The Gifts And the Salary of the President Do They Correspond?

Source Foroyaa

The 29 Million Dalasis offered to those connected with the Under 17 victory, the offer of 1 Million to the winner of the competition to draft an anthem for July 22nd and the huge sums of money frequently granted to musicians have raised questions regarding the source of the wealth of the President.

It is important for people to concentrate on the legitimate earnings of the President from Public Funds .It is important for all readers to understand that no authority including the President has power to withdraw money from public funds without the authority of Law. The Constitution has stated very clearly how Public Finance is to be managed in the country. Section 150 of the Constitution states that "There shall be a Consolidated Fund into which shall be paid all revenues or other money raised or received for the purpose of, or on behalf of, the Government.."

Section 151 adds that "No money shall be withdrawn from the consolidated fund except-to meet an expenditure charged on a fund by this constitution or an Act of the National Assembly; or where the issue of that money has been authorized by an Appropriation Act" or Supplementary Appropriation Act.

Hence the President's legitimate income must be prescribed by law. Now one may ask: How is the income of the President determined?

Section 69 of the Constitution states that "the President shall receive such salary and allowances as may be prescribed by an act of the National Assembly, and such salary and allowances shall not be altered to his or her disadvantage during his or her tenure of office."

Furthermore, "the salary and allowances, and pension and retirement benefits, as prescribed by an act of the National Assembly, shall be exempted from taxation, but the President shall be subject to taxation on all other chargeable income."

It is therefore clear that the President cannot receive any salary or allowances from public funds without a bill being passed by the National Assembly, assented to by the President and then published in the Gazette as Law.

The salary and allowances of the President and the Cabinet members should not be secret.

The salary of the Secretary of State is put at 204,000 dalasis per annum; Responsibility allowance for both Permanent Secretary and SOS amounts to 108,000 dalasis,;telephone allowance for both amounts to 48,000 dalasis and house rent for both is put at 200,880 dalasis per annum. It is strange that the Salary and Allowance of the President and Vice President's are not put as part of the break down of expenditures of the Office of President and Vice President.

The Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs will be contacted to find out how the salary of the President and Vice President feature in the approved estimates and the Appropriation Act governing the budget for the 2009 'financial year. We will keep the public informed in the interest of transparency and accountability.