Members of Parliament are now set for serious work at the National Assembly for the ongoing March ordinary session of the 2011 legislative year. A plenary sitting will take place at 4:00 pm this afternoon during which the first bills may be tabled for examination and adoption. The plenary sitting will come on the heels of the Chairmen’s conference.

The acceleration of work at the National Assembly is henceforth possible as the nine committees that make up the House are already in place. The lists of members of the Committees were ratified yesterday, during a plenary sitting chaired by the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril. After the ratification ritual, members of the various committees met and elected the chairpersons, their assistants and secretaries. The setting up of the committees meet the provisions of the Standing Orders of the House, paving the way for bills to be received, examined and adopted.

Article 16 of the Standing Orders of Cameroon’s National Assembly states that, “Each year, after the election of the Permanent Bureau, the National Assembly shall set up nine general committees each composed of twenty members for consideration of matters referred to them”. The committees include: Committee on Constitutional Laws, Human Rights and Freedoms, Justice, Legislation and Standing Orders, Administration; Finance and the Budget; Foreign Affairs, National Defence and Security; and Economic Affairs, Planning and Regional Development. The four remaining Committees are: Education, Vocational Training and Youth; Cultural, Social and Family Affairs; Production and Trade; and finally the committee on Resolutions and Petitions.

The ratification of the lists of members of the Committees went on smoothly but for the case of the Economic Affairs, Planning and Regional Development Committee. The House Speaker, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril who read out the names of members of each Committee questioned the inclusion of Hon. Dieudonné Ambassa Zang in the list, considering that his parliamentary immunity had been lifted. This was immediately corrected and work continued without further hitches. Sources in Parliament disclosed that all the Committees re-elected the Chairpersons, vice chairpersons and secretaries voted in 2010. The only modification was in the Foreign Affairs Committee where, Hon. PC Fonso replaced the late Hon. Bujung Bede James as secretary.