Coordination of Councilors and Mayors of Cameroon Writes to President Biya

 Press Release

Coordination of Councilors and Mayors of Cameroon on Pending Salaries for Mayors

The Coordination met in Yaoundé this 18^th Day of November with close to sixteen Mayors, 38 Deputy Mayors and thirty-eight municipal councilors assembled from all the ten Regions of the Republic.

They evaluated the state of issues surrounding the September 16 Presidential decree harping on the allowances, emoluments and salaries of municipal councilors and mayors:

            Considering that Municipal Councilors are dully elected on the same tickets like the (s)elected mayors and their deputies;

            Mindful of the fact that Government Delegates and their Deputies are appointees of the head of State and are on very huge allowances already;

            Given that the task of running the day to day affairs of the municipalities are more arduous and tasking at the local level, reflecting the decentralization spirit;

            In view of the fact that the Minister of territorial Administration and Decentralization as well as the prime minister had severally assured these Municipal officials that the budgets from 2013 had been taking care of the envisaged salaries, voted by the representatives of the people since 2010.

The Coordination notes:

            That it is unfair and dangerous in an evolving Cameroon to have councilors depend only on sitting allowances which have even been taxed up to 16.5%.

            That the huge salaries allocated to Government Delegates who are simply doubling for Sub Divisional Councils and holding down their efforts to work independently, is a big smack on the faces of the elected Mayors;

            That the arithmetic and formulae for the allocation of allowances as per classes is unfair, given that the idea encourages rural exodus, as those who are swelling our cities and towns all come from these so-called smaller councils;

            That the delay of payment even after the Presidential Text of Application of September 16, 2015 is an indicator that work is being done to calculate the arrears from 2013 till date.

The Coordination therefore resolves as follows:

            Thanks the Head of state for finally signing the September 16 2015 Presidential Decree, allocating allowances, emoluments and salaries accordingly;

            That in a subsequent circumstance, what is being allocated to appointed Government Delegates and their deputies be rather directed to mayors and their deputies;

            That the so-called smaller councils with very low Administrative Accounts, especially falling on classes three and four are there not because of any cause of theirs, but simply because the citizens are all exuding to towns and cities because of the hardship in the rural country. It will be sensible for the state to empower these poorer councils to encourage the youths to remain in the villages and get employed by their councils;

            That the Government ensures that all the arrears for mayors and their deputies be calculated as from their being installed into office in October 2013 till date. This is not only being prudent but being just and fair.

The Coordination of Councilors and Mayors of Cameroon look forward to a presidential Decree allocating full salary to the elected municipal councilors who are doing a tremendous work at the base. Anything can happen if these many Cameroonian elected representatives of the people are not taken seriously.

We count on the continuous understanding, clairvoyance and fatherly approach of the head of State, president of the Republic of Cameroon.

DONE IN YAOUNDE, THIS SEVENTEEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2015

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