The government of Cameroon, headed by Prime Minister (PM) Joseph Dion Ngute, is again creating another problem in the House of Representatives.
The PM is being accused of violating the laws of the Republic regarding the finance law of the country.
That is because he has failed to present to parliamentarians the draft finance law, which is being accompanied by the report.
The Cameroon parliament is currently holding its 3rd session for the year. The session aims at debating and adopting the state budget for next year.
According to article 57, (1) the initial draft finance bill, including the report and explanatory annexes provided for in Articles 14 and 15 of this law, shall be submitted to Parliament no later than fifteen days before the opening of the budget session.
But it’s been more than 15 days since parliament opened, and the government is yet to do.
MP Angry, Frustrated
This has angered some parliamentarians, including Honourable Cabral Libii of the National Reconciliation Party, known in French as the PCRN.
“This is just too much,” he wrote. He decried because the very thing happened during the last Parliamentary session and he tried to block the PM from doing the presentation in Parliament.
“We are 15 days after the start of the session, and there is nothing! They dared!”
Cabral Libii said, “Last year when we asked the PM to leave, the government swore with its hand on its heart that they would never again violate the law and disregard Parliament.”
However, it has not changed. The Prime Minister has again and repeatedly done the same thing.
“But unfortunately they are driving the point home; not only are they making us vote for a new law on local taxation that refers to a finance law that we do not have. But more seriously, the said law within it announces annexes that do not exist, but also, they are sending a settlement law without scrupulously respecting the provisions of the law that sets out the explanatory documents allowing us to understand how Cameroonians’ money is spent,” he added.
Will Cabral block PM like last time?
Under normal circumstances, the failure to present the draft finance law on time automatically halts the business of parliament.
Yet, the Cameroon parliament is dominated by those from the ruling Cameroon’s People Democratic Movement going about it unperturbed.
They have received bills and have started deliberation without knowing what the financial regime for 2025 is all about.
Meanwhile, Article 58 states that “any bill or amendment which, if adopted, would result in either a reduction in public resources or an increase in public charges without a corresponding reduction in other expenditure or the creation of new revenue of equal importance, by the provisions of Article 13 of this law, shall be inadmissible.”
The PCRN has just five Parliamentarians in the house, and the CPDM has 152. So, if they vote against it, it will be insignificant.
Previously the government tried to argue the delay was because the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was evaluating the report.
