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Cameroon: Setting The Year's Political Agenda
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Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
13 March 2008
Posted to the web 13 March 2008
Nkendem Forbinake
The opening of the first yearly session of the National Assembly is obviously a landmark event in the political agenda of the year. That which opens today is statutory and virtually carries a déjà-vu kind of work plan, if one were to go by past experiences. But from the look of things, this session could have more in stock than the eye can quickly fathom.
The main issue at the March session is generally the election of the Steering Committee of the House. Though the elections traditionally go hitch-free, there have been moments when they ignited fireworks. Of note is the case last year when a CPDM member, of all, was at the centre of a lively controversy which left party members and even those of the opposition on their feet for a number of days. The Honourable Adama Modi, MP for Mayo-Kani North stirred the hornet's nest when newly-elected members of the House met as of right to elect the new Steering Committee on Friday, August 31, 2007. From the blues, he surged out to declare his candidacy for the post of House Speaker, breaking an age-old tradition which sees to it that such a proposal is agreed upon within the inner caucuses of the party before the candidate is brought to public knowledge in plenary. The party was able to overcome this surprise event but that anecdote simply came to show that things can never be taken for granted anymore, especially in a pluralistic political context. Elections are on the agenda of this session and no one can, for sure, predict their outcome.
Beyond elections which are among the most certain elements, the dossiers of decentralisation have finally been taken out of the drawers and received some dusting. Presidential texts signed last month are a clear indication of some political will to get the issue finally settled and consequently end the long periods of anxiety and expectation at the level of the grassroots, all too eager to also take more active part in the management of public affairs.
These are just a few of the areas a journalist's eye can catch, but there are definitely several other areas that could be addressed and which are within the competence of the National Assembly, the arena where all the laws of the land are debated and consequently adopted.
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