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Thursday, March 28, 2013

THE PHENOMENON OF GHOST WORKERS IN CAMEROON:WHO HAS EVER CAUGHT A GHOST?

By Njousi Abang*
The phenomenon of ghost workers in Cameroon is endemic. It can’t be eliminated as simplistically as the Minister of Finance imagines and claims. No amount of censuses can ever curb the situation so long as the government remains the way it is. A ghost can’t chase away another one. They are birds of a feather so they flock together. Since the draconian diabolic cuts in salaries in the 90s and the institution of official corruption and political witch-hunting, state agents and civil servants have ceased being themselves. They are just phantoms even though they practically present themselves for work. Most of them only pay lip service to the powers that be. They know fully well that they are not being treated honourably by all vote holders who misappropriate government revenue through fake projects and unrealistic programmes that do not reflect the wishes of the employees and the tax payers. Work for most is simply a formality. They report present for work but do no work or are bribed to do their work. Of course, when employers pretend to pay workers pretend to work. In the end, both start complaining about failed promises and deliveries. The end result is underdevelopment and retrogression in Cameroon. This write up attempts to define a ghost worker and state what accounts for this endemic phenomenon in Cameroon. It also provides a way out of this.

 Who is a Ghost Worker? 
Since the birth of the New Deal Government in Cameroon, many linguistic items have gained prominence in our milieu. The expression ghost worker is one amongst them. It is used primarily to refer to a worker in the public service who abandons his duty for greener pastures without formally disengaging himself from his former employer-the government. Most often when this situation arises, the employee still continues to receive his/her salary by himself/herself or through an accomplice or an agent who shares the booty with him/her. The implication is that such a worker keeps on receiving a salary for no work done. Secondly, ghost workers are all those who appear on the state payroll when they are not physically working for the government. This category refers to those who have died, those whose names are fitted on the pay roll when they have never been officially recruited and those who exist only on paper but have never ever been born or recruited to work. The Minister himself complained aloud recently that these are fitted on the payroll by unscrupulous vote holders and some staff in the Ministry of Finance, which he had uncovered and was going to deal with them according to the laws in place. Lastly, those who receive double salaries and claim undo allowances only help to swell up this category of workers because salaries and allowances are paid according to services rendered. One job one salary is the guiding principle for allotting salaries.
      This aforementioned definition notwithstanding, the situation in the public service as per now shows that many of those who are physically present for work and those who are not, are all ghost workers. When we examine the near insignificant quantity and the quality of work done by these workers, we cannot fail to conclude that the public service is full of ghost workers, which no amount of checks can curb. It is no secret therefore, that whenever people go to public offices they are often confronted by unwelcoming public servants who complain that services can’t be delivered because “le Patron n’est pas la” or “Il est en re-union or en mission”. Quite often these absences are so rampant that they become a regular phenomenon and authenticate the view that “le patron” is a ghost worker. Since the subordinates depend on the patron for supervision and continuity, when he/she is not around, they inadvertently also go on a holiday. This is made worse by the fact that the public service lacks time tables set for anything to be done. Similarly, the most of workers are not always there to deliver the goods and services required. If we start from the top and crawl down to the bottom where you meet the lower echelons of the service, you will be confronted with inertia, absenteeism, inattentiveness, inefficiency and failure. The president himself admitted that there was inertia in the service and that improvements were going to be done. We are yet to see significant changes on the ground in many sectors.
      Due to this wild phenomenon, what do we find daily as a result? -Waste, inefficiency, laxity and complaints. People complain a lot about poor and inadequate delivery of services and goods. People tell gruesome tales about bribery and corrupt practices in service delivery operations. Most public servants only become alive when they are paid an illicit or an extra token for their services. Where some of these workers can’t receive these tokens, they simply take excuses and stay away from work. This situation has degenerated due to the open acceptance by the government that public servants should participate in active politics and carry out individual businesses. Public servants now have exaggerated divided attention and bias appreciation of their contracts to serve the state.  They live for themselves now more than the government which they serve and for which they are paid a commensurate salary. A taxi driver once wondered allowed why the government continues pay the policemen in one check point when they spend all the time collecting bribes instead of serving the nation. He went further to wonder allow where the guys have kept their consciences and their love for the fatherland whom they pretend to serve. He also noted that this guys whom he had taken note of are the first to go to the banks at the month end and complain loudest when salaries delay to come. However, he concluded that since the regime in place banks on their support for staying in power so anything goes.
      Work in the Cameroon public service nowadays is equal to salary plus bribery and fringe benefits. After all, the most recurrent saying is that “goat di chop for place weh them tie yi.” How can anyone be indifferent to the status quo when one is of the system and runs the system? How can one oppose the very foundation on which he is standing? How can one be a purist when he lives with impurity and feeds fat on it? How did most of the workers come to be employed? Were they recruited through efficient and just systems that paid attention to merit? Was regional balance taken into consideration? What criteria are set for future recruitment and checks of ghost workers? Can a ghost chase another one? Who has actually ever caught a ghost? These and many other questions are the issues that will be tackled in the preceding lines.

What accounts for the endemic Ghost Worker Culture in Cameroon?
We noted earlier on, that there are two categories of ghost workers in Cameroon. There are the ones who are on duty, and answer present in the work place but do no work, and those who are not there at all but are only represented on the payroll by unscrupulous state functionaries who benefit from the deals and in turn help to sustain the regime in place. We also noted that the salary cuts which reduced these workers to beggars gave birth to unhealthy practices which were hatched in order to sustain the workers and their families. How on earth can you expect a category D worker to live in Yaounde or Douala without fringe benefits? While this situation was degenerating, the government instead of reviewing it, introduced taxes and some draconian measures to help itself and not the workers that serve it in general. Similarly, the rise in commodity prices further compounded the situation and rendered the workers more vulnerable to all odds. In the face of these happenings, public servants had no alternative than to abandon work and look for other means of achieving their livelihoods. For instance, brain drain skyrocketed without a corresponding lose of the connections that enabled the ghost workers resulting thereof to grab salaries.
    A drowning man, it is said, can cling unto a serpent. Many compromised their moral obligations on the altar of bread. Consequently, today corruption abounds everywhere as people search for ways of surviving. Many have just become scamers and white collar thieves. Most workers do not do what they like but what can help them survive. Demonism has taken precedence over the quest for divine intervention. Only the best are strong enough to resist the temptation to cheat and join occult groups and societies. Work ethics and culture have been reduced to naught. After all, is it of any use to put in your best and receive peanuts when you can cut corners and still arrive and be revered by the community?
     Furthermore, some people may have the good intentions to work but the system of motivation in place which is bias to political leanings and preferment instead of meritocracy hampers any such attempt and nips glorious attempts at the bud. Only favourites of those in the regime make it to the top whether they are capable of delivering the goods and services or not. When political events are organized, most workers abandon their jobs and go out to support them in the hope of winning political favours. Those who are left go out to do their businesses thus leaving the government offices empty. When they regroup, they do so more like hawkers than workers. Similarly, they do so more like predators who want to prey on government resources. Like the real hawks they are, they sell services and market public goods and services at the expense of the Cameroonian people who pay dearly to sustain them.
     Some public servants have benefited so much from this situation that they can do anything under the sun to keep the system going as bad as it is. They will bar any move towards meaningful reforms and stop anybody from participating in the game plan except when they are initiated according to their terms. The effect is that Cameroon has been brought to disrepute and many Cameroonians who do not belong to this minute privilege group are suffering. Day-by-day many workers who kept their heads above the waters either run away or become ghosts while still alive.

 What can be done to curb this Phenomenon of Ghost Workers?
 Government is at the centre of the problem and should be at the centre of the solution or else no matter what we say think or do will be ineffective. Good governance comes from good action plans based on set goals and a vision, accountability and responsible behaviour. When top public functionaries behave like mercenaries and unpatriotic elements, what do you expect? What do you also expect of a people whose sovereignty has been hijacked and confiscated to the extent that they cannot take meaningful decisions,  via elections, concerning those who can deliver the goods and services which they deserve? Government must let go of its patronizing and stranglehold on ineffective systems and mediocre functionaries that serve no other interest than that of its decaying system.
     Furthermore, salaries of workers should be increased to reasonable levels so as to enable them regain their human dignity. Thereafter, a system of checks and balances should be put in place. A progressive system of promotion and rewards for excellence should be put in place based on meritocracy instead of political and tribal affiliation and nepotism. Public servants should also be made to retire honourably without panic. Similarly, it will not be difficult in a federal system of government to track the activities of its workers since government will be by the people for the people. After all, who does not know his/her neighbour? Who won’t be able to account for his/her presence or absence from work at the spur of the moment? Who cannot comment on the quality of work done or failure in his/her neighbourhood to the nearest port of call? Over centralization and the role of Yaounde in the management of state functionaries is at the centre of the mafia in place. Until Yaounde stops thinking that they must do all and know all, this country will never move forward. Just imagine the recurrent tales in our communities about the so called 'Ministers’ cut', that of 'the Directors, Regional authorities, Divisional and Sub divisional cuts' and that of 'the paymasters' and committees put in place to monitor expenses, and you will understand why so many projects and files hardly ever reach their desired targets.
    Most public business is shrouded in mystery. For instance, nobody knows how much top civil servants earn in this country although the common man contributes the money to pay them. Until someone somewhere steps on the master’s toes do we know how much they have embezzled from the public till. Lastly, let’s recruit in a manner that gives meritocracy and regional balance a chance. Let’s stop this culture of rewarding people with government jobs whether they are qualified to do them or not. It will be worthwhile to give job security and meritocracy a chance in our public service sector so that all will be well. Lets also institute commensurate reward and punishment where and whenever it is due. On –the- job training and reclassification should be automatic. Retirement benefits should be made available to retired workers automatically. Senior citizens MUST not suffer to get what they spent the best part of their lives to work for. There should no longer be any chasing of files or movements of workers to Yaounde for this or that purpose. Recruitment and payment of salaries and allowances should be a one stop event and not a long drawn out battle between the employees and the employers. This presents a lot of risks and unhealthy practices which demoralizes workers a lot. We need to overhaul the whole public service and kill the division between a state agent and a civil servant. Do these two groups serve different employers or render less hours of work? Diffuse the tension and there will be no ghosts like it were the case during the previous regimes and particularly in Southern Cameroon.
   This bothers us because it is beginning to destroy the private sector and family incomes are dropping drastically. We need to emerge soonest as a developed nation because we have the wherewithal.
* Njouisi Abang is a senior official of People's  Action Party(PAP),Cameroon

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Campaign for Marafa’s Release Gaining Grounds Abroad: American University Told He Was Imprisoned Without Objective Evidence

By Christopher Ambe 
Professor Kofele-kale

Barrister Ndiva Kofele kale and professor of Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law in the USA  has cited the trial and imprisonment of  Marafa  Hamidou Yaya,former Secretary-General at  Presidency of Cameroon  as a good example of human rights violation.
 
Marafa, in April 2012, was slammed a 25-year jail term for embezzling $29 million dollars intended as a down payment on a presidential jet.
He was sentenced along with three others who also received the same sentence, including the former head of the now defunct airline Camair, Yves Michel Fotso.

 But Marafa expressed disappointment at the verdict describing himself as a victim of "slanderous accusations".
The verdict was appealed by his counsel

Kofele –Kale, who is a US-trained lawyer, spoke recently in the US about Marafa, now in prison for "intellectual complicity" in the misappropriation of public funds, according to The Daily Beacon.

It would be recalled that kofele kale was Marafa’s lead defense counsel in the case. 

The Daily Beacon reported, “To kick off this year's third annual Human Rights Awareness Week, the UT Amnesty International Chapter hosted former UT professor of law Ndiva Kofele-Kale to speak on behalf of political prisoner Marafa Hamidou Yaya in hopes of gaining students' support and interest in fighting against unjust governments, 

The report said, “In posters plastered across campus, students have undoubtedly seen the face of Marafa, the political prisoner who claims to be innocent of the crime charged against him. The former Secretary General of Cameroon, Marafa was arrested and imprisoned in April 2012 by the Cameroon government for allegedly embezzling government money into an American bank account.”

Professor Kofele-Kale is quoted to have said that Marafa’s human rights have been violated because he has been imprisoned without objective evidence or due process of law.

Kofele-Kale, currently a professor at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University as well as a practicing lawyer in the U.S. and in Cameroon, was speaking on Marafa's behalf {recently} to rally support from his former colleagues and past students while simultaneously aiming to raise awareness of human injustice, the report said.
According to The Daily Beacon, Kofele-Kale pleaded Marafa's case and urged the involvement and interest of any American college students on the grounds that everyone shares a common humanity.

"As students you all are the repository of ideas," Kofele-Kale said. "You, more so than the adults, understand what I mean when I say, 'We all share a common humanity.' If one person's human rights are being assaulted, then yours and mine are also under attack."
Kofele-Kale explained that student support in the U.S. could get more people concerned with more than just themselves. 

Thee current president of UT's Amnesty International, Ashley Charest, senior in biological sciences, is asid to have agreed with Kofele-Kale.

"I do support his reasoning for wanting to gain students' interest, because one thing people don't really realize is that students really do have a voice," Charest said. "People, especially in college, really do have a lot of ways to communicate with each other and with the world. So they can be very effective in doing the things he wants them to do, like sign the petitions, emailing them out to each other, tweeting and Facebooking."

Charest agreed that Marafa's case is a direct violation of universal human rights laws, citing petitions, e-mails and social media as possible vehicles for support of the prisoner.
"The president of Cameroon is basically acting upon his own whims and not upon the laws that are universal and international between different countries as stated by the UN and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," The Daily Beacon quoted Charest  as saying. "Every single person has the right to a trial by due process of law and Marafa is not getting that."

Erik Rutledge, freshman in computer science, said he supported the case. He sees this case affecting other future human rights cases, perhaps in the U.S., where the government may try to rob people of their inalienable rights.

"I would say I support more on a grander scale than just specifically on this one case," Rutledge said. "I understand his advocacy for this individual, however I think the issue is on a grander scale of course, even here in the United States."

“Despite maintaining a more general focus on human rights, Rutledge echoed Kofele-Kale and Charest in urging individuals to consider involvement, even if the issues seem distant from their own lives.

“Kofele-Kale implored the university to make noise, whether for this particular issue of Marafa's human rights or any other issues where human's rights are violated. He also offered his e-mail..to any student interested in human rights activism."Make noise," he urged. "... the more noise we make, the more we attract attention."

Published in The Recorder Newspaper, Cameroon,of March 22,2013

Charles Mbella Moki for Senate:What a shrewd politician!

Mayor Mbella Moki: Senatorial Candidate
By Christopher Ambe

Born 40-something years ago, Charles Mbella Moki, hails from Likoko Membea village, in Buea Subdivision. He is married and a father of several children. He is President of Fako III CPDM Section and Mayor of Buea

The sagacity, so far, displayed by this CPDM apologist in the political terrain has left many people -from all walks of life, either in a pensive or cheerful mood.

 Mr.Moki’s political forward- march towards the sky- from a simple CPDM militant, to YCPDM section president, to CPDM section president and then two-term plus mayor of the historic and strategic town of Buea leaves his many critics speechless and confused .There is no doubt that, his political leap forward   is also attracting more admirers especially among the youth, who are tomorrow’s leaders.

It is no exaggeration to say that, Mr.Moki is a household name in Cameroon’s political landscape; that although in the CPDM, members of other political parties, across the national territory, see merit in his courage and sense of commitment.

 The Recorder has observed that Mr. Moki has transformed many of his challengers and detractors into admirers, by using his various achievements –whether as a local party leader or Mayor, as well as his outspokenness and power of persuasion. This is so because Mr.Moki fights-when he has no other option, what pundits call the Good Fight of Faith. He believes in victory, is determined and focuses, most of the times, on goals, and not people, as his guiding principles.

This career electrician-cum politician, who holds a City and Guild Certificate in Electrical Installation Works and did a correspondence course in Advanced Electrical Technology (Aldersmastav College, London), had before worked dutifully with PAMOL,Lobe;Alpha Engineering Enterprise and then SONEL,earning the admiration of his employers.
But Mr.Moki, his friends have testified, developed such soft spot for party politics and fell for the ruling CPDM.  

Senatorial Bid
Mr.Moki, described within Fako CPDM as a political tactician, started it like a joke by announcing well ahead of time, to a large audience, during the launching of Buea Transparency Initiative, at Capitol Hotel, Buea, his senatorial ambition.
Others with the same ambition were either shy or considered it premature to voice out their political intentions.

And it came to pass when the CPDM hierarchy in Yaoundé shortlisted Mr.Moki, from a long list of others, as one of their seven senatorial candidates for the southwest Region.
There were reports how some Southwest elite especially from Fako said a person of the caliber of Mr.Moki is not ripe enough to represent the Region in Senate, to be born after the April 14 senatorial election. In 2002, when he made public to gun for the office of Buea, detractors said he was not qualified to be mayor of a university town. But those who championed this line of argument were later ridiculed realizing that he did not only complete his first mandate but won a second.

In fact, known elites fought against his senatorial candidature. But a confident Mr. Moki did not bother about any smear campaign, conscious that such would instead serve as a springboard for him.
   The Presbyterian Christian was overheard telling some of his supporters, “Let us leave this fight in the hands of God.” And so it came to pass that he was selected by CPDM hierarchy as senatorial candidate.

Flash Back
In June 2002, when the CPDM won the municipal election in Buea, Mr.Moki, against all odds, put up his candidature for the post of Mayor, to challenge Arthur Ekeke Lisinge, then Buea CPDM President and Municipal list leader.
 What happened, happened: Mr. Moki defeated Mr.Lisinge by 22 to 19 votes, to become the Mayor of Buea.

 “Mbella Moki’s democratic victory shocked many, mostly supporters of Lisinge and party bigwigs in Buea”, reported The Herald, now defunct. The paper reported that a huge smear campaign against Mr.Mbella Moki had been carried out, during which he was described as “arrongant, irresponsible, poor and academically weak”, to be mayor of a university town
“So angry with the smear campaign was Mr.Mbella Moki that he turned down requests from partisans not to put up his candidature”, the Herald reported.
 “The smear campaign against Mr.Mbella Moki boomeranged as he instead gained more sympathy from the electorate”

 Violence erupted in protest against Mr.Mbella’s election as mayor and Ngambi Dikoume,then Fako SDO suspended the session, pushing the election his deputies  to some other  day.

Even pressure by some Buea elite put on the party hierarchy in Yaoundé to cause the annulment of Mr.Moki’s election, which was free and fair, did not yield fruits.
 Mr. Moki then remained mayor, battling, during his first tenure, with detractors and trying to execute his development blue-print for the municipality. At the end of his first mandate, he did his best in enhancing development in the municipality, but such was seen by critics as not enough

Another Mandate
Surprisingly in July 2007, Mr.Moki was reelected Mayor of Buea and he became more development-driven, executing attention-catching projects to the satisfaction of the public and the Government. His realized projects are visible for all to see.
Having completed two five –year terms as mayor, came an extension of the mandate to end in July this year. 

Calculative and foresighted, Mayor Moki decided to leap forward: to become Senator. He was cheered up by many, yet many disliked this new political plan.
As it now seems, Mayor Moki is likely to occupy a seat in Seante after the April 14 election.

 Mr.Moki has held other strategic posts of responsibility elsewhere such as President of Southwest FECAFOOT, President of Southwest mayors, and is a Board member of CAMWATER.
Therefore, any reasonable person would just be doing Mr.Moki justice to say: He has what it takes to be a senator. Why not give him a chance!

Mr. Senatorial Candidate, we of The Recorder wish you well in your efforts to help build and modernize Cameroon.  Can skeptics still say Mr.Moki is not an exemplar?

 NB:First published in The Recorder Newspaper,Cameroon,of March 22,2013

Cameroon:Litumbe Sues Buea DO for banning Press conference

*Summoned, the administrator fails to appear in Court.

*But matter heard and ruling billed for March 25

By Christopher Ambe

Mola joh Litumbe
Mola Njoh  Litumbe, 86, and Chairman of Liberal Democratic Alliance(LDA),a Buea –based  political party, who was recently  placed under “house  arrest”, after  his declared press conference was banned by the Divisional officer for Buea, Chekem  M. Abraham, has dragged the latter to the Fako High Court in Buea.

Mr.Litumbe wants the Court to determine :1) “Whether any Divisional Officer, or Divisional Officer for Buea, can lawfully place a ban on a political party or more particularly the Liberal Democratic Alliance, preventing it from holding a public press conference after the political party has filed a declaration to that effect as required by Law No. 90-55 of 19 Dec.1090

Chekem Abraham:Buea DO
II) “ Whether the Defendant (Mr. Chekem Abraham) can deny or lie that he did not unlawfully ban the announced public press conference organized  by the plaintiff Njoh Litumbe) in strict conformity with the law”

Barrister Blaise Sevidzem Berinyuy Esq, Counsel for Plaintiff Njoh Litumbe, in his application to the Court said, were the court to answer the above questions in the negative, the plaintiff would seek the following reliefs:
a)For the Court to declare null and void the ban placed by defendant on the plaintiff from holding a public press conference at their party headquarters on 23 rd February 2013
b) An order directing the defendant not to prevent the plaintiff from conducting public meetings and press conferences when re-scheduled and declared in accordance with the law
c) An order of compensation against Defendant in favour of the plaintiff
When the matter came for hearing last March 11, the DO for Buea, Chekem Abraham, who was reportedly duly served to appear in court  failed to do so, and sent no explanation for his absence.

The presiding judge Chi Valentine went ahead and heard the submissions of Barristers Blaise Sevidzem and Ajong Stanislaus, counsels for the plaintiff and the matter was adjourned to March 25 for ruling. 

It would be recalled that, armed troops( police and gendarmes )  from about 7am  to   6:PM  on Saturday February 23  placed  Mola Njoh Litumbe under what many  likened to a house  arrest .
It was the third time Mola Njoh was placed under house arrest by the local administration in Buea

Mola Njoh, also widely known as Anglophones’ rights campaigner and some relatives of his who had passed the night in his residence and were planning to attend a funeral were trapped in the residence.  The troops said they were instructed by the DO to block the entrance of the house, so that nobody could get in or out.
Mola  Njoh was prevented from coming out of his gated Bokwaongo-Buea residence ( a  section of which also serves  as his party’s headquarters) after he had  notified  the Buea Local Administration as required by law  three days earlier about his intention to hold a  press conference .
The theme of the press conference was “Electronic Voter Registration and other recent political development”

But upon receipt of the notification from Mola Njoh, the DO, Abraham Chekem, banned the press conference on grounds that Mola Njoh was not explicit on what he meant by recent political developments.

 Mola Njoh challenged the ban saying it was uncalled for -especially as he had, in his letter to the DO, requested him to send a representative to attend the press conference as required by law.
Despite the fact that Mola Njoh was placed under house arrest and journalists prevented from having access into the LDA conference hall, the press conference still held.

The journalists agreed to hold a tele-press conference, and since the telephone line of Mola Njoh was not cut off, they drove away into a business center in Molyko and using a phone put on speaker they asked questions to Mola Njoh and got responses.
Addressing journalists, Mola Njoh, regretted police men and gendarmes surrounded his compound.

He said the press conference was intended to  advise Cameroonians especially Southern Cameroonians to get enrolled in the current electronic registration, which minimizes fraud and multiple -voting .He said massive registration will provide people with various grievances to choose the right candidates who will defend their interests in council, parliament or Senate. 
First Published in The Recorder Newspaper,Cameroon ,of March 22,2013

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