The March session of Parliament for the 2025 legislative year opened on Tuesday, March 11, in Yaoundé. Laurentine Nkoa Mfegue, the eldest member of Parliament, chaired the opening session. People have received her speech differently. One clear example is the divergence between the way Maurice Kamto and Nourane Foster reacted to the message.
In her opening speech, Nkoa Mfegue lavished praises on 92-year-old President Paul Biya, crediting him for bringing democracy to Cameroon. She also called on stakeholders in the upcoming elections to be responsible, objective, and fair.
Her remarks sparked reactions from various political figures, including Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) opposition party, and Nourane Foster, MP of the PCRN opposition political party.
Kamto Praises Eldest MP’s Wisdom
While acknowledging Nkoa Mfegue’s speech, Maurice Kamto praised her for demonstrating wisdom in her remarks. Sharing an extract of her speech on social media, Kamto highlighted her call for the electoral body to adhere to the rules and for judges to respect the law, especially as political mobilisation intensifies ahead of the elections.
“A voice of wisdom is rising above the political brouhaha in Cameroon. Let us listen to her words. A shepherd’s star is pointing in the dark sky of our country. Let us raise our eyes to follow its trail so as not to get lost in the threatening night. Cameroon says THANK YOU to the Honourable Laurentine NKOA MFEGUE, this singular voice that resonates in the hemicycle of our National Assembly,” Kamto wrote on his social media handle.
Nourane Foster Criticizes Speech for Ignoring People’s Suffering
On the other hand, Nourane Foster was critical of the eldest MP’s speech, accusing her of ignoring the sufferings of Cameroonians and using the platform to campaign for Biya.
“We expected to hear about the researchers who died in the North, the deaths in Édéa, the urgent need to improve our roads, the fight against cybercrime, the cost of the CNI, the fight against tribalism, the defense of the honor of our heroes who fell for their country, the requirement to respect the electoral law in force for peaceful and transparent elections, as well as social assistance for our most vulnerable compatriots,” Foster remarked.
She further emphasized the need for Parliament to focus on addressing pressing social and economic issues: “We are therefore waiting for the opening of the debates to take up the challenge. People are suffering enormously in the neighbourhoods.
The contrasting reactions from Kamto and Foster underscore the deep political divisions in Cameroon. While some see Nkoa Mfegue’s speech as a beacon of wisdom, others perceive it as an attempt to maintain the status quo rather than address the urgent concerns of the people.
