Forests: The Residents Demand The Restoration Of Their 10% Forestry Fee

investiraucameroun.com - 11/13/2015
Taking advantage of the opening Thursday of the budget session of Parliament, the NGO Forests and Rural Development presented last November 11 in Yaounde, advocacy on the subject.

Taking advantage of the opening this November 12, 2015 the budget session of Parliament, the NGO Forests and Rural Development (Foder), surrounded by traditional leaders of local communities in forest areas of Cameroon and representatives of local management committees of the fee annual forest (FRG), reactivated on 11 November in Yaounde, launched a plea for some months with public authorities in Cameroon, that is restored 10% of the FRG returning to communities.

This share, ont- they recalled, was removed from the law of 2015 finances, and a decision of the General Tax Directorate came reallocate 10% usually returning to communities living around forests, between municipalities and collection agents, at 5 % for each party. Advocacy NGOs, parliamentarians and communities following this decision, we learn, has caused the suspension of the decision of the Director General of taxes by the Prime Minister.

On the eve of the opening of the parliamentary session should lead to vote of the state budget for the year 2016, so communities want their share of the FRG is restored, before moving on to the examination and resolution of problems that undermine the management of the royalty in the country . Manna which, according to them, their most important source of revenue, in the sense that it allows for local development projects and motivates residents to ensure the protection of forests.

Indeed, for example, explained Luc Ndebe, President of the FRG Management Committee in the district of Ngwei the rural electrification project started with the part of the FRG paid to communities is interrupted today. Likewise, it is concerned that the school Lomié in the Eastern Region, is closed again this year, after the first two closures between 2013 and 2014. She has been reopened since the last school year that after the State has paid to communities, their share of the FRG in 2014. Which proportion can pay teachers recruited by the community to the school. However, observation, these exemplary contribution RFA development of riparian forest communities are only cleared on the bleak picture of the management of forest windfall by the municipalities and communities in Cameroon.

The managers of these funds are more prone to the satisfaction of selfish interests as research community well-being. For proof, Yokadouma the town, east of the country, which, for years, got annually between 700 million and 1.3 billion CFA francs under the FRG, remains a big village. There is no road, electricity is rationed between 5 am and 16h in the evening, the site of the town has been abandoned for years and, best of all, the municipal officials are often months without wages.

A mayor of this municipality is also currently detained for reasons related to the management of the FRG.

http://www.journalducameroun.com/article.php?aid=22114

Corruption destroys life
Experience has shown us that the existence of corruption, injustice, and the spread of fraud in our society is bound to harm development projects in our regions of Cameroon!