Unity state Deputy Governor says state pay cuts come from Juba

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

October 31, 2012 (BENTIU) – South Sudan’s minister of finance, Kosti Manibe Ngai, has expressed his opposition to pay cuts being implemented in the state governments last week.

Unity State deputy governor Michael Chiengjiek Geay told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that Ngai’s statement is a clear accusation against state governments. Geay dismissed Ngai’s claim that the state governments were acting without Juba’s consent.

In Western Bahr el Ghazal civil servant salaries have been cut since July by up too 50 percent and 25 percent in Unity state.

State authorities say the cuts are necessary in the implementation of nationwide austerity measures.

Geay claims that his state is facing a SSDG2.2 million [US$500,000] deficit due to cuts from Juba this year. The state previously received SSDG54 million [US$12 million] from central government.

South Sudan halted oil production in January in a row with Khartoum over transit fees. As oil makes up the vast majority of South Sudan’s revenues, its halting necessitated the implementation of austerity measures. However, agreements signed by both countries in Addis Ababa in September allow for oil production to resume.

Geay accused the Ministry of Finance of lacking proper authority to collect revenues. He said the announcement by the Central Equatoria government that it will pullout from centralised tax collection in January 2013 is a result of weak management from the ministry.

He said that the government cuts were not affecting central government institutions, only those in the states.

In Unity state, many civil servants are not satisfied with the recent decision by the council of state ministers to cut their salaries by 25 percent.

John Thufar Machar, who works at Bentiu Technical College said that he and the public were not convinced by the state government’s decision to cut salaries during a two month period.

(ST)