Unity State removes two MPs from committees after corruption allegations

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

January 9, 2012 (BENTIU) – Two MPs in South Sudan’s Unity State have been removed from their positions as chairpersons of committees by the speaker of the state’s parliament following their threats to impeach him.

On Sunday, the chairperson of Unity State’s information committee, Simon Gatluak Pech Dak, told Sudan Tribune that the speaker had the right to fire the MPs from their positions under the constitution.

Pech advised against people in positions of authority playing politics.

He added that the decree sacking the two MPs was released on 23 December 2011, although one of the MPs, David Jany Yak, the chairperson of the public affairs committee, had already tendered his resignation three days earlier.

The time it took the speaker to sack Jany was evidence that he acted properly, Pech said.

He said that the speaker had been forced to sack Jany as he had continued to work as the chairperson of the committee despite resigning.

On the other hand, David Jany claims he was removed because he was calling for more transparency over the implementation of the 2011 budget. He claims that funds went missing last year. Pech denies this and say he is the only MP to make such allegation.

Jany represents constituency 19 of Gany, Norbor and Pakur payams [districts] of Koch County.

The other MP, John Malek was sacked from his position as chairperson of the infrastructure and urban development committee. He represents constituency 23 of Payaak payam of Leer County.

Both MPs are from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling party in South Sudan.

UNITY STATE TO CUT GOVERNMENT POSITIONS

Unity state will decrease the number of government employees from 8,000 to 3,000 this year, Pech told Sudan Tribune, as part of a plan to reform the state’s public service sector.

The downsizing program is being run by the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry along with the Ministry of Public Services.

(ST)