Gogrial state legislative assembly split over selection of new speaker
February 24, 2016 (JUBA) – Members of the newly created Gogrial state legislative assembly, home to President Salva Kiir, are sharply divided over the manner in which the selection of the new speaker was made, with some legislators accusing the appointed governor, Abraham Gum, of directing members to select the candidate of his choice.
Several members of parliament told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday and Wednsday that the process of selecting the speaker of the state assembly, Atong Manyuat, has split the members into factions due to her lack of qualification required to become a speaker of parliament.
“The way the selection of the speaker was done was inconsistent with parliamentary procedures and other prerequisites. First [of] all the selection of the speaker is entirely a work of members of the state assembly. The members know the criteria for selection. One of the criteria is education, experience, knowledge and level of understanding of public affairs as this is what constitutes critical leadership,” a legislator told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately the new speaker did not meet any of these criteria but the governor decided to bulldoze her selection,” he added.
Another legislator described the selection as “unprecedented development”, claiming that the newly imposed speaker is illiterate.
“The new speaker has never passed near a school compound let alone stepping foot in class room. This is totally against the constitution. Our constitution stipulates that a member of parliament should be a literate, at least some[one] who knows how to read and write. The new speaker is illiterate and I don’t [know] what the governor wants to do by imposing on members the selection of illiterate person.”
Other legislators confirmed Atong Manyuat; formerly head of services committee in the defunct Warrap state has been selected as the speaker after President Salva Kiir, in October 2015, issued a unilateral decision dividing up the country into 28 states from the constitutionally recognized 10 states.
She was contesting the seat with Amet Kuol, a former head of parliamentary committee for peace and reconciliation. Kuol, according to several legislators, was a candidate of choice of majority members of the house but failed to secure support of the appointed governor, who allegedly directed members to support female candidate on the ground that the seat needs to be fulfilled by women representative.
“Our concerns are not because the seat has been filled by a woman but because it has been filled by someone who does not know how to read and write. If it is because of women, why not allow other women who are literate to be selected,” inquired one of the opponents who also preferred anonymity for fear of repercussions.
“This was what majority of the members were saying,” she added.
(ST)