Operation to remove Batcham mayor launched
By Stephen TADAHA
The Lord mayor of Batcham in the Bamboutos division, Tchinda Pierre and his Deputy, are at the centre of a controversy on the issue of cumulative public posts.
The two are top civil servants in the justice department. The Mayor is a Bailiff while his deputy is a Barrister and both are managing the affairs of the Batcham council.
It all began with a presidential decree number 2023/04 of January 25th, 2023 that relates to the rules and regulations and organization of the profession of Bailiff and enforcement agent which lays down
the general rules applicable to the profession of Bailiff and Enforcement Agent, and the organization and practice of the said profession.
The disposition of law number 2019/024 of December 24th, 2019 bill to institute the general code of regional and local authorities had already made mention of incompatibility of functions in public services.
After the January 25th presidential decree, the Minister of decentralization and local development Georges Elanga Obam, on February 16th 2023, notified the Senior Divisional Officer for Bamboutos, François Franquelin Etapa, on the situation reigning in Batcham, instructing him to apply Article 229 of the law number 2019/024 of December 24th, 2019 bill to institute the general code of regional and local authorities. An article which had to force the mayor to resign because of incompatibility of functions in the public service. The Mayor after meeting with the SDO to discuss the issue on March 27, did not sign the destitution report that was presented before him, basing his argument on paragraph 2 of the same article that institutes the general code of regional and local authorities. The Mayor states that he had transferred his Bailiff powers to a collaborator before taking his functions as Mayor of Batcham.
All eyes are now turned to the Minister decentralization and local development for the law to be applied. For the moment, the Mayor remains in his function.
