Tche Irene Morikang
14 April 2008
column
"History never looks like history when you are living through it". These words of John William Gardner, one time Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare of the USA, brings to mind the events which have been unfolding in Cameroon over the last few months.
Which events culminated last Thursday with the adoption of the bill to amend and supplement some provisions of the law of 18 January 1996 to amend the Constitution of 2 June 1972. History has been made. And a new page has been opened in the life of the nation. A page which political analysts have characterised as one that would be marked by the modernisation of our democracy.
The return to the non-limitation of the Presidential term of office brings in equity. It makes it possible for all Cameroonians of age, who so wish, to vie for the Presidency. The changes in the constitution also seek to render the country's supreme law more pragmatic. A good illustration is the extension of the time needed to organise elections in case the Presidency of the Republic becomes vacant or when the extension or abridgement of the term of office of Members of the National Assembly expires. Similarly, the amendment forestalls confusion in case of vacancy at the helm of the State as it clearly defines more autonomous ways of handling the transition. In the meantime, governance has been reinforced as the reduction of the mandates of Senators will give an opportunity for the people to be able to evaluate their actions and vote them out if they are found wanting. Jurists, such as Barrister Mujem Fombad of the Kissok, Fombad and Associates Chambers, also believe that reinforcing the immunity of the President of the Republic will "give the President enough power to execute his programme without fear".
We are therefore into another era. One in which we would expect all institutions previewed by the constitution, such as the Senate, the Constitutional Council, the Regions and the commission for the declaration of assets, to be effectively put in place. Already the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Marafa Hamidou Yaya, last Thursday at the National Assembly, declared that ELECAM will see the light of day before June 2008. If the independent viable election organisation and control body plays the role for which it has been created, then the squabble created by article 6 (2) would be uncalled for. Power will be in the hands of the people who can decide to vote out an incumbent, irrespective of how many terms he has spent in office.
The importance of the issue in hand could be seen in the passionate debates that have characterised the political scene of late. The pros and cons of a constitutional amendment were analysed before the bill was tabled to parliament. During the deliberations in the House, members of the Constitutional Commission reviewed government's proposals piecemeal, followed by a thorough examination by the majority of the people's representatives in a plenary. The exit of SDF MPs did not change much as 162 members of parliament were still there to proceed with the discussions. And when 157 of the 162 voters said "Yes" to the constitutional amendment, it was a good part of the nation that was validating the move. In the words of Hon Calvin Foinding, "We voted in the name of all Cameroonians".
The denouement falls in line with the vision of President Paul Biya who wanted the constitutional amendment to be an affair of all Cameroonians. When the President of the Republic kick-started this whole issue, he threw the ball into the court of the people. The first time was in October last year. In his response to a question on a possible constitutional amendment, during an interview he granted the French television Channel, France 24, the President said: "I also know that constitutions are not unalterable, the people themselves will determine what is good for them. So, we are listening...". This statement ignited the flame of loyalty in most Cameroonians as the first "motions of support" to President Paul Biya calling for the revision of the Constitution came in early November, 2007. Since then, such messages have been pouring in form every nook and cranny of the country.
Then, in his New Year's address to the nation on December 31, 2007, the President heeded to the call of Cameroonians and said: "we are going, to consider those provisions of our constitution which will need to be harmonized with recent developments in our democratic system so as to meet the expectations of the vast majority of the population". Cameroonians therefore knew that their constitution had to be amended. It happened sooner than many people thought. But laudable all the same! As the adage goes, anything worth doing should be done now.
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