Editorial: MPs should stop crying over spilled milk!.

Yet, one of their preponderant roles is to “control government actions".

When the National Assembly opened on Tuesday, the eldest member, Hon Koa Mfegue Laurentine Epse Mbede, presiding at the Provisional Bureau, as this daily articulately summarised, presented their mood as illustrated in her speech as "weep for Cameroon". 

The CPDM parliamentarian, which party has a crushing majority in the house almost akin to a one-party monocracy, complained that: “...our cities continue to be littered with heaps of household refuse. Roads in our cities and in rural areas have become death traps. Corruption continues to plague the public service. Power outages are recurrent, due to acute power shortage problems”.

Inadequate water supply in major towns and communities, Hon Koa Mfegue stated, has made water-borne diseases to increasingly become the order of the day in the country.

Diverting to the country’s health system, the MP was unequivocal that the situation remains sickening as “...a majority of our health centres are still in dire need of adequate health personnel, medicines and state-of-the-art medical equipment”. 

She described the present state of the country’s education system, which has been mired in drug abuse, on campus violence and indiscipline, as a sinking ship.

“Secondary education, for example, is like a sinking ship,” she stated categorically. The eldest MP blamed the disturbing situation on the phenomenon of teachers “deserting classrooms” and “increasingly roaming the streets”

Violence and drug abuse, the MP further expressed regret, “have become a way of life in the school milieu”. 

She said university campuses at the moment “are virtually devoid of rigour, assiduousness and discipline amid general laxity”.

All these ills eating up the country’s education system, she detailed, are within the context of demands made by teachers, most of which, she added, have not been satisfied, despite firm instructions from the Head of State.

Her review of a country in decay wasn't any scoop. Cameroonians, especially the vast majority on the breadline, have been used to hardship and struggling to cope with high cost of living. Many are exposed to risks, including extra judiciary killings, kangaroo trials, kidnapping and looting, especially in the restive North West, South West and Far North Regions.

If there was anything new in her speech, it was that she spoke directly to the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, members of his government, those of the diplomatic corps and other dignitaries who were present at the opening session of the House.

Another kicker in her words was that some “MPs demean others out of envy, slandering through social media platforms, power tussle, seeking for personal gain and frantically searching for money.

“Yes, absenteeism was glaring! It was with a lot of difficulty that the required quorum was sometimes reached during our sittings,” she lamented.

The eldest MP also faulted her peers for failing to raise worries over the past four years in parliament. She then rhetorically questioned if they as lawmakers have “really served to satisfy the aspirations of our constituents, the very aspirations we are expected to articulate in this House Chamber? Did we actually go the extra mile to contact appropriate public authorities to have the aspirations of our constituents satisfied?”

 The Guardian Post hopes the parliamentarians know they did not. 

President Biya, who is also the chairman of the dominant party in parliament, enumerated some of the crass deficiencies, failures and inefficiency in social amenities and infrastructure that are making life unbearable for the common man in his end of year address.

Mr President was applauded by government and party apologists for being so well abreast with the situation in the country, which of course, is his duty at the helm of State to be thoroughly briefed daily.

He, however, proffered solutions, even if they are delayed or abandoned, as is customarily with some government contracts like the Bamenda Ring Road, for example.

But with just some 11 months left for the mandate of the current parliamentarians to expire, they are just crying over spilled milk. 

They have failed, failed and failed again to control government action.

But they can still save the iota of honour left by compelling the executive to name members of the commission for the declaration of assets, which is in a bill they passed years ago to confront corruption, which is the root cause of the problems she raised. 

They should also debate on the way forward to end the conflict in the North West and South West Regions this session.

As parliamentarians, it is their duty to debate as dictated by their consciences, not party hierarchy, on issues, no matter how complex they may appear, and pass private members bills to make a napping government sit up. 

It is better late than never. They have just 11 months to do what they have not done in four years. But would they? Their constituents are waiting for an answer.