National Dialogue: Understanding the Special Status for North West and South West Region

One of the key resolutions of the Major National Dialogue that held in Yaoundé from 30^th September to 4^th October 2019 is the granting of a special status to the North-West and South-West Regions, in conformity with Section 62 Sub 2 of the Constitution on autonomous regions with special status.

The constitution stipulates in Article 62, paragraph (2) that “Without prejudice to the provisions of this Part, the law may take into consideration the specificities of certain Regions with regard to their organization and functioning.”

According to Minister Gregoire Owona, who is a constitutionalist, the special status implies that the two English speaking regions are placed under the general regime of the state but are given other prerogatives because of their unique Anglo-Saxon heritage. He says that the constitution has already provided for the special status.

On his part, David Abouem Achoye, one time Governor of both regions, says what is important is not the name but the need to bring the administration closer to the people and make them responsible for their development.

The North West and South West regions inherited the British colonial system of indirect rule as well as the English language and the common law system; a decentralised form of governance that empowered local communities to carry out their own development.

Cameroon is not the first country in the world to have autonomous regions; in Canada the region of Quebec enjoys special status.

Special status was used since the 1960’s in Quebec so that its distinct culture could be protected and developed while continuing to be part of the Canadian federal system.

In Italy, Article 116 of the Constitution grants some legislative, administrative and financial power to a varying extent, depending on their specific statute to five regions including: Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino – Alto Adige/Südtirol, Aosta Valley and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The special status sought to take into account cultural differences and protect linguistic minorities and to prevent their secession from Italy after the Second World War.

In the above mentioned cases, the legislature protected the rights of the minority groups, their education, legal system as well as the language specificities.

Comments

LES BRASSERIES DU CAMEROUN: Poised to revamp dying North West Economy.

As the crisis persists in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, economic sabotage has been part of the modus operandi of the Separatists. One of the companies that have suffered from such sabotage is the Brewery company, Les Brasseries Du Cameroun. However in it’s new program as announced by the company Earlier this year, it seeks to revamp it’s commercial Centre in Bamenda and the 4 Depots of Kumbo, Nkambe, Wum and Fundong. This with a workforce of 400 workers, over 200 in Bamenda and about 50 in each of the 4 Depots, with a majority of the workers hailing from the North West Region. It is calculated that, over 30 Suppliers, two of whom supply the majority of the drinks sold in the Bamenda Commercial Centre, about 3000 regular retailers and over 2000 in the informal sector will get employed. They will be able to develop their families and improve on their livelihood by educating their children, building decent homes, and investing in diverse fields,...

NORTH WEST PUBLIC INDEPENDENT CONCILIATOR

The PIC while addressing local masses in Wum Council area, Mr. Tamfu Fai, appealed to the government to create divisional representations. In the Anglo-Saxon tradition, it is customary to set up independent authorities responsible for settling disputes between users and regional and council administration. In line with this logic, Law No.2019/24 of 24 December 2019 to institute the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities provides for an independent authority called the Public Independent Conciliator (PIC) in the North-West and South-West Regions. The office holder is by no means a legal authority or a judge, as the competences and powers entrusted to him are not of a legal nature. The PIC is responsible, inter alia, for amicably settling disputes between users and the regional and council administration, defending and protecting rights and freedoms with regard to the relationship between citizens and the region or the councils thereof, conducting any investigation on the f...

FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, DISAVOWS DECENTRALIZATION AS SOLUTION TO ANGLOPHONE CONFLICT; OPTS FOR REGIONALISM.

Image an elephant walked into the room. It's definitely something you would notice. It's also something people would describe in many different ways. Some might see it as a monster or a threat, while others (like The Colbert Factor) might think it's the greatest thing ever. It would ultimately mean something different to everyone, and that would influence the way each person understood it. The visit of the French President was the elephant walking into the Cameroon room. Emmanuel Macron and Paul Biya in Yaoundé. July 25-27 2022 Last week's visit by recently re-elected French President, Emmanuel Macron, was too substantial to ignore. To most ordinary Cameroonians, his remarks after the close to two hours high-level talks with long-serving President Paul Biya, were great. To others, (especially those in government), they were a threat to what government had given a pat on its back for a fast-track of the decentralization process with a Special Status for the North Wes...

OJ SLIM MEDIA

Search This Blog