Top among the numerous issues deliberated at the June 2016 Plenary session in the so called Upper and Lower houses of parliament were proposals made by the ruling CPDM crime syndicate on the Cameroon Penal Code. Cameroon’s 50 year old Penal Code has witnessed some modifications which includes

–Adultery remains a criminal act not only against women, but men inclusive.

–The eviction of a spouse from the matrimonial home by any person other than the spouse of the victim is now a crime.

–Indecent or illegal practices in any public or private enterprise will lead to complete disintegration, permanent or temporal closure of the enterprise.

–Renting fraud: Six months to three years imprisonment terms for recalcitrant tenants: (those refusing to pay their rents) will be charged with fines ranging from 100 to 300,000 FCFA.

–Unscrupulous tenants who before leaving the house, damage some equipment will be severely punished.

–Street begging prohibited.

– Illegal sale of drugs is now a crime.

The scrutiny exercise was supervised by the Minister of Justice and keeper of the Seals, Laurent Esso, assisted by the Vice Prime Minister, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Assemblies, Amadou Ali. The Cameroon bar association has called for an immediate stop of the penal code review.

CRTV

The unending internal wrangling, unhealthy rivalry, bitterness and hatred common of the ruling CPDM party was brought to the limelight at a ceremony to officially commission the newly appointed regional and divisional delegation leaders of the South West.  While installing the so called Regional Head of the CPDM South West region in the person of Senator Peter Mafany Musonge, the Secretary General of the Central Committee, Jean Nkwete tasked Musonge to reunite the party and restore its credibility in the region.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands the new CPDM curriculum seems to have rendered the all powerful Section Presidents redundant. However, Secretary Jean Nkwete sounded a note of caution to the newly installed regional and divisional heads not to relegate section presidents and become party bosses.

The CPDM Scribe noted that the party bosses would remain the section presidents. Jean Nkuete emphasized on party discipline for success in future political consultations. The Biya acolyte revealed that the primordial function of the divisional delegations was strictly coordination. CPDM mayors were told to work in close collaboration with the section presidents.

Cham Victor Bama (CIR)

Cameroon Intelligence Report has learnt that the Universities of Buea and Bamenda have blatantly refused any harmonization of academic programs in state universities in Cameroon.  The so called harmonization program was made public on May the 30^th 2016 by the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo. The two Anglo-Saxon universities have clearly demonstrated their opposition to the move via a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister and Head of Government.

In one of the arguments against the harmonization, the signatories of the memorandum told the loud sounding nothing Minister Fame Ndongo that the presidential decree that established the University of Buea indicated that it was created in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. They further added that harmonization is not possible as the Buea University is run by a Vice-Chancellor not a president. Moreover, the unique teaching language is English, unlike other universities, where French and English are used.

Rita Akana

The Senate Chamber at the Yaounde Conference Centre was yesterday June 9, 2016, the venue for Senators to check government activities as prescribed by law. Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji, in the presence of the Vice Prime Minister, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Relations with the Assemblies, Amadou Ali, called the House to order and announced that the plenary session was for questions to the Executive. Seven cabinet ministers were grilled on issues patterning to tourism, agriculture, bilingualism, water and electricity, environment amongst others.

The Minister of State in charge of Tourism and Leisure, Bello Bouba Maïgari, was the first to mount the rostrum to respond to a question from NUDP Senator, Pierre Flambeau Ngayap, on the impact of the Boko Haram war on tourism in the Far North Region. The Minister of State said the impact is tremendous, not only on the tourism sector, but also on agriculture, education and health. Bello Bouba stressed that the government is preoccupied most with the pressing issue of securing the population and defending the national territory, which so far have been done with great success by the Defence Forces.

This notwithstanding, moves are being made to promote internal tourism, given that diplomatic missions had advised their compatriots to stay away from the Far North Region. Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, was also quizzed on measures taken to pre-empt food deficiency in the Far North Region. He outlined short and long term measures adopted stating the Head of State’s special food donation worth FCFA 12 billion which has been partly distributed. Agricultural machinery and the development of production zones are part of long-term measures to ensure food sufficiency in the region.

On the imbalance in the use of official languages in communicating important information, Communication Minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary pointed out that the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon provides for English and French as two official languages of equal status. He cited his press outings, which he said are always bilingual and the official newspaper, Cameroon Tribune, which publishes information in both languages.

Senator Simon Anja’s worry on the non-posting of French language teachers to some schools especially in Akwaya sub-division, Manyu Division of the South West Region, was also addressed by the Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Alim Adidja. Meanwhile, measures to ease access to water and electricity were explained by Minister Basile Atangana Kouna who also said errors in the billing systems should be reported to the service providers. The Minister of Finance, Alamine Ousmane Mey, his colleague of Environment and Protection of Nature, Helé Pierre also provided answers to worries of Senators.

Cameroon Tribune

The bill for the precipitated constitutional amendment has been well prepared and will be presented to the National Assembly for scrutiny next week.  Our senior intelligence officer in Yaounde hinted earlier today that the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the ruling CPDM, Jean Kuete met secretly with Senator Niat Njifenji yesterday and finalized the deal. We understand the leaders of both the Upper and the Lower Houses of parliament have been given standing orders to speed up the adoption of the said bill without arguments.

Special envelopes ranging from 5 to 10 million FCFA have been reportedly distributed to MPs and our elected officials have been told that their request for a 4×4 jeep will be met after the voting. Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that the bill will focus mainly on making President Biya hold on to power beyond 2018. As the day for the adoption of the purported bill draws closer, National Assembly Speaker, Cavaye Djibril has been seen pleading to all CPDM MPs to help guarantee Biya’s continued stay in power. The CPDM diabolic harsh ploy has completely left out MPs from the Social Democratic Front.

This story is still developing

By Cham Victor

Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from reliable sources at the Special Criminal Court that the verdict on case number 003 / RG- TCS / 2016 involving the former Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Jean Atangana Mebara shall be made public on the 22^nd of June 2016.

Minister Mebara was charged for embezzlement of 5 million US dollars in a presidential jet scandal that rocked the Cameroonian nation.  Depicting the Special Criminal Court established to prosecute alleged corrupt government officials and the several Alibabas responsible for pilfering from the public treasury as the President’s court is no misnomer.

We call it the President’s court because it is one instrument of power through which the President is reining in on perceived opponents from within his CPDM power conduit. An attribute of a genuine court is the fairness of the trial proceedings in cases which are brought before the court for trial. It is not the number of convictions entered against accused.

A court is legitimate and recognized as such because of its exercise of judicial, executive, legislative and administrative independence.  A court that is independent must be accessible to all citizens after all, is equality before the law, not a constitutionally protected value? The Special Criminal Court is lacking in these attributes of impartiality, judicial independence and accessibility.  It is perceived more as the President’s Court than a Court of Justice.

CIR

The Prime Minister Philemon Yang has met with Sao Tome and Principe’s former Prime Minister, Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira da Costa. Cameroon Radio and Television reported that the 8^th of June 2016 meeting was intensive and productive.

Gabriel Arcanjo Ferreira was bearer of a private message from President Manuel Pinto da Costa of Sao Tome and Principe to Cameroon’s Head of State, Paul Biya.

The Republic of Sao Tome and Principe is a Portuguese-speaking island nation located in the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of about 190.00 people and its capital city is Sao Tome.

CRTV/CIR

The bill to authorize the President of the Republic to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was yesterday, June 7, 2016 declared admissible for scrutiny by the Chairmen’s Conference of the Senate chaired by Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji. The bill was submitted by government, represented by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation in charge of Regional and Local Authorities, Jules Doret Ndongo.

The Paris Climate Agreement was adopted during the 21^st session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) that held in the French capital from November 30 to December 13, 2015. The agreement, which was later signed in New York on April 22, 2016, aims at strengthening global riposte to threats posed by climate change within a context of sustainable development and the fight against poverty.

According to government, the ratification of the agreement by Cameroon is the expression of its will to synergize with the international community to fight climate change and could enable the country benefit from financial opportunities offered by its partners for the implementation of decisions taken at COP 21.

Cameroon Tribune