Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor aka Agbor Balla Atia Azohnwi
Human Rights Lawyer Nkongho Felix Agbor a.k.a Agbor Balla has called on Members of Parliament to boycott the March ordinary session of parliament that opens Friday, March 20, 2020 in Yaoundé if the authorities that be fail to call it off.
According to the Founder/President of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), parliament cannot sit when the government has proscribed gatherings of more than 50 people in a bid to fight the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
“Let the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly be honourable enough to call off the parliamentary session for tomorrow (March 20, 2020). While the government is fighting and preventing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Honourable Speaker cannot be seen to be endangering the lives of citizens,” Agbor Balla said.
“The protection of the population is the ultimate goal of each Government,” said Agbor Balla, insisting that “The laws of the country must be respected by each and every one. No one is above the Law. So, Mr. Honourable Speaker, do the honourable thing.”
The civil society activist says Cameroonians must all unite to collectively fight the coronavirus pandemic. As such, “In the alternative, the honourable Members of Parliament should boycott the session. Our Lives Matter!”
In a bid to contain the Coronavirus Outbreak, the President of the Republic through the Prime Minister ordered the putting in place of several measures including: Closing Cameroon’s land, air and sea borders with few exceptions; closing all public and private training and education establishments of various levels of education from nursery school to higher education including vocational training centres and professional; and prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 persons throughout the national territory.
These measures notwithstanding, the 167 Members of the National Assembly and 100 members of the Senate will each begin their respective ordinary sessions for March this Friday.
Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, Speaker of the National Assembly Wednesday convened his peers to an ordinary session on Friday at 11a.m. in what critics say is in violation of presidential anti-coronavirus restrictions. Senators were also convened to meet at 4p.m. Friday by Senate President Marcel Niat Njifenji.
Cameroon has recorded 14 positive cases of the COVID-19 with the first two cases said to have tested negative after two weeks of medical care. They have been discharged from hospital but put under observation. The others are said to be responding to treatment in specialised medical facilities.
Government has however ramped up measures to eradicate the pandemic, including putting in quarantine scores of persons in some parts of the country.
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