South Sudan’s Kiir lashes out at corruption practices across state and local governments
By Isaac Vuni
March 11, 2008 (JUBA) – The President of South Sudan called for more transparency in the collection of taxes and instructed that public services employees who recieve double salaries fraudlently to be punished.
Sudan’s First Vice President Salva Kiir was speaking at the Fifth Governors’ Forum conference held in Juba last Monday.
The top Southern official told the governers to invest more in building the capacity at the state and local government levels for efficient service delivery. Otherwise, the government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) many be forced to reallocate its human resources to meet the needs of states and local governments authorities for the purpose of consolidating unity and peace and to enhance people’s participation in managing their own affairs.
“We should double our efforts to entrench the values that we fought hard for by resisting all kinds of temptations that would degenerate our people into ethnicity and regionalism” he said.
Kiir reiterated that a substantial amount of revenue was being collected at Bazi, Kaya, Nimule and Nadapal borders points but they go to the pockets of individuals.
“Why not tax cattle in your states?” he asked.
The SPLM chairman also wondered why employees at the state of Central Equatoria are not getting paid timely when there are many hotels in Juba from which the state can collect taxes to cut its deficit.
“Who collects those taxes? If it’s the commissioner of Juba county then why are they complaining about lack of payment and service delivery to their employees” he added.
DOUBLE SALARIES
President Kiir said it was regrettable to note that some of governance has recruited some of their primary school children to get salary from government pay sheets;
“How do you expect those children to continue with their education if they are getting dubious monthly payment at their primary school stage” asked Kiir.
President Kiir stressed that those employees who are getting double salaries will have to refund all the money that was paid to them and will be imprisoned. He also acknowledged that malpractices are occuring across all ministries and levels of government in Southern Sudan.
He said there are people who gets triple or double pay but they are protected by senior officials because the latter are relatives or friends of those who are involved to corruption through offering of gifts.
How could some of you have huge bank accounts, within a short period of our government three years after the CPA emerging from 21 years of bitter but war of liberation? Otherwise, as governers you are encouraging our people to emulate your wrong way of acquiring wealth at the expense of the GoSS.
NCP PROPOSAL ON ABYEI
In his keynote address, General Kiir said the National Congress Party (NCP) has come up with a new boundary for the Abyei administration now being examined by GoSS but that such decision does not amount to renegotiating the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Regarding the North-South borders, he said that the enemies of peace are pushing the Misseriya Arabs to forcefully determine the border line between the north and the south.
Sudanese First Vice-President, Kiir directed the Misseriya to immediately stop demarcating boundaries unilaterally because it is already outlined in the CPA.
On the other hand, the President noted that progress has been made in redeployment of forces but because of the border ambiguity between the north and south it has slowed down.
On the census, Kiir said that although preparations for the fifth Sudan Population Housing and Census are at an advanced stage, the return of IDPs and refugees remain a challenge to GoSS.
Regarding the Juba peace talks between the government of Uganda and Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Kiir assured the forum that president Museveni of Uganda and LRA leader Joseph Kony will attend the signing ceremony in Juba. He hailed the patience and progress made by his deputy Dr. Riek Machar, who was the chief mediator between the Ugandan warring parties.
The fifth Governors’ Forum conference being held under the theme, “Strengthening the Decentralization System in Southern Sudan” at the Southern Sudan Legislative assembly hall in Juba.
Presenting a paper on challenges facing decentralization system of governance Shyam Bhurtel, senior advisor on Governance at UNDP Juba office defined governance as being the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels for the process of dispersing decision making power closer to the people.
He said there are three broad systems of governance, Federal, Centralized federal and a Unitary system. Bhurtel said that the states are generally autonomous in the federal system, whereas in the centralized federal system, the center plays a strong oversight further while in the unitary model, the center is very strongly governed by status.
The UNDP senior advisor described the current structures of government in Sudan as of Asymmetric federalism system where some states within the federal system have more extensive power than other who relates to central government.
That the Political governance system entails rule of law, transparency and accountability, free, fair multi-party election, people’s participation in decision making process and access to and equality before law.
While Economic governance deals with macro economic stability, budgetary provision for social priorities areas as identified by participatory planning processes and equitable access to economic resources
While Civic governance is about mobilization and empowerment of people, respect for human rights, free media and right to information.
He adds that decentralized governance is means and strategy to achieve the vision and objectives of the government which defined in the interim constitution of southern Sudan that cannot be withdrawn without legislative amendments.
Decentralization in southern Sudan is a mandatory by the interim constitution, democracy and voice of civil society, higher administrative efficiency via civil society participation and transparency.
This is the first time in the world for the governors, speakers and government executive have come together.” I have never seen this kind of gathering in any part of the world” they are setting a new forum that has to be emulated by other part of the world.
The minister of legal affairs suggested for rotation of the governor’s and speakers’ forums among the ten states of Southern Sudan.
The NDI survey presented to the governor’s forum indicated that decentralization in southern Sudan is working effectively as there are strong support and enthusiasm for federal system. However report stated that the biggest issue was of state dependency on GoSS for funding compounded with inadequate communication channel from headquarters to states and to local government levels.
Sanjeev Ahlu-Walia of World Bank said that Southern Sudan needs to have a very transparent system of revenue collection at all levels of governments.
Contributing to discussion, the GoSS minister of information and broadcasting, Gabriel Changson Chang, stated that there are many challenges in the state that require revisiting of the CPA where all the powers of Legislators, Executive and Judiciary originated.
Minister Changson observed that administratively GoSS has the civil service which should have been the core of public service operation but they are not yet fully developed. Even the institutional system of GoSS lack check and balances mechanism for recruitment and promotion of civil servant than rampant nepotism recruitment and promotion, hence it will be very difficult at the moment to efficiently ensure institutions operation of government.
He says although revenue resources were well defined in the CPA including areas of competency at all levels but has not yet been translated into reality because Southern Sudanese, according to him, are still developing. Hence there is need to work out a legal frame work for revenue collection in Southern Sudan to initiate effective and equitable development.
Changson also noted that there was no serious budget process taking place in the states of Southern Sudan and hence when it comes to implementation it will be problem leading to mismanagement of fund.
“If there is any think good the current government of Sudan has done, I think it is mobilization of people to paying taxes”.
Presenting a paper on the Challenges facing states in relation to resources and fiscal allocation, the governor of Lakes state, General Daniel Awet Akot say there was no plan for incorporating then the southern Sudan coordinating council employees into states budget who were suddenly dumped to states fixed meager budget. Besides, he adds, there was no clear guide line provided by GoSS to states who are rather left confused. General Akot say his state annual plans and budget have been partially implemented but with a lot of difficulties.
Governor noted that there has been less commitment and decree of consensus by GoSS during the last three years on the objectives and focus of development goal that should have been focus on poverty reduction
He further noted that a lot of money from the ten states of Southern Sudan are being transported outside by businessmen and women especially hoteliers and constructors who are mainly foreigners.
Governor Akot said that the Lakes state is overstaffed that was inherited from the civil authority of New Sudan (CANS); consequently they are paying people who produce nothing to the state; for how long should the state continue paying people for doing no service?
Adding that there are more than 3800 employees designated to be lay off but they have no package for their post service benefit. However GoSS Finance minister stated that the ministry of Finance and Economic planning is looking for money in order to pay personnel due for pension so that they have something in hand to support their children.
Governor Akot noted with concern the States dependency on transfers from GoSS coupled with no clear criterion for allocation of grants without criteria.
In order to promote and accelerate infrastructure development for social service delivery, GoSS should streamline competencies for revenue collection and allocation and also to facilitate States to access funding from external sources.
He suggested that allocations of money to States should be done in accordance with distribution formulas prescribed by law or any other fair allocation criteria and that there should be eestablish a criteria for fiscal allocations.
Governor Akot further appeal to GoSS to immediately adjust and make January 2008 budget transfer differences to the States employees to enable them gets their long awaited Salaries.
Presenting paper on political decentralization challenges facing southern Sudan, the governor of Unity state, Brigadier Taban Deng Gai said SPLM was correct in choosing federalism as the system of governance for the people of Southern Sudan. However, he wonders why the Bank of Southern Sudan could not afford to meet employees’ salaries and demanded from GoSS minister of Finance and Economic planning to know the role and status of the bank of Southern Sudan.
The GoSS minister Kuol Athian said grand money previous send in bock grant to the states were not accounted for nor was there any transparency and accountability made by states to his ministry.
Minister Kuol Athian further explained that Oil revenue transfer is not reliable because there are deliberate delays being done in central government in order to sabotage efficient implementation of what GoSS has planed for empowerment of her people and development of southern Sudan during the interim period.
When the CPA was signed those employees who were inside hardily promoted themselves and their friends to supper scale in order to denied senior positions to those coming from new Sudan administrative areas, observed GoSS minister of Finance and Economic planning.
The three governance conference forum attended by president of GoSS, Vice president of GoSS, presidential advisors, states governors, GoSS ministers, chairpersons of GoSS Commission, state ministers, UNDP and partners and non governmental organizations operating in southern Sudan including media.
(ST)