An Open Letter To CNPS Director General

By Shufai Liiwong, Nkwen, Bamenda, Northwest Region

CNPS Pensions - The Illegality Of Quarterly Payments

As a concerned citizen and on behalf of pensioners, may I point out that the CNPS, which was put in place to cater for the social security of Cameroonian workers in the private sector, has used illegality to inflict suffering on pensioners throughout its existence.

It has done so in the following manner;

a)  Quarterly payments, as a case in point, to the best of my knowledge, is not backed by any legal text of merit. If any, is it not this copy work syndrome from the colonial system 
which was at the time practical due to distance? What justifies that a worker whose 
contributions were done monthly should find himself waiting to be paid after three months? 

Again, what a contrast for this person who earned after 30 days to, on retirement, find 
himself waiting for 90 days. Is this the respect reserved for the “senior” citizens we talk 
about, for a person who needs proper and constant attention to health and diet only to be killed slowly by stashing his earnings in what could be described as illegal borrowing 
without interest by the CNPS for up to 60 days extra?
 

b)  In another vein, by paying quarterly through bank transfers for those with accounts, 
is another conspiracy to let bankers tax these unfortunate victims by deducting charges in advance which at times are converted to overdrafts that further reduce the meagre pensions.

Imagine that a pensioner who earns FCFA 300.000 per quarter which should be FCFA 100.000 per month, by the time he goes for pension in three months, the bank has already curtailed her charges of approximately FCFA 4000 x 3 months = FCFA 12000. And this is reality. Where now do you put the owner of the account?

With the coming of the new Director General, pensioners had thought that he would implement what his predecessor promised in Buea in 2007 during the handing over of the new building, that: “Hence forth payments would be made monthly”. But instead, he has digressed to payments in 3 months.

This, too, is coming with all the disadvantages and headaches of sometimes loss of payments, wrong claimants and shortages etc that have been experienced in 
the last two outings.

The new Director General gave as reason for this exercise fighting fraudsters. This is not 
convincing enough for these persons are simply attracted by the accumulated sums, which if paid regularly to pensioners on monthly basis would not impress them. After all, should 
someone scheme to claim money fraudulently from the CNPS then it must be from a known account.

Does the CNPS, by this measure, not end up spending more money in the guise of  chasing fraud? One could describe this as “green” embezzlement where illegal spending is justified.

The bottom line, Mr Director General, is that the CNPS would be of service to pensioners by paying them monthly just as they contributed monthly to the scheme. That is equity. After all, are pensions not calculated on monthly basis? What is this quality all about?