Cabinet moves on open vote workers, liquor, water

And in other news from what seems to be the busiest Cabinet session this year, that body has decided to grant its open vote workers the same pension benefits as permanent staff. There are currently over two thousand open vote workers, four hundred and ten of whom have ten or more years of service. Government is also continuing its crackdown on violators of liquor laws and to that end Prime Minister Said Musa will meet next Tuesday with chairmen of all the nation’s liquor licensing boards to make sure that they get the message.

The confusion over village water boards has also been addressed and a decision taken that those government appointed bodies, currently in limbo due to being left out of recently passed legislation, will now be appointed in consultation with village councils. While Central Government will still appoint all board members, the village chairman and one other council member will automatically be included. The conflict between village councils and water boards arises when one party controls Central Government and the other dominates a village council. Selling of water is often a key source of revenue for villages with appointed water boards frequently far wealthier and more powerful than the democratically elected village councils.