Court,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Your Excellencies, Members of the
Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a privilege for me to preside once more, in compliance with the statutory
legal provisions, at the opening ceremony of the first ordinary session of the
National Assembly for the 2013 legislative year.
In this solemn ceremony and on behalf of the Provisional Bureau and the entire
National Assembly, it is my pleasure to warmly welcome all of you to this
august House. Your presence here today amply testifies the sound
functioning and smooth collaboration that exists between all arms of Government
of our country. I wholeheartedly salute this convivial state of affairs.
Dear Colleagues, welcome back to your House after some three months of
intensive activities in your constituencies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This session is opening at the time when the sovereignty of our country has
been violated by a group of violent misguided terrorists who recently abducted
a family of French tourists in the northern part of the country. The
insanity of this senseless act cannot be rivaled when children are held
captive! As Members of Parliament representing the sovereign people of
Cameroon, we call on the Government to take all measures in collaboration with
the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the French Republic to
free these hostages unharmed. The National Assembly is solidly behind the
Government as it battles against this unprovoked attack on our national
sovereignty.
Dear Colleagues,
Our democracy in general and the electoral process in our country in particular
need to be continuously improved upon. The ongoing biometric registration
of voters in which you are undoubtedly prominent actors is just part of a
process that should eventually include the actual voting and tallying of
results.
The problems that have been encountered on the field concerning this biometric
registration point to the fact that Government should accelerate the review of
the civil status policy of the country so as to avoid the last minute rush for
the issuance of National Identity Cards decreed without the existence of the
appropriate supportive measures such as mobile identification teams with
adequate personnel, equipment and logistics all over the national territory.
A disturbing case in point is the shortage of films for the National Identity
Card pictures which are supplied from abroad. Remedial and effective
action should be taken to ensure that the films are readily available for use
at the various identification posts throughout the national territory.
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Youth unemployment is a major problem that can destabilize society especially
one which is striving to emerge. This problem should be adequately
addressed. The execution of the recently announced programme for the
creation of 200 000 jobs for the youths should make a determined effort to
correct the mistakes of the still to be completed programme for the recruitment
of 25,000 young people into the civil service.
Mr Prime Minister, Head of Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our country has embarked upon a programme of putting up projects that are meant
to bring the country into emergence. These projects should be selected
and spread in such a way that vision 2035 should be a country-wide vision that
will have all of us onboard in a corruption-free environment. This is not
the case so far.
The management and supply of utilities: water, electricity and the telephone
service throughout the country leaves much to be desired. Water is now a
luxury especially in our cities and yet water is supposed to be life! Frequent
and unannounced power cuts is now a way of life in all of Cameroon. The
mobile telephone service which gave us a glimmer of hope at its inception has
now degenerated beyond belief. As the Eldest Member of Parliament and on
behalf of the entire Parliament, I am calling on Government from this people’s
rostrum to put an end to these deficiencies which have immeasurable negative
effects on society in general and the economy in particular.
Our Higher Educational Institutions are expanding nationwide. This
expansion should be matched with measures to improve on the teaching
environment by improving on university equipment and infrastructure. This
will help to reduce the increasingly recurrent conflicts between the students
and the university administrations. Furthermore, in order to
decongest these universities, the process of decentralization should continue.
Dear Colleagues,
Our society is facing an upsurge in criminal activities previously alien to
us. These heinous acts should be thoroughly investigated, an end put to
them and exemplary punishment meted out to the perpetrators irrespective of
whatever position they might have in society.
The controversy over homosexuality should be put to rest by the rapid enacted
of a Family and Persons Code wherein marriage is further enshrined as we know
it to be a union between a man and a woman. This does not violate any
human rights as people are free to do whatever they like in private as long as
they respect the laws of the land and human decency in the open. Our
society should stand firm against any outside pressure and influence on this
matter.
The Farmer/Grazier problems in many parts of our country are not going
away. If anything they are increasing in numbers of conflicts and
intensity of the conflicts as more and more people are fighting over a fixed
land surface. A modern day code is required to make a start at a
sustainable resolution of this problem. The same goes for a modern
attractive investment code which is unfortunately absent in a country that is
striving for emergence.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The phenomenon of floods in many parts of our country is increasingly
afflicting many of or compatriots and we should act proactively to check its
adverse effects with courage and determination. Our compatriots so
affected should be given all the assistance possible to enable them live
decently. An environmental watchdog should be set up to monitor and
advise on this problem.
Mr Prime Minister, Head of Government;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The National Assembly in its last session deliberated on the first programme –
based budget for the country. Government is encouraged to improve on the
presentation of the next budget by correcting the shortcomings of the first one
such as its late arrival in Parliament, the inability of Parliament to approve
the programmes in plenary after a detailed scrutiny in commission before the
budgetary allocations to each programme are made and defended by Government
before Parliament. In addition, the almost daily round the clock work to
scrutinize this bill by the Finance and Budget Committee as well as an
overstretched overnight plenary sitting is anything but effective.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The country has been mobilized for two years now to celebrate its fifty years
of reunification. Steps should however, be taken to avoid celebrating a
golden anniversary in a diamond year!
Mr Prime Minister, Head of Government,
We are receiving disturbing information that the Cameroon Embassy in Washington
DC has been kicked out of its accommodation. If this information is
confirmed it will be an unacceptable disgrace for our country. Prompt
action should be taken to redress the situation and adequate sanctions taken
against those responsible for such a situation which does not augur well for
Cameroon.
Dear Colleagues,
This extended legislature will certainly come to an end sooner or later.
We should however, work with dignity, courage and determination to scrutinize
and deliberate on any bills and issues that will be presented to us. We
should work for the advancement of the fatherland with the knowledge that after
us other Cameroonians will be in place to continue with the work that we will
leave and that when we leave we should leave satisfied that we did our best and
that history will be fair on us.
With these words from your Eldest Member, I once more welcome you to the
National Assembly and declare open its proceedings for this session.
Long live the National Assembly
Long live Cameroon
I thank you all for your kind attention.
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