Joseph Dion Ngute, Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth in the following interview with Cameroon Tribune speaks on this year's Commonwealth Day celebration.
This year’s theme of the Commonwealth Day is “Connecting Cultures.” Why the theme?
The Commonwealth unites 54 countries with diverse cultures, shared values and a common vision. This year’s theme celebrates the Commonwealth’s diversity and its role in bringing together many different peoples on the basis of these values and vision. Experts define culture as a source of identity, innovation, and creativity; a set of distinctive spiritual and material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group; a complex web of meanings, relationships, beliefs, and values that frame people’s relationships to the world. Culture is also about the artistic and social expression of peoples’ identity. This dynamic theme therefore recognises all these aspects of culture and the extraordinary contribution Commonwealth citizens have made to global excellence in the arts, culture, media and sport.
How can the cultural diversity of the Commonwealth contribute to development in Cameroon?
The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people’s choices. As a sector of activity, through tangible and intangible heritage, creative industries and various forms of artistic expressions, culture is a powerful contributor to economic development, social stability and environmental protection. Placing culture at the heart of development policy constitutes an essential investment in Cameroon’s future and a pre-condition for a successful integration in the globalisation processes, taking into account the principles of cultural diversity. Through interactions among Commonwealth member countries, positive economic and social changes in pursuit of development can have a strong positive impact on Cameroon. For example, cultural developments that strengthen efforts in expanding tourism and social justice can be directly beneficial from an economic and even commercial point of view to Cameroon.
Cameroon joined the Commonwealth about 17 years ago. What have been the dividends?
The Commonwealth’s principle of constructive partnership has been demonstrated by its direct involvement in the democratisation process in Cameroon. Commonwealth teams have observed most of the elections in Cameroon since 1995, like the legislative election of 1997, presidential election of 2004, the twin municipal and legislative elections of 2002 and 2007 and the presidential election of 9 October 2011. In the same vain, the Head of State, Paul Biya, on 14 December 2002 created the Cameroon Commonwealth Presidential Commission on political reforms, on the recommendations of a special envoy of the Commonwealth Secretary General to Cameroon. This Commission, which is the point of reference in the political dialogue between the two parties, was mandated to promote reforms in four areas - the electoral process, judiciary (including the prisons), decentralisation and human rights.
And what has been the achievements of these commissions?
The results are so far encouraging. They include among others, the law creating the National Elections Observatory (NEO) adopted in 2003, the restructuring of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, whose text of application has been signed and promulgated into law. Others include the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Commission by the President of the Republic in March 2006, the law reorganising the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court and the adoption by the National Assembly in June 2005 of the new Criminal Procedure Code. The Commonwealth and the International Bar Association participated in drafting the law. We also have penitentiary reforms, the computerisation of the judiciary, etc and the creation of an independent body in charge of the organisation and management of elections in Cameroon (ELECAM), and the continuous commitment of the Commonwealth to strengthen our electoral process. Many other projects related to the strengthening of human and institutional capacities are either underway or have been completed in Cameroon, thanks to technical support from the Commonwealth. They include the computerisation of the judicial system, capacity building for judges of the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, the creation of a database of detainees in Cameroon and the technical audit of the judicial system in Cameroon.
Apart from the theme, what else is the Commonwealth celebrating?
Other events being celebrated alongside this year’s Commonwealth Day are the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen of England (60 years on the English throne) and the Commonwealth Festival. A concert to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is to be held on Monday 4th June 2012 in London. Remember that the London Declaration of 1949 places the British monarch as a symbol of the free association of independent countries, and as such the Head of the Commonwealth. This means that independent countries are free to be members of the Commonwealth and accept the monarch as Head of the Commonwealth but not the head of their state.
