By: News Desk
As the State of Public Emergency backs with nationwide curfew intensified, Gambians have called on the President His Excellency Adama Barrow to cut down civil servant salaries throughout the country for a period of three months effective Thursday, 6th August 2020.
The spread and impact of COVID-19 in the country is unprecedented and the public health emergency might likely result into economic crisis – both of which will hit the poorest and most marginalized communities, most vulnerable, in The Gambia. These twin crises expose the widening inequality in the country and threaten to exacerbate the gap between rich and poor, sending us back decades in our progress towards a more equal Gambia.
Ebrima Jaiteh of Ebo Town said emergency response measures must be transparent, as hasty action opens up the risk of corruption, poor planning, or unintended consequences – leading to erosion of trust in government.
He noted that the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of effective public institutions to protect lives and livelihoods
“Governments all over the world are undertaking emergency financing measures to support their response to Covid-19 pandemic. One question that has emerged in policy discussions is whether, and in what circumstances, reductions in the public sector wage bill, which accounts for roughly 8% of GDP and 30% of government expenditures globally, may be helpful to finance some of this emergency response,” he stated while asking if it is a good idea and when.
Jaiteh, called on President Adama Barrow to immediate and effectively cut all civil servant salaries including national assembly members from August to end of October 2020 with possible review as situation demand.
“Any cut down of employment wages from the Gambia workforce may have a significant impact on livelihoods, depending on country’s contexts. The public sector wage premium can also skewed towards women and lower-skilled workers; hence across-the-board cuts in their wages will have a disproportionate impact on groups that need protection the most,” he said.
Adding to the SoPE in the country is James Gomez of Serrekunda. He expressed that people are not working instead they stay at home as requires of everyone by the SoPE.
“Civil servants are not steady at work place but they are receiving full payment at end of the month. As a breadwinner living from hand to mouth with this poor salary, with no saving, you asked people to stay with no food or money. Coronavirus will not kill Gambians but hunger will kill majority of Gambians while government is propagating the death caused by Coronavirus,” James Gomez stated.
He added that “this is the right time to distribute Covid-19 food aid to Gambians. But without any governing direction, the government of President Adama Barrow distributed politically motivated rice at a wrong time.”
