Foundational Principles of Ambazonia Draft Constitution.

In keeping in sharing the bids and pieces of the draft constitution of Federal Republic of Ambazonia (FRA), this first edition brings to you the foundation principles of the FRA amongst which are the preamble, national sovereighty, constitutional authority, language, asserts declaration etc.

Preamble
We, the people of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia,
With the awareness of our responsibility before God and all humanity,
Acknowledge with gratitude the contributions and sacrifices of our fallen heroes, the forefathers and architects of our beloved country;
Conscious of our long history of colonialism and subjugation;
Convinced of our unquestionable and inalienable right to self-determination to exist as a people on the basis of sovereign equality with other nations of the world;
In accordance with the United Nations Charter, the International Bill of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Constitutive Act of the African Union and other relevant treaty instruments;
We therefore, through our representative organs, adopt this Interim Constitution as the supreme law of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia with the aim to–
Establish an inclusive democratic society that is not based on personality cultism but on social justice, human rights and recognition of the human and resource potential for the development of our country;
Lay the foundation for our constitutional democracy within the framework of the right to development governance as the model for development to culminate the process of decolonisation in our country;
Prioritise the interest of our country so as to improve the quality of live and ultimately to achieve the highest attainable standard of living for all our people without any form of discrimination or inequality;
Build in our people a deep sense of patriotism and unbreakable loyalty to our beloved motherland, the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
Hail, hail, hail this land of glory,
We the Ambazonians, pledge our loyalty……
God (Allah) is with us!!

CHAPTER ONE
Founding Provisions
Article 1: National Sovereignty
(1) The Federal Republic of Ambazonia shall be–
a. an independent, sovereign and decentralised federal democratic country consisting of 3 States and 13 Counties (explained in detail in Art 14 below), which shall constitute the administrative set-up of the country;
b. governed through a constitutional system and semi-presidential regime with a President as Leader of the Nation elected through direct universal suffrage and a Prime Minister as Head of Government, elected from among the members of the Federal Assembly; and where
c. governance of the country and the exercise of public authority shall be subject to regulation by the Constitution to avoid the accumulation or abuse of power by the Executive, the Legislature or the Judiciary.
(2) There shall be only one Ambazonian nationality. Dual citizenship may be granted under special circumstances that shall be determined by federal legislation.
(3) National sovereignty shall be vested in the people of Ambazonia who shall only bequeath such powers to the government and elected representatives through free, fair and democratically conducted elections.
(4) Government authority shall be divided into 3 organs (the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary), which shall in accordance with the doctrine of separation of powers control and regulate each other to ensure essential checks and balance against power excesses, abuse and impunity.

Article 2: Constitutional Principles
(1) The Federal Republic of Ambazonia shall be an independent, sovereign, democratic country founded on the following core values and principles:
a. First priority: The people of Ambazonia shall be accorded first priority in every aspect of nation building, with emphasis on the protection of their dignity and well-being and in guaranteeing their unquestionable and inalienable right to development.
b. Constitutionalism: The country shall be governed through a constitutional system where the exercise of public power is subject to the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.
c. Right to development governance: The government shall pursue the policy of right to development governance as a model for the development of the country and the empowerment of its people.
d. Responsiveness and accountability: The government shall ensure responsiveness to the will of the people through a multi-party political arrangement, regular democratic elections by universal adult suffrage and consistent monitoring of public authority by the Public Accountability Institutions.
(2) The Proclamation of Sovereign Statehood and the Preamble shall be read together with the Constitutional Principles to guide in the understanding of the spirit and letter of the law that embodies the values and ideals upon which the Federal Republic of Ambazonia is founded.

Article 3: Authority of the Constitution
(1) This Constitution shall be the supreme law that binds all organs of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, non-state entities, the citizens and every other person domiciled and operating within the country.
(2) The government shall ensure that obligations imposed by the Constitution are respected and fulfilled.
(3) All other laws in the country shall be subordinate to the Constitution. Any law or conduct that is inconsistent with the Constitution shall be invalid.

Article 4: Citizenship
(1) Citizenship by birth
a. Adult citizenship shall at the date of entry into force of this Constitution be determined by proof of ancestry to any indigenous community in Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia.
b. Birthright citizenship is granted by default to a child, one or both of whose parents hold Southern Cameroons/Ambazonian citizenship by birthright.
c. No citizen may be deprived of their citizenship except where they personally and explicitly renounce the citizenship.
(2) Citizenship by acquisition
a. Citizenship may be acquired through naturalization.
b. Citizenship may, as shall be regulated by law, also be acquired through marriage to an adult who holds Southern Cameroons/Ambazonian citizenship by birthright or through naturalisation.
c. The conditions for the acquisition, loss, revocation and restoration of citizenship shall be laid down and regulated by legislation.
(3) Responsibilities and entitlements associated to citizenship
a. All citizens shall be subject to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship.
b. All citizens shall be equally entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship.

Article 5: National Symbols
(1) Motto
The motto of the nation shall be: “Liberty – Justice – Prosperity”. The motto is informed by the resolve to move away from historical injustices towards a future that guarantees redistributive justice.

(2) National flag (suggestion to modify the present flag in relation to the proposed form and structure of the nation – 3 States and 13 Counties, if that is accepted. Suggestions to also replace the peace dove ).
The national flag consists of 5 royal blue and 4 white horizontal stripes, 13 golden stars surrounding the white dove bearing a green leaf in its beak, emblazoned on a blue square background on the left corner.
Royal Blue: The royal blue is symbolic of democracy, plurality and of the supremacy of the law as enshrined in the Constitution agreed to by the peoples of Ambazonia as shall be interpreted by the Judiciary in the administration of justice, upheld by the Legislature in the making of laws and defended by the Executive in the governance of the country.

White: The white stands for transparency and accountability in all domains of life and governance in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia. It presupposes that mediocrity and corrupt practices shall not be tolerated in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

White Dove: The white dove with a green plant in its beak represents peace and tranquility – the spirit of God, which are endowments, ideals and values and the foundation upon which Ambazonia is anchored as a nation.

13 Golden Stars: The stars represent the 13 counties that make up the geopolitical local government units that stretch from the coastal plains to the highland grassfield regions of Ambazonian territory. The golden adornment of the stars indicates that the counties are of priceless value, where governance shall be exercised with a resolve for balanced development based on the principle of equity and proportionality.

(3) National Anthem
The national anthem shall be: “Hail this land of glory, We the Ambazonians, pledge our loyalty…….”
(4) National Coat of Arms
The national coat of arms (seal) shall be: (Still to be determined).

Article 6: Languages
(1) The official language of the state shall be English.
(2) Pidgin and other national languages may eventually be developed (by a specialised National Languages Board) for use as official medium of communication, expression and instruction in schools.
(3) Sign languages shall be recognised and prioritised to address the special needs of persons with disabilities.
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(4) Any other foreign language may be taught in schools as a subject just like others.

Article 7: Declaration of Assets
(1) For the purpose of public accountability and to check the misappropriation of public funds, every person holding any high level public office shall have the obligation to declare their assets and property before and at the end of their term of office.
(2) The Federal Assembly shall enact an Act laying down the specific measures for the implementation of this provision.

To be continued

Mark Bareta, CEO BaretaNews