North West CPDM Parliamentarians decry marginalisation at National Assembly

Members of Parliament of the governing Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) from the North West Region have cried out over what they say is discrimination and marginalisation against them at the National Assembly.

In a three-page memo addressed to the House Speaker, Cavaye Yegue Djibril, the lawmakers say they are being sidelined from juicy missions, committees, and other recruitments of the house.

The MPs point fingers at the cabinet director of the speaker, Abdourahim Boukar, for spearheading the ‘premeditated’ act.

“I told our Father, for more than twenty years you gave the big positions in the Assembly to people from elsewhere; now it’s the turn of the children of Tokombere. We have snatched them from the hands of an English speaker from Mbengwi in the North West,” the MPs note in the memo, quoting the cabinet director as telling the speaker.

This declaration, according to the lawmakers, “depicts the treatment received by the CPDM Members of Parliament of the North West extraction in the National Assembly.”

The MPs described the situation as “flagrant undermining of our numerical strength in Parliament as a group of 18 Parliamentarians of the CPDM from the North West Region (10% of the entire house chamber)

“We have, during the 10th legislative period, not had any representation in the following instances; The Commonwealth Parliamentary Union (CPA), The Union of African Parliaments (UAP), The CEMAC Inter-Parliamentary Commission, The Inter-Parliamentary Union, The ACP/EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, The Parliamentary Union of Members of the Organisation of Islamic Conferences (UPMOCI), The International Assembly of French-speaking Parliamentarians and others.” the memo signed September 5, 2023 by NW MPs reads further adding that “North West Parliamentarians are virtually absent in all the statutory and other missions of the National Assembly. The North West Members of Parliament have totally been sidelined as to what concerns the recruitment of staff at the National Assembly,”

The lawmakers further note with dismay that, “we have observed that positions hitherto held by North Westerners have been systematically seized such as: The post of Deputy Secretary General hitherto held by Dr.Fonkam Azuh, then Mr. Forsab, The post of Technical Adviser to the Speaker of the National Assembly hitherto held by Mr. Sanji Joseph just to name but a few.”

Considering the aforementioned issues, the members of Parliament condemned the actions of Mr Abdourahim Boukar calling on the Speaker to sanction him for threatening the principle of living together.

“Considering the gravity and the gross violation of the principle of living together so dearly upheld by H.E. BIYA Paul President of the Republic, entreat the Speaker of the National Assembly to meet a deterrent sanction on Abdourahim Boukar, Director of Cabinet” they recommended

Other recommendations, according to the MPs, include a “call for the reconsideration of the numerical prowess of the North West Members of Parliament in the representation of the National Assembly in the various Inter-Parliamentary instances” and to “seek the review of appointments and recruitment of staff of North West extraction to posts of responsibility in the administration of the National Assembly.06:03