The Coalition of North
West Civil Society Organizations held an emergency meeting today July 16, 2014
at Necla Hotel in Bamenda to deliberate and identify problems arising from the
recent fuel price hike. The meeting
which brought together civil society activists, trade unionists and human
rights activists recorded over 50 organizations.
In an opening speech, the
venerated civil society activist, Awah Cletus aka AC Risky decried that the so
called Confederation of Trade Unions are pocket structures created by some
government officials to frustrate genuine negotiations inorder to defraud the
state of taxpayers money. He lamented that when they were in Yaounde, he
witnessed a masqueraded scenario whereby leaders were more interested in what
they would gain than the interest of the common man. He wondered how the
so-called Confederations of Trade Union submitted a memo to government in
defiance of the regulation in force, “when we were in the hall, tracts were
being circulated and we also observed that some of the leaders represented
nobody”, he continued. He said that even those who claimed they were
representing bike riders had never ever sad on an achaba. He also wondered how
the government is claiming that since last year, the sum of FCFA 1,200 billion
was spent to subsidize fuel prices, yet the same Minister also claimed that for
the past six months, the state spent close to FCFA 157 billion to subsidize
fuel. Transporters, he regretted were more interested on increasing transport
fare to their benefits rather than the general good. Accordingly, Awah Cletus observed that we cannot be
talking of emerging when the GDP has dropped and at the same time the index of
the country has dropped. “In fact I am afraid that our standard of living is
rather dropping”. To Awah Cletus, if necessary measures are not taken to
redress or put in place sustainable actions, it could lead to inflation,
starvation and hunger” and since a hungry man is an angry man, peace could be
at jeopardy.
On his part, the
Secretary General of the Cameroon Teachers Trade Union-CATU said that the issue
of salary increase is provocative. “Those who advise this government want to
provoke a situation”. He decried that in Cameroon, 22 taxes are paid on every
liter of fuel and wondered if government could cancel 10 of those taxes to stratify
prices.
On his part, the
Coordinator of Organization for Consumer Sovereignty-OCOSO wondered whether the
head of State is always told the truth by his collaborators. “ I have been to
Yaounde severally on this issue, but unfortunately I have observed that
government is always very adamant and irresponsible to the plight of the common
man”.
During deliberations,
participants also observed that for over 20 years, nobody from the North West
and South West Region has never head a Confederation of Trade Union. As such
they would not depend on people who are more interested in their stomach than
the welfare of the population. They also observed that if it is that
Cameroonians should be sacrificed for Vision 2035, it should rather be stopped.
Participants also examined the declaration by Government Vuvuzela, Isa
Tchiroma, which they said (he) Tchiroma, Minister of Communication to apologise
to Cameroonians. At the end of the meeting, participants took a firm stand that
Government should reduce the price of fuel by FCFA 100. (Coming soon
Resolutions tabled to Government).
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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