Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697704906940.pdf (Cameroon)
REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN Peace – Work – Fatherland Paix – Travail – Patrie -------- -------- NATIONAL ASSEMNBLY ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE ------------ ---------- OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER CABINET DU PRESIDENT --------- 9TH LEGISLATIVE PERIOD 9ème LEGISLATURE -------------- ---------- LEGISLATIVE YEAR 2016 ANNEE LEGISLATIVE 2016 --------------- ---------- 2ND ORDINARY SESSION 2ème SESSION ORDINAIRE (June 2016) (Juin 2016) OPENING SPEECH BY THE RT HON.
CAVAYE YEGUIE DJIBRIL, SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY Yaounde, 2 June 2016 1 - Mr President of the Senate ; - Mr Prime Minister, Head of Government; - The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; - The Procureur General of the Supreme Court; - Members of Government; - Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Representatives of International Organizations; - Honourable Members of the National Assembly and Dear Colleagues; - Distinguished Members of the Civil Society; - Distinguished Guests; - Ladies and Gentlemen; In accordance with the provisions of our Fundamental Law, the second ordinary session of the National Assembly for the 2016 legislative year opens today.
It therefore gives me great pleasure to warmly welcome you to this plenary hall.

I must say without mincing 2 words that your humble servant is really satisfied at this juncture given the context characterizing our reunion.

Satisfied firstly with the wide mobilization that marked the celebration of the 44th edition of our National Day on 20th May.
This mobilization is an illustration of the increasingly great attachment of our compatriots to National Unity, one of the cardinal values underpinning our nation today.

The People’s Representatives have taken note of this demonstration of unity and are committed through my voice to always work to perpetuate it.

It could not have been otherwise for our House is a symbol of Cameroon’s unity.
Indeed, in the diversity that characterizes its elected representatives, the sole ambition of the National Assembly of Cameroon is to serve the interests of its people.

- Your Excellencies, - Ladies and Gentlemen, With unwavering popular support, coupled with that of the multinational force, the Cameroonian defence and security forces have, in recent times, won resounding 3 victories over the enemy in the war against the BOKO HARAM terrorist horde.
There is no doubt that all these victories were one of the catalysts for the exceptional mobilization I mentioned a while ago, in reference to the celebration of 20th May 2016.

Through their support to the defence forces and their Commander-in-chief, Cameroonians equally demonstrated their attachment to these other values that are dear to the Republic namely: peace and security.

This tells you how much the victories of our defence and security forces are a real motive for satisfaction.
The conclusions of the Second Regional Summit on Security in Nigeria and in the neighbouring countries, held in Abuja on 14 May 2016, have come to console us in our convictions vis-à-vis the imminent extinction of the spirit of evil.

President PAUL BIYA’s determination, coupled with that of his peers and all Cameroonians, remains unshakeable.
Determination reaffirmed to African and international partners who gathered in the Nigerian capital and I quote: “We can ... give assurance 4 that Africa is decided to fight to defeat BOKO HARAM” unquote.

In the meantime, our encouragement, congratulations and entire support will forever go to our defence and security forces.

- Mr Prime Minister, Head of Government, I wish to also express my special satisfaction to you and to all the stakeholders involved.
Certainly prompted by our appeal at the closing of the first ordinary session for this year, and conscious of the importance of the awaited sporting events, you went to the field to inspect work on the sites where our country will host the Africa Cups of Nations, with the 2016 female AFCON already looming on the horizon.
Obviously, you were there in your dual capacity as Head of Government and Head of the Local Organizing Committee of the African Female Football Championship, COCHAN 2016, set up by the Head of State himself.

However, if you wouldn’t mind, it seems judicious that in this solemn occasion, the 5 People’s Representatives should express their appreciation to you and already congratulate you.

This visit undoubtedly galvanized those who would have lapsed into some kind of inertia.
In the same vein, the People’s Representatives salute the installation of the technical commissions and the choice of those to run them.

The Members of the National Assembly here present urge you not to relent in this light.

The awaited events are nearby and faraway but they are certain.

And as it is usually said, old habits die hard.

We also wish that you take necessary measures to avert any impediment likely to undermine the harmony you are ensuring.
Permit me to share with you some potential impediments, the first of which is laxity.

For instance vigilance and respect of security conditions on the sites of the AFCON must be appropriate in order to avoid unfortunate incidents like the one that claimed the life of one of our compatriots on 12 May 2016 at the Yaounde Omnisport Stadium.
6 Furthermore, owing to deadlines, our wish is to see all the administrations concerned agree on the definition of priorities and ensure especially that the notion of urgency means the same thing to all and sundry.

In the same light, let us show patriotism, civic responsibility and integrity in the management of resources entrusted to us.

The example of the unfortunate incident of the 1972 AFCON in Cameroon still lingers in our football history 44 years after.
From another perspective, there should be no negligence in the general management of our dear lionesses.

I repeat: for Cameroon, a football nation par excellence, all AFCONS are equal, whether feminine or masculine.

The Lionesses also deserve optimal working conditions.

7 May I now make an appeal to all Cameroonians.

My fellow compatriots, the time has come for every one of us to appropriate the upcoming events.
Let us avoid any form of denigration, any form of worthless pessimism and any attitude likely to demobilize people.

Let every one of us be an ambassador of the upcoming AFCONs in Cameroon.

- Your Excellencies, - Honourable Members of the National Assembly, Dear colleagues, - Ladies and Gentlemen; Some of our compatriots passed on recently.
They include: 8 - Mr EKENG EKENG Patrick, an indomitable lion who was playing professional football in ROMANIA; - Madam NJOMNANG Jeannine Christelle, an indomitable lioness and goalkeeper of Femina Star, who died in EBOLOWA; - Mr MAYEBI David, former indomitable lion; - Mr LONGSI Yannick, racing cyclist, who fell on the racetrack during the recent Ongola night cycling race; - And Mr MBOUDGA SOUARE, who died with a shovel in hand at the Yaounde Omnisport Stadium.
I wish to add that death also stroke our Chamber.

Hon.

GONDJI Elias, CPDM Member of Parliament from 9 Upper Mayo-Tsanaga died on 30 May 2016 from an illness.

May we all rise for a minute of silence in honour of the departed souls.

- Your Excellencies, - Ladies and Gentlemen, As we are assembled in this Chamber of the sovereign people, Government is by the bedside of a critically ill patient called CAMAIR-CO, our national airline company.
The President of the Republic’s strong will to revamp this company must be pointed out here with vehemence.

In fact, His Excellency PAUL BIYA has taken this revamp as a personal matter.

We equally want to 10 acknowledge all the efforts made so far by the Government to revive our National Airline Company.

We can cite among others, the use of MA 60 aircrafts.

Such improvement in air transport should not dismiss the fact that the company is still in the turbulent zone where it has been for some time now.
Beyond its primary mission of generating revenue, Camair-co is also a prestigious instrument of sovereignty, unity, a melting pot of peoples, an instrument of national and African integration, as well as a bridge that links our country to the rest of the world.

- Mr Prime Minister, The People’s Representatives therefore wish that the revamp of Camair-co should be accelerated.

Certainly, the starting point would be to make a good 11 diagnosis in order to prescribe the appropriate medication.
We know that an audit of the company has already been ordered.

We have much hopes on the said audit.

It is a job that should be done without any complacency.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, one would say.

We seize this opportunity to also express our wish to see the rehabilitation and modernization works on some of our national airports speeded up.
This may result in a substantial rehabilitation of local and even sub-regional air-transport services, given the relevance of movement and trade between Cameroonian regions or between States.

I know that the task is great and difficult.

However, going by the Head of State’s logic of strong determination, you will surely succeed.
12 While hoping that Camair-co will soon emerge from the turbulent zone and have a safe landing, I declare open the deliberations of the second ordinary session of our Chamber for the 2016 legislative year.

- Long live the National Assembly, - Long live Cameroon, with its illustrious Leader, His Excellency Paul Biya, President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Thank you.

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