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Article: Recall of unblocked salaries: or how to buy the Gabonese with their own money, while further increasing the state debt.

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Recall of unblocked salaries: or how to buy the Gabonese with their own money, while further increasing the state debt.

As announced last week, a few days before the referendum, the Gabonese government is releasing salary arrears for tens of thousands of civil servants who had been waiting for several months.

It is impossible not to see this as an obvious opportunistic maneuver to calm anger and influence Saturday's vote.

Just days before a crucial referendum, and after last week’s leaked documents , the Gabonese government has announced the payment of salary arrears for thousands of civil servants and retirees. While this decision may seem laudable, it has aroused much more indignation than relief. This unexpected release, after months of silence and broken promises, looks more like a last-minute maneuver to influence public opinion, in a way buying the favor of voters. The manipulation is all too obvious: arrears, blocked for months, are suddenly paid at a time when the votes of these same civil servants are becoming a strategic issue.

://x.com/Mpagm2014/status/1856493467402166632

https://x.com/Mpagm2014/status/1856493467402166632

https://x.com/Mpagm2014/status/1856493467402166632

Months of misery imposed on public officials


For months, Gabonese public sector employees have been desperately waiting for their arrears to be paid. During this period, they have suffered undue delays, struggling to meet their daily needs in a difficult economic context. Many of them had already given up hope. to see what is due to them. According to the official document from the Ministry of Public Accounts, 36.1 billion FCFA have now been released for 37,139 beneficiaries, including active agents, retirees, and beneficiaries of deceased agents. .
Why then were these funds not released earlier, allowing agents to maintain a decent standard of living? This sudden generosity, in the run-up to a decisive election, appears above all to be a well-orchestrated political strategy, aimed at appeasing frustrations and, above all, at influencing the vote of those who will benefit from it.


Political timing that is impossible to ignore


The proximity of the referendum makes this decision even more suspect. For months, the government has claimed that the coffers were empty, thus justifying the blocking of payments. However, as the referendum approaches, as if by magic, these funds suddenly appear available. This rush to distribute the arrears can only be seen as an attempt to buy votes. Public officials, who play a crucial role in the election, thus become prime targets for this manipulation. By temporarily relieving them, the government probably hopes to mitigate criticism and secure favorable votes, instead of fully assuming its responsibility for their situation.


Gabon2025's revelations about this maneuver also confirm this feeling. Observers pointed out last week that the announcement, via an Excel file circulating on Whatsapp, of the payment of arrears was above all an "orchestrated leak", intended to reassure, despite the real insufficiency of public funds to ensure a sustainable and equitable payment. Instead of taking lasting measures to secure the State's finances, this rapid and poorly planned expenditure risks further aggravating the country's economic situation once the referendum is over.


Political manipulation and contempt for public officials


This last-minute payment, far from being a measure of social justice, reflects a contempt for Gabonese public officials. By plunging thousands of families into months of precariousness, only to finally release these funds at a time when electoral support becomes necessary , the government is exposing a cynical political calculation. This hasty release does nothing to resolve the structural difficulties of managing public finances; it only serves as a tool for manipulation.

Ultimately, this distribution, on the eve of such an important deadline, gives the impression of buying support and highlights an administration more concerned with its political interests than with the stability and well-being of its citizens. Will the Gabonese be able to discern the maneuver behind this apparent generosity and take a stand against this power play when the time comes to vote?

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