Ministers in pay cut to reduce state expenditure

The government of the Central African Republic (CAR) has cut by 30 percent salaries and allowances for ministers and other senior government officials in efforts to reduce state expenditure. Among the officials affected are those serving in the offices of the president, the vice-president and the prime minister. In a statement, the minister in charge of the government’s secretariat, Zarambaud Assingambi, said on Friday that the decision was made at a cabinet meeting held on the same day. "After a thorough examination of the situation, the cabinet meeting took strong measures in order to reduce expenditures and improve incomes," Assingambi said. He added that the reduction of the senior officials’ salaries would be followed by other measures "after consultation with social partners". The government's decision comes two weeks after a delegation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB) left the capital, Bangui, after a two-week assessment of the country’s economic and financial situation. In its memorandum to the government, the delegation recommended the reduction of salaries, the stopping of new enrolment in the public service except for the education and health sectors, the reduction of state expenditure and the removal of roadblocks on provincial roads. The delegation also recommended the eradication of corruption in financial services and in mining and lumbering sectors. Soon after the departure of the delegation, several measures were taken in response to its recommendations. The Special Finance Brigade (Brigade Speciale des Finances), a joint military-police-gendarmerie body created in October 2003 to fight corruption, was disbanded in early February, In its place another joint disarmament brigade was set up on 6 February to search vehicles and containers entering Bangui, for arms. The government has not paid civil servants’ salaries since November 2003. Assingambi blamed this situation on the "generalised destruction of economic infrastructures".