Kini Nsom
13 March 2008
After a long spell of torpor at the cries of civil servants for an increase in salaries, President Paul Biya, on March 7, increased basic salaries by a paltry 15 percent.
Having been a hot topic for long with civil servants virtually singing it on the streets, President Biya raised salaries in an apparent heed to the current socio-economic malaise and perhaps the strike that rocked the country recently.
The announcement that was contained in a Presidential decree was the outcome of a Ministerial Council Meeting that held at the Unity Palace earlier that same day.The decision that came on the heels of a violent strike action that virtually grounded the nation for four days was accompanied by other Presidential measures that aim at making life cheaper for Cameroonians.
While prescribing a 15-percent increase in the basic salaries of civil servants and military personnel, the Presidential decree indicated that workers will have a 20-percent increase in their housing allowances.
By dint of the decree, customs duties on the importation of some basic commodities like rice, fish, and cooking oil and so on will be scrapped.The material used in the production of cement will have customs duty on its importation reduced by 10 percent. President Biya equally announced other short and medium term measures that would generate employment in the country.
It was the first time President Biya took such a measure after the salaries of civil servants were slashed by over 70 percent in 1993. Before 1993, a civil servant on index 1140 was on a monthly salary of FCFA 420,425. When the salaries were slashed, he could barely earn FCFA 154,287.
This indicated that 63.3 percent of the original salary that is equal to FCFA 266,138 had been cut. This represented a cut of over 75 percent coupled with the devaluation of the FCFA in 1994.
Although government is said to have added some money to the pay packages of civil servants between 1997 and 2000, the purchasing power of the ordinary civil servant remains weak. Following Cameroon's admission in to the club of Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, Cameroonians bore the brunt of structural adjustment measures.
The ordinary Cameroonian was further made the beast of economic burden when the 2005 budget came with heavy taxes. The value Added Tax, VAT, rose to 19.5 percent.
The situation was made worse by cost-push inflation as government failed to arrest the general rise in the prices of basic commodities.
While presenting government's 2008 socio-economic, cultural and financial programme in December last year, Prime Minister, Ephraim Inoni, said all measures had been taken to confine inflation to three percent.
But observers said the inflation rate in the country now is more than doubled. The prices of basic commodities were skyrocketing, making life for the ordinary Cameroonian difficult. Small wonder that ordinary citizens stole the show during the recent transporters' strike to express their anger at the high cost of living in Cameroon.
It was apparently in response to this malaise, that Biya signed ordinances, reducing or scrapping off customs duties and tariffs on the importation of basic goods. Such tariffs on goods like, rice, wheat, cooking oil, have been suspended until August this year, while clinker (used in making cement) had its importation duty reduced by 10 percent.
Many civil servants in Yaounde saluted this move as measures that would bring succour to their weak purchasing power."I am very happy that customs duties on basic commodities will be reduced. This means that these goods will be cheaper," one civil servant, George Ndomeh, remarked after the announcement.
Another civil servant, Primus Chia, said he was quite elated by the measures. But like Oliver Twist, he called on Biya to go beyond the salary increase of 15 percent because they have suffered for too long.
He also wondered how much will be reduced from the prices of basic commodities. He expressed fears that unscrupulous business people may not fully respect the Presidential orders.
For one thing, the Presidential decree seems to have only addressed the plight of the estimated over 160,000 civil servants and other state employees. The agonising fate of thousands of Cameroonians slaving for only mere pittances in the private sector seems to have been swept under the carpet.
"Let the President also think about us in the private sector," one Mvondo told The Post. He said he works in a private firm and earns only FCFA 15,000 a month. A father of five children, Mvondo is barely 47 years. But his aging looks seemed to have been precipitated by poverty.
According to the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Prof. Robert Nkili, thousands of Cameroonians continue to suffer under the greed of private sector employees who want to make money at the expense of their well-being. There are also fears that shark landlords and landladies would increase house rents following the Presidential decree.
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OH yeah, this shouldnt be a trick to play on peoples mind or divert minds from the change in constitution he is about to make.and most importanly, they should stop talking about the change of the constitution being the Will of the People. What Will,? A people who have been pushed to the background? What democracy is it without a people? A people who in an effort to voice their grievances are terrorised and brutallised? What was the strike about? Was it to decry constitutional changes or support it? Maybe we are talking here of the will of a one party. In this case, i will agree but does one party represent the voice of cameroonians.What kind of bullshit democracy if that?. and for you Biya. You should be an arsehole, You most have trembled on your throne as to the action that shoke the nation leading you to announce aan increment in salaries. Are you sure you gonna fullfill allthe things you promised or is it just to calm us down for a while.Your time is up>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Biya has found another trick for the nation. After insulting the nation as sorcerers, he has added pain to injury with this insulting rhetoric that will never be fruity. He is just a big fat liar and needs to be shoved out of that presidential seat before he completely cripples this country. Whoever told him that this will make the nation support his plot to establish a monarchy is himself totally misled.