Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament lash back at Governor Deng
By Isaac Vuni and James Gatdet Dak
January 26, 2008 (JUBA) – The Caucus of the Unity State’s members of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly in Juba today called on the Government of Southern Sudan to audit accounts of the state, accusing its governor of corruption.
In a press conference held on Sunday, the Unity State MPs headed by Benjamin Majak, Chairman of the Caucus in the Assembly said the Unity State Governor Taban Deng Gai is responsible for the corruption in the state. They also demanded for removal of Governor Taban Gai Deng for failing to deliver services and development in the state.
The MPs also called on the President of the Government of Southern Sudan to reveal the report of the Ministerial Committee he formed last year to investigate the Governor on the alleged corruption charges. They expressed their disappointments over the delay of the report in the Presidency’s office.
“It is regrettable that the committee constituted by President Salva Kiir Mayardit in November 2007 to investigate the crises in the state delayed for four months thereafter went and spend two days with the Governor Taban without visiting counties of the state. Hence they ended up collecting one side story prepared by Governor Taban Gai Deng. Therefore, we are appealing to the government of southern Sudan to urgently address this issue by removing governor Taban and replace him with a developmental oriented person form among the sons and daughters of Unity state;” pleaded MP Peter Margue Thiep.
Majak described the recent attacks in the media by Governor Deng as an attempt to blackmail individuals to cover up his alleged corruption. He said that Deng’s attack on the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan was not fair.
In an interview with The Citizens newspaper, Governor Deng accused the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Riek Machar for allegedly “undermining his authority in the state.” Deng said the state traditional chiefs and members of Parliament were engineered by the Vice President to remove him from the state governorship.
Hon. Majak told journalists that the Governor has to blame himself for his corrupt practices. He said the state has since 2005 received over $122 million dollars as part of oil revenue sharing of two percent contrary to the figure of $60 million released by the Governor.
The state MPs also blame the Governor for over-employment in the State. “During the formation of the State government in 2005, the state inherited only 6,000 employees, but the Governor has employed 12, 000 more to total 18, 000,” MP Majak said.
Responding to question why Unity state is recruiting foreign teachers, mostly from Kenya, Majak explain that the recruitment exercise was hurriedly done lonely by Governor Taban even without consulting GoSS ministry of Education, Science and Technology for possibility of getting Southern Sudanese teachers from other states who are more qualified than Kenyan teachers. Nevertheless, the lawmakers pledged to exert pressure on state administration to reverse their decision because it’s costly to get teachers from outside the country.
He also claimed that the Governor has employed one hundred and fifty advisors contrary to only one hundred earlier admitted by Governor Deng in his interview with The Citizen news paper.
Unity State MP Puok Bol Mayamic said the Governor Taban has not contributed to the development of the state. Otherwise what Governor Taban termed his new development component in the state today are done by Khartoum government in collaboration with oil company operating in Unity state before signing of CPA in January 2005. But Governor Taban claimed to have constructed roads, schools and hospitals among others in the state from the time he took over state administration.
They accused Governor Taban Deng of running Unity State single-handedly, appointed 150 advisors at monthly pay of three million Sudanese pounds without consultation either with GoSS ministry of Finance or Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development; only at the expense of development funds yet the so called advisors are doing nothing. On serious note, where on earth a state governor has 150 advisors? , posed Hon. Majak
The Parliamentarians also accuse Governor Deng’s administration for marginalizing the minority Dinka community in the state by selecting mostly members of the Nuer community to represent the state in the State government in Bentiu, Government of Southern Sudan in Juba and Government of National Unity in Khartoum.
They also accuse him of misusing the two percent of oil revenue for the state to benefit him and approving unprocessed loans and grants to individuals in the state.
(ST)
Kujur
Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament slash back at Governor Deng
Good God where will this media attack between Unity State citizen will end and where will Massaiah will come from to save his people?
Our shortcoming as people need not to drive us from our objective, corruption, nepotism and all of those slogans need not to be used as escapegoat.
As citizen of one state you need not to rash to media and it will not solve anything, it will just add more colours into your painting.
Peace
Guem David
James James
Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament lash back at Governor Deng
Hi Guys
This is the right time for Taban Deng Gai to pay price for his filthy conducts, Taban has been a big flip flopper for years, he ran from SPlA to Riek function, he has been writing worst articles against SPLA and its officers include late Garang before he shed his dirty colors to act like best Garang supporter during CPA.
Taban is known as single stomach thinker not developer who don’t respect south sudan authorities, he also has tribalistic problems than anybody else, so, that time has come for the GoSS to take stand now. He got his head into the noose by himself.
God bless.
Africa
Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament lash back at Governor Deng
What the world the governor had 100 advisers according to his own words, apart from 150 advisers according to Mayak?
I don’t trust this traitor because the way he try to deny every thing and turn charged to other is revealed that he is a big theft at this livetime. Any intelectual person can wonder why he give state money to those Juba ministers as he said by his own words that “it is an assistant” in his interview with the press, while the ministers have their own salary? Why he use state money to treat individual?
I can tell the way he expressed himself during the interview without any demonstration of being diplomatic or gentlement, instead, he just complaining, excusses, liar, and even frustrated to the extent that he just fear for sack. How do he define corruption? Hired 150 advisers is a corruption, given state money to those who received salary without approval by the state house is a corruption, and using the state money for treating individual without approval by the state house is the corruption.
I will never trust this traitor since I know him in etang Refugee camp.
Deng Abuk Africa
Madhang Loth
Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament lash back at Governor Deng
Dear Southerners,
I am appealing to our Government of South Sudan to do something for the citizens. It has come to my knowledge that our government is employing foreigners instead of employing the citizens of South Sudan. I am hundred percent sure that we southerners have qualified personnel to run our own government. Now, the problem is, when the government employs foriegners, they thought that South Sudan does not have qualified people to run their own government and started to despise Southerners.
You can also emagine how they will be paid.
Dear Governors of South Sudan, stop employing foriegners at the expense of South Sudanese.
alfredgatot
Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament lash back at Governor Deng
The people of unity state would be saved at last,if the MPS and the government in Juba do some thing this time to correct the mamouse mismanagement of state affairs by this tyrant in person of Taban Deng. Every one who could have followed the events in the last two years is to agree with me that as pointed out in HON.majak claims,there has never been real developmental activities being state’s own initaitive,any sign of development if any in the state is from foriegn oil exploring companies and the “arabs friends” as Taban would like to call them.
I wonder what Taban is upto with his old colonial borrowed “divide and rule policy”It has become a common knowledge that Taban is embarked on a compaign to cause division among the state’s tribes an example of this is his attempt to personally annex part of Leeh county [Rubkoneh]to Guit county which has so far cause unease relation between the two counties.
This example and many more are testimony to the colours of a guy other people thought is a good guy.
Infact Taban is the opposite he is involve in a huge corruption which he has indulged himself shamelessly with out any fear of being brought to account.
This is the time the GOSS should response to the demand of the people in Unity state about this issue of the state governance, I beg the GOSS not to let the voice of the people down this time as Taban is defiant to the people’s will,do him a favour to let him go home or if he can serve the people in other capacity then let it be,but he should not remain governor, no!!
Moses Kuocgoor
Unity State MPs in South Sudan parliament lash back at Governor Deng
The hole has flooded for the Western Upper Nile State governor. How smart the governor is in term of ruling the State like Iraq. One hundred and fifty advisors! I hope Mr. Taban and his allies must pay attention from the MPs’ criticism. He should need to readjust his leadership, otherwise, he will face serious consequences.
Many people have now learned what kind of game the governor plays about his secret government in Western Upper Nile State, where he personally hired unexpected advisors to protect his secret government from other qualified members. In fact, Mr.Taban must not forget that he was nominated to lead the State for time being since he is a discredited candidate. But now, he pretends to use the public funds for his own interests or bribing of one hundred and fifty advisors, and not spending it on developments. For this alleged corruption, he will wage the severe price in his governorship.
In the modern world, being a governor is not easy to achieve but it was a gabbling to Taban. I prefer him to be impeached or fired like other governors. In real world, this position requires a clean records and sophisticated skills. But Our hope is that the Western Upper Nile State makes up of two constituents, the Ruweng Dinka, and the slid of Nuer, Naath that need an equal participation in the government. Within the period of three years, Mr.Taban has been engaging in building a cave haven to blindly transcending tribalism between the Ruweng Dinka and the Nuer people.
The MPs had tried hard but they have left out the issue of border between Ruweng territory and the north. As we have heard that the Khartoum government marks the border line in Ruweng territory by cutting strip of land from Ruweng territory such Aliny (Heligg oil field which is now falsely converted to Abyei by Khartoum regime), Manjonga, Paruudeng, Ngol and Dulanga, and we have never come across the governor’s speech about that in the media and the other sources.
In general, this behavior indicates that the governor does not have enough skills to lead the State. The southerners expect that Western Upper Nile State could rapidly develop than other States. But it seems to be last and poor State in the Southern States.