Huge Confab, fat budget, bad timing

According to the general coordinator of the organizing committee for the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, the greatest challenge the government of Cameroon has encountered in trying to ensure a befitting hosting of the august event is the of making available the requisite finances, on time.

Speaking to pressmen in her sumptuous office at the Glass Palace, Hon. Lifaka, who is also vice president of the Cameroon National Assembly, said the cost of procuring all the logistical needs for a successful 60th CPA Conference in Yaounde was quite enormous especially giving that the conference has to last for over one week.

“We have to put all logistics in place for a successful hosting of the event: Lodging facilities, catering, transportation, security, health etc.

This required huge financial means made available on time,” Hon Lifaka said. She noted that the burden was made even bigger for the state because the conference spans over one week, which meant that some participants will stay in the country for two weeks.

“Some participants like the secretariat staff arrived in Cameroon a week before the conference and will leave a week after. This makes the budget even bigger,” Madam Lifake maintained.

It should be noted that Cameroon is hosting the CPA conference at a time when she is confronted by other serious problems that require urgent attention.

Only recently, the country waged a war on the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. This was marched by a heavy military deployment in the Northern regions of the country.

Also, the army has had to push back sporadic and recurrent rebel incursions at the Eastern frontiers with CAR. Then there are over 260,000 Nigerian and CAR refugees in the Far North and East regions respectively that have to be rehabilitated. These and other problems have created a big hole in the state purse.

This is become even worse considering the fact that the war on the Far North and East regions of the country coupled with existing disfunctioalities at the Douala seaport, have greatly affected customs and tax reciepts, leaving the public treasury cash-trapped.

It is for these and other reasons that many Cameroonians are questioning whether it is opportune for the country to undertake to host such a huge, budget oriented conference at this time.

It should be noted that as parliamentarians will be celebrating their “historic diplomatic victory” with their guests, the average Cameroonian would be looking at them in awe and ruminating over his perennial condition of poverty, hardship and want.

Many Cameroonians are wondering why the government should spend so much on an image-fixing problem when she is unable to redeem its internal debt situation.

Contractors and other service providers to the state complain of unpaid bills; government subsidy to many sectors including the press is not forthcoming; hospital workers are striking on a daily basis over poor working conditions; schools are created without available funds for basic infrastructure etc etc.

Yet, authorities in Yaounde say the conference will yield enormous benefits to Cameroon: That it would enhance the image of the Cameroon parliament abroad, and that of the country; that tourism and the economy will be boosted.