SDF admits failure to effect change in parliament

By Mbom Sixtus in Yaounde

SDF Parliamentary Group officials

The Social Democratic Front, SDF has admitted its failure to effect change in Cameroon through the national assembly.

The parliamentary group of the SDF, in a press statement issued on November 19, has however blamed the party’s failure to directly bring meaningful reforms through the national assembly, on the fact that CPDM MPs prevent their proposals (private member bills and draft resolutions) from getting past the chairmen’s conference to the competent committees and then to plenary sessions of the assembly for examination and possible adoption.

The national vice chair of the SDF, Hon. Joshua Nambangi Osih who read the press statement in the presence of the group leader, Hon. Joseph Banadzem Lukong, SDF senators and members of parliament, gave to understanding that they are unable to live up to the expectations of the citizens they represent, because of the overwhelming majority of the CPDM which consequently has an ascendancy over the opposition at all decision making levels at the national assembly.

SDF’s steady decline

A trip down memory lane indicates that the SDF has been loosing popularity and consequently loosing strength to effect change in the national assembly ever since it took part in the 1997 parliamentary elections. During the 1997 legislative elections, the SDF won 43 seats though the party cried out that the elections were rigged by the CPDM.

During the 2002 and 2007 parliamentary elections, the SDF managed to have only a parliamentary group which could not effect any change in parliament.

In the most recent elections in 2013, the SDF still failed to increase its number of seats in parliament to a significant figure that could influence decision making by the country’s legislature. The party won 18 parliamentary seats; a snail-paced movement from 16 seats in the previous legislature.

The bi-cameral system of parliament was introduced in 2013 and as the party puts it, “given the fact that senators were voted by municipal councillors who won the 2007 flawed elections”, the CPDM emerged with an absolute majority. The SDF was beaten in its fief, the North West region in a winner takes all regional elections.

Some analysts related the party’s victory in the Adamawa and West regions at last year’s senatorial elections to Biya’s kindheartedness. Yet, others linked it to the president’s cleverness; those who shared this school of thought said the president wanted the senate to have a semblance of democracy in the eyes of the international community.

Nevertheless, the Social Democratic Front of John Fru Ndi, till today, though toothless at the national assembly, has managed to maintain its grip on the title of the ‘leading opposition party’.

Challenges SDF can’t surmount

Among the private member bills which had been submitted over the years at the chairmen’s conference by Hon. Osih and Hon. Mbah Ndam, but were thrown out by the CPDM, is the bill on the modification of the labour code. Hon. Osih explained that he and the SDF parliamentary group proposed that the minimum guaranteed wage should be transformed into a minimum inter-professional wage that will be intertwined with economic growth. This, he said, will be revised by employers annually depending on the annual growth rate of the country.

Going by calculations and extrapolations made by the SDF vice chair, it was proposed that the amendment of the August 1992 labour code, should set the minimum salaries at 60.000FCFA in 2015, 80,000FCFA in 2016, 100,000FCFA in 2017, 120,000FCFA in 2018, 140,000FCFA in 2019 and 160,000FCFA in 2020.

Osih and Ndam have also proposed at the on-going November session of parliament, that the 1968 law on nationality should be amended. He told the press that this would be beneficial to over 4million Cameroonians living abroad.

It is stated in the bill that the 1968 law on nationality which prohibited double nationality for Cameroonians, was voted as a tool to fight against members of the opposition, most of who were living abroad. The SDF argues that after Cameroon embraced democracy, the law became obsolete. It is also stated in the bill that the implementation of the law against double nationality is discriminatory as it’s not applied on players in the national team.

The standpoint of the SDF on the issue is that the 1968 law should be amended so that children born into families with two nationalities one of which is Cameroonian would not be obliged to choose one nationality. Besides the case of children, the party argues that most Cameroonians who have two nationalities did not obtain second citizenship because they rejected their country but because of necessity. The current law, according the SDF prevents Cameroonians in the Diaspora from effectively participating in the development of Cameroon even if they wish to.

The SDF has also deposited a bill for the modification of the 2004 law on decentralization, requesting that the post of government delegate in urban council should be scrapped. In the bill which was proposed by Osih and the SDF parliamentary group, it is justified that the government delegates are appointed by the head of state and pay allegiance to their appointer and not the people living under their jurisdiction.

The party holds that the appointed government delegates in 14 major cities in Cameroon control 60% of funds disbursed to be managed by decentralized municipality, whereas the backbone of decentralization is the sub-divisional councils. Mayors are voted to head councils and their actions are guided by the principle of accountability to the electorate. Decision making is inclusive, democracy and governance is at its best at the level of the sub-divisional municipalities. The SDF stresses in the bill that the extinction of the post of delegate and the transformation of the appellation, ‘urban council’ to city council’ in the 14 major cities would boost decentralization and make it more than just a concept but a reality in Cameroon.

Osih and his group mates have also submitted a bill on the modification of the electoral code which the party has proposed and a draft resolution for the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry related to the acquisition of XIAN Mag 60 aircrafts which the government bought for the CAMAIR-co corporation.

Just like the bills mentioned earlier, the SDF says the CPDM parliamentary group has blocked the bill at the level of the chairmen’s conference without even finding out what it contains, an attitude which, Banadzem says is contrary to the laws and standing orders of the national assembly.

They want an inquiry into a plane purchase deal where the transport minister signed an agreement for the purchase of Chinese planes and the company was later received an inexplicable 20billionFCFA ‘overpayment’ for the aircrafts which experts say are as good as flying coffins. The planes have been banned in several countries, according to the SDF vice chair.

Besides CPDM’s alleged efforts in kill the zeal of SDF members of parliament to effect change through parliament, they are also accused by socialist party of disrespecting the laws of the land.

The SDF has equally faulted government for constantly disrespecting sections 21, 35 and 39 of the 2007 law on the fiscal regime of the state. This involves the examination of settlement bills and depositing the finance law.

The SDF parliamentary group leader, Banadzem says parliamentarians usually are not given the required time as stated by the law, to examine the bill and finance law. He said the 37% execution rate of the public investment budget this year; down from 50% last year is related to the poor examination of the budget.

He also refused to comment on statements made by the Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji who, while opening the November session of parliament at the Senate, said they will not defend their budget before the finance commission of the lower house of assembly. Though the declarations were received with criticisms from observers and political analyst in the country who hold that the senate is suppose to defend its budget as long as the president is yet to promulgate its standing orders, Banadzem simply said that, the national assembly is an institution which has well defined channels of communication. He said that he will only comment when the senate officially informs them about the decision.