Conversation Club Report May 15: Social Security

Conversation Club Report May 15, 2009: Social Security

 

The conversation about social security, led by Marian Zeitlin, started off with the following question, “can you trust the government for your social security?” The general response was “no” because the system is broken.

 

How does social security work in Senegal?

The idea of social security is that you put something in (money, time, effort, etc) to be able to take something out of it or benefit from the program. The participants agreed that in both the private and public sectors in Senegal, the social security provided is not enough for people to live on. The payment installments are very small and force the receivers to be reliant on others.

 

In Senegal, Ipres cards are given to people who work in the formal sector. After a person retires, these cards give access to small payments every three months and provide access to healthcare. 

 

Additionally, there is a new program sponsored by the Senegalese government called the “plan de sesame” which will give people free healthcare. The plan has not been ratified and the details seemed vague.

 

What happens if you don’t have a job and you get sick?

This brings us to the main idea of the conversation club. There is another form of social security in Senegal, which works well; it is called the extended family. Families serving as sites for social security are considered the “informal” sector. To elaborate, the extended family looks after its members when they are sick, in search of a job, or low on funds. It is unacknowledged but widely accepted that any act of kindness can and will be reciprocated.

 

Why not continue, strengthen, and support the family system instead of formalizing and privatizing the social security system?

An informal poll of the Senegalese participants in our conversation club uncovered that it is believed that the government social security system works less than fifty percent of the time. On the other hand, the family system works about seventy-three percent of the time. The formal government system is evidently broken and is not satisfying its citizens.

 

Social Security and Corruption

When there are two sectors set in opposition to each other, formal and informal, they will be in conflict. Marian provided an example to the above mentioned theory about a man who owned his own business. His accountant had cancer and used the businesses money to pay for his health insurance and other health related expenses. The business went bankrupt and then the accountant died. Even now,  a decade later, the business owner is still trying to get out from under the bankruptcy. The US does not provide adequate healthcare coverage leaving people to resort to “corrupt” behavior to satisfy personal needs.  This story illustrates the conflict between the formal and informal sector and what can happen if they are not reconciliated.

Although corruption is not as overt in the US as it is in Senegal, there are prime examples of corruption. A Sierra Leonean participant noted that American banks paying people and organizations to rate them is a form of corruption as is capitalism in general, in his opinion.

 

A Senegalese participant said that, the “West” blames Africa for corruption however, that those who blame frequently play into the corruption.

 

A Senegalese participant indicated that Senegal needs corruption to provide opportunities to people because Senegal lacks necessary infrastructure. This culminates in nepotism especially when looking for a job. If a job seeker does not know the right people he or she will be unemployed for a long time. This makes, as another participant said, Senegalese people numb to corruption. It is part of daily life.

 

Another Senegalese participant referenced the theory she presented during the conversation the club had on corruption when she said that there are two forms of corruption, active and passive. Active corruption is when people pay off other people or steal money. Passive is more cultural and it happens at events such as marriages. The groom-to-be will present the bride-to-be’s family with gifts and money to be in their favor.

 

Something positive about social security

Marian asked everyone in the group to briefly talk about what positive endeavor could be undertaken to improve social security in Senegal or in their home country. The responses were varied and were very focused on corruption.

 

A Malian participant echoed her position held in the conversation club discussion on corruption by saying that corruption is a human trait and therefore people make a decision to be corrupt or not. It is possible on an individual basis to fight corruption.

 

The following Senegal participant advised the government, especially the ministries, “not to eat the money” like they had done with the Islamic Conference in March 2008.

 

A very different opinion was voiced from the next Senegalese participant who bluntly stated that no one is a victim of corruption because everybody wins. He explained that when a policeman asks for a bribe for stamping a document, the person gets their document and the police pockets the bribe, for him it’s win-win.

 

An American participant said that the United States system could look towards other methods of social security since the current system is also flawed and does not help the poor/ working classes. If the family method doesn’t work, perhaps there is another informal method that could.

 

A Spanish participant spoke about indemnity and how people get away with too much. He suggested that government officials should get paid better to combat when they subsidize their income by corruption. He added that laws need to be explained better and should be enforced.

 

The following Senegalese participant countered by saying that corruption is not necessarily a consequence of poverty. Well-paid people can be corrupt. She stated that if the government officials were paid more, she doubts that they would stop asking for bribes. She insisted that corruption is a way of thinking.

 

A Senegalese participant talked about how individualism promotes corruption. Corruption is selfish like individualism. In order to combat corruption, people need to unite.

 

A participant from Sierra Leone spoke abut how Africa borrows systems from Europe and the US that do not work within an African context, the example being social security. He pushed for the strengthening of the family system, which he feels should be enforced.  He also talked about “brotherly love” and how all Africans should love and respect their brothers and therefore take care of one another. He insisted that brotherly love would prevent people from cheating each other out of money.

 

The next Senegalese participant talked about how people are not treated equally in front of the law and that it is easy for those with money to pay people off. He gave an example of how the only people in jail and those that have stolen small items like chickens because people with money can pay off the government to avoid jail time. Thus, the law is not upheld for everyone. Furthermore, the President (Abdoulaye Wade) is sees himself as a god. He is not accountable for his actions. However, this participant also accused Senegalese citizens of being too passive and not protesting when the government is blatantly corrupt.

 

Marian closed the group discussion on social security by adding a historical perspective. Cities are a relatively new concept for Senegal and they grew under colonialism, not under “natural” conditions. Moreover, she mentioned that groups that have fewer than 150 decision makers can adhere to the law; however, when a group has over 150 decision makers a new type of legal system emerges. Senegal is not to blame for the corruption because its cities and legal system are young. Marian’s suggestion was to keep the cultural values, strengthen the formal system, and also strengthen the informal system.

 

Feel free to post your opinions below in the comments’ sector. We encourage the conversation to continue outside of the club. Thank you!