Cankuzo – Cibitoke : contributions required to finance the presidential couple’s crusade

In a letter sent to the provincial director of education in Cankuzo province (eastern Burundi), the governor asks all education personnel as well as other state officials, as well as NGO agents working in his province to contribute to support the president’s thanksgiving crusade organized every end of the year. In Cibitoke (northwest), it is the CNDD-FDD party which is responsible for this collection from the population and traders in particular. The local NGO Speech and action for the awakening of consciousness and the evolution of mentalities, PARCEM, calls for the immediate removal of this measure in the interest of the population. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Contributions are distributed taking into account the categories.

“The provincial director must pay 5,000 Burundi francs, the teachers contribute 3,000 while the watchmen pay 1,000 francs” we learned from the teachers.

The organization Speech and Action for the awakening of consciousness and the evolution of mentalities, PARCEM, opposes this measure by the governor of Cankuzo.

Faustin Ndikumana, national director of this NGO, says that no authority should collect money from citizens whereas the latter already pay taxes.

This activist says that the budget allocated to the presidential couple’s crusades is estimated at three hundred million francs.

For Mr. Ndikumana, this measure is against the law governing finances in Burundi. He adds that such authorities who take these measures are considered “courtiers of the royal court.”

“These authorities, including this governor, pretend to be unaware that the population is languishing in poverty”, he laments while asking the governor of Cankuzo to suspend this measure.

The presidential couple’s crusade is scheduled for December 26 to 28 in the province of Cankuzo.

Same complaints in Cibitoke

In Cibitoke, the inhabitants in general and particularly the traders of this province (northwest Burundi) are lamenting following the contributions demanded by the ruling party for this evangelization crusade.

The collection was entrusted to CNDD-FDD officials who went from house to house and business to business to raise funds by force.

A sum ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 francs is required from all residents both in the town center and in the districts of this province.

An official of the opposition CNL party in Cibitoke criticizes the behavior of the ruling party and calls for “a definitive end to this form of theft”.

For him, “such collections do not involve members and supporters of the opposition. The CNDD-FDD in power for almost 20 years should demand contributions only from its members”, he protests.

Contacted about this, the governor of this province says he is not aware of this information. No one has come to complain to him yet, he said.

Carême Bizoza still plans to “meet with provincial officials of the ruling party to find out more about the situation.”

Provincial officials of the ruling party reject these accusations of forced collection and say that “only members and sympathizers of our party contribute to facilitate the organization of this evangelization crusade.”

Opposition deputies called on the minister in charge of internal affairs to “straighten out his subordinates” and demanded that the minister in charge of finance reduce the budget of three hundred million intended for the organization of the presidential couple’s crusades each year, events which often turn into propaganda of the former Hutu rebellion.

But for certain senior officials of the country and of the CNDD-FDD including Daniel Gélase Ndabirabe, speaker of the National Assembly, “it is normal for local authorities to raise funds to better organize events.”