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Momodou
Denmark
11823 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Jan 2010 : 15:18:48
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President Jammeh Pledges Salary Increment for Civil Servants
By Saikou Jammeh
President Jammeh Thursday announced that there would be 20 percent increment of salaries for civil servants. The Gambian leader made this statement on the eve of the year 2010 when delivering his traditional New Year message.
This was monitored on state-owned television. According to him, the increment will apply to all categories of civil servants, but urged civil servants to work hard saying some civil servants are “very lazy”.
President Jammeh’s pledge came just days after the country’s parliamentarians expressed concern over the plight of civil servants.
His pledge came as a surprise to many as one civil servant put it “why it was not captured in the national budget that was presented a week ago”.
The prices of basic commodities including sugar, rice, and oil among others continued to hike over the last ten years, whilst the salaries of civil servants remained low. It is against this background that the legislators debated as follows, saying the wages of civil servants cannot keep up with their commitments especially at a time when the prices of commodities are increasing.
The member for Basse Selu Bah told members that the price of sugar has increased and he is further anticipating that with the new 5 percent tax on rice import the price of rice which is the country’s stable food is expected to increase.
To this some deputies lamented the plight of civil servants amid low wages that do not only keep up with their needs, but considered extremely low compared to what obtains in the private sector.
This prompted the minority leader Momodou L K Sanneh of the United Democratic Party to ask whether civil servants will have their salaries increased this year.
Hon. Sanneh drew the attention of the House on the civil service reform package that was presented to them by the vice president Dr. Isatou Njie Saidy and was overwhelmingly passed.
The reform package according the vice president when laying it before NAMs mid last year is to improve the conditions of the civil servants, especially “to keep the critical experts from cross carpeting to the private sector where they are offered better deals”.
However the package which was approved since April was not implemented and the opposition parliamentarians asked why the government was silent over it.
The majority leader Fabakary Tombong Jatta argued that the government was not silent over the package but that they were working on it. He did not however say when and how it would be implemented.
“The minister [finance minister] said road tax for civil servants would increase but how could the government increase road tax for private vehicle owners without increasing the salaries of civil servants”, said Hon. Daffeh an opposition member.
Hon. Sedia Jatta also said he was not against the levying of tax, but it cannot bring about sustainable development particularly where “employment opportunity is low, salaries are low and businesses are thriving in difficulties…”
Abba Sanyang a ruling party member of Foni Kansala also said teachers’ salaries need to be improved because most of them are leaving for private schools compromising quality in public schools.
The increment of salaries according to the member for Lower Niumi Cherno Cham, a ruling party member, is what every civil servant is yearning for.
Source: Daily News
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