SDF will no longer boycott bureau elections – Banadzem Joseph

SDF party’s Parliamentary Group Leader Banadzem Joseph Lukong has indicated that the SDF is changing its policy of boycotting certain elections of the bureau of the National Assembly.

Banadzem made the observation to reporters shortly after the official opening ceremony of the March ordinary session of parliament yesterday.

The SDF leader was responding to a question on whether they will stage a walk-out as they usually do in protest, considering the fact that their demand for an increase in the number of SDF MPs in the bureau has not been granted.

According to the MP, the SDF will not pull out of the election because of its detrimental effect on the party and the entire Cameroonian people.

“Following the standing orders of the National Assembly, the SDF must be part of the bureau,” Banadzem stated, adding that the house makes allocation for 2.2 seats in the bureau for the SDF with 18 MPs in parliament.

Banadzem noted that the SDF would have mounted severe pressure to have an additional seat in the bureau if their pro rata allocation stood at 2.5. He claimed that the CPDM majority in parliament is a fake one. His reasons for damning the CPDM majority were against the backdrop of what he termed unjust electoral system.

The SDF parliamentary group leader pledged that they would take Higher Education Minister to task over the recent IRIC scandal. On another count, Banadzem vouched that it was totally wrong for the head of state to declare war against Boko Haram without the consent of parliament. He disclosed that they wished the issue of low consumption of the public investment budget is addressed.

Meantime, both houses of parliament opened yesterday and were chaired by the chairmen of the provisional bureaux.

During the opening session, both chairmen of the provisional bureaus of the assembly and senate, Enoh Tanjong and V.E Mukete respectively, called on Cameroonians to rally behind the head of state in the ongoing war against Boko Haram. A minute of silence was observed at the National Assembly, in memory of fallen soldiers.

MPs are expected to put in place a 23 man bureau before the examination of bills commences while their counterparts of the senate will elect 17.