Ministers get pay hike as Ravalomanana tackles corruption

Transparency International (TI), the anti-corruption NGO, has cautiously welcomed a move by Madagascan President Marc Ravalomanana to dramatically increase the salaries of government ministers to curb corruption. Ravalomanana said at the weekend that in return for the salary hike, "ministers would have to be more rigorous in their work". Ministers are now expected to earn as much as US $3,500 per month, almost 10 times more than they were paid under the previous administration. Ravalomanana also announced that civil servants' salaries would be reviewed, the daily newspaper L'Express reported. Civil servants, in what is one of the poorest countries in the world, have been notoriously underpaid. That has often been cited as reasons for their alleged poor performance and widespread graft. On average public officials are paid between US $80-100 per month. "Increasing the salaries may be part of the solution in trying to wipe out corruption. It is a good start but not the only solution," local TI representative Yveline Rakotondramboa told IRIN. "The government must at the same time assess the entire structure of bureaucracy in the country. It needs to be leaner. At the moment it is too heavy with some departments overstaffed," she said. A recent TI report on how corruption was perceived locally showed that 60 percent of households and 65 percent of companies believed that corruption was rife in government. The June survey of 1,140 households and 819 companies concluded that "corruption in a general sense, and the practices linked thereto, are unfortunately a phenomenon which one can qualify as endemic in Madagascar". The report said corruption was especially common in three sectors: the traffic police department, the civil service and the justice system. Soon after he assumed power, Ravalomanana proposed the creation of an anti-corruption unit. The unit is expected to work closely with TI. "It is definitely a step in the right direction since many of his [Ravalomanana] supporters both here and abroad were unsure as to how he would go about reforming the government," commented political analyst at the University of Madagascar, Desire Ramakavelo. "Right now, it may appear as if he is rewarding government ministers for their show of support during the crisis, but it is too soon to pass any judgments." Meanwhile, diplomatic moves are underway to renew Franco-Malagasy ties. Newly appointed Prime Minister Jacques Sylla is expected to visit the French foreign affairs ministry later this week for talks. After months of seeking French recognition for his government, the diplomatic scales were tipped in Ravalomanana's favour earlier this month after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin in the capital, Antananarivo. French support for the new administration is significant as the country is a major trading partner and important source of aid. The Indian Ocean island has been embroiled in a power struggle between long-standing ruler Didier Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana, a self-made millionaire. After eight months of political wrangling that resulted in sporadic military clashes across the country, the crisis appears to be over. Ravalomanana now controls the island while Ratsiraka has reportedly fled to France.