National Assembly President Snubs Common Law Lawyers’ Strike Action In Speech

Cameroon’s Parliament opened last November 10 with Members of Parliament for the leading opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party jumping down the throat of the House Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon Cavaye Djribil for not mentioning ‘the most burning issue in the country at the moment which is the peaceful street demonstration by Common Law Lawyers.’
According to the legal adviser of the SDF, Hon Joseph Mbah Ndam who is also Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, ‘we are disappointed that the House Speaker cited only important issues such as the Eseka train derailment, social media influence without mentioning the most striking event at this moment which is the peaceful demonstration of Common Law Lawyers.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the November 2016 Ordinary Session of Parliament, Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril said the National Assembly wants to see fairness and transparency in the piloting of the national youth emergency plan as well as a successful organization of the Women African Nations Cup in Yaoundé and Limbe.  
Saluting a drop in activities of terrorists in the Far Region, the House Speaker decried that the social media has become as dangerous as a missile. Referring to it as a new form of terrorism affecting the cyberspace, Hon Cavaye regretted that initially perceived as a medium for online communication and information sharing, the social media is now being used for misinformation and even intoxication and manipulation of consciences thereby instilling fear in the general public.
By urging ‘appropriate authorities to see the pressing need to track down and neutralize the culprits of cybercrimes,’ the House Speaker is believed to have given a green card for the government to table an anti social media law in Parliament.
Reactions
I want budget to meet needs of the people
Hon Etombi Gladys, CPDM MP
My expectations are high during this budgetary session because I want to see a budget that will meet the needs of Cameroonians though it may be difficult to meet all the needs. I want to see improvement in the areas of education, opportunities that government gives to communities for improvement of livelihoods. I am confident that even with challenges faced by our country, things will be improving for the better. I support the House Speaker’s condemnation of the bad use of the social media in Cameroon.
How on earth can the Speaker fail to mention the Common Law Lawyers strike?
Hon Mbanya Bolevie Petnga, SDF MP
One could have expected that the Speaker addresses burning issues now in the country such as the putting in place of a Parliamentary Inquiry to probe into the Eseka train accident. More to that, I am still to believe that Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril claimed to have cited all the important issues affecting Cameroon in his speech when he did not even say a word on the Common Law Lawyers’ peaceful demonstration in the two Anglophone regions of our country. This is a very sensitive issue as it touches on the security of our country given that lawyers are being teargased in the process.’

The Sun