The 2021 March session of parliament drops curtains with 9 bills scrutinized and adopted, two plenary sittings focused on road safety and corruption as well as other extra-parliamentary activities carried-out within one month.
The balance sheet was made during the closing ceremony by right honourable, Speaker of the national assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril on April 9, 2021.
In his key address, the speaker of the national assembly castigated certain abusive acts observed in the society and which need to be strangled by all means.
Cavaye Yeguie Djibril pointed out the unorthodox use of social media with increasing invasion into people’s privacy. He said one of such recent cases is that of late Cardinal Christian Tumi.
“The latest case of such abuses is the desecration of the remains and privacy of Cardinal Christian Tumi, by posting pictures of the body of the celebrated clergy who had just died on the social media. Such abuses in using the social media are clearly unacceptable and not worthy of any civilized society.” He said.
Cavaye said despite the numerous warnings against the abusive use of social media, many Cameroonians still find pleasure in promoting unworthy behaviours. He therefore seized the occasion to call once more government officials to put in place guidance or palliative measures for the people.
In his statement he said: “I urge all appropriate institutions to better provide guidance to our compatriots on the proper use of the social media. I also exhort our authorities to severely punish those who are guilty of cases of glaring abuses in using the social media.”
Apart from the social media aspect that was scanned up, the president of the national assembly urged his peers to double efforts in tackling deadly COVID-19 pandemic. He said more than ever, parliamentarians have to step up sensitization in their various constituencies as they go back home.
The persistent blackouts, power shortage faced by the population due to energy supply companies were equally highlighted in the key note of Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.
The speaker openly appealed to Eneo and Sonatrel to seek for rapid and lasting solutions to this problem of recurrent power outage.
“Power outages ought to occur occasionally, they should not occur repeatedly and on regular basis.” Said Cavaye.
Other issues were brought to the limelight such as calls from some politicians to protest in order to incite government to reform the electoral code have been bitterly criticized by the speaker of the national assembly.
The closing session was specially marked by an open address to the United States’ Secretary of state, Honourable Anthony Blinken. The letter read in English and French by Honourable Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, Vice-president and Honourable Douvaouissa Aissa, was based on the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon.
Worthy to note, at the start of the plenary sitting, tributes were paid to the late CPDM Member of Parliament from the Bouba and Ngoko division, Prince Mikody who died on March 24, 2021. In the same vane, Cavaye praised two dignitaries, Minister Adoum Gargoum and Secretary of state Alim Hayatou, who passed away recently.
Elise Kenimbeni
