Governor recognizes problems with E. Equatoria lawmakers
By Isaac Vuni
March 16, 2007 (TORIT) — Closing the five days Capacity Building training workshop for Eastern Equatoria state parliamentarians, today, Governor Aloisio Emor Ojetuk say the training has ushered a new turning point in the state. He further admitted he has problems with lawmakers.
That since inception of Eastern Equatoria state in 1994, there has not been such an induction training workshop given to parliamentarians of the state. The governor said the training has been an eye opener to legislatures and if any of his ministers fails to attend, it’s the individual’s mistakes.
Governor Ojetuk admitted that previously the executive had problems with the state legislatures; that some are administrative and some are personal grudges between individuals that should have not been presented to parliament.
On September 26, 2006, 35 state MPs of Eastern Equatoria petitioned President Salva Kiir Mayardit for removal of Governor Ojetuk from office due to failure in various managing of the state.
He said, it could have been resolved within the state than legislatures going to seeks for solutions from Goss in Juba.
He further said there has been a lot of un procedural happening in the state interim assembly, for instance, “When the speakers and his deputy are both out on duty, a member of the specialized committee of the assembly could be appointed to act as speaker, and on returns of the deputy speakers, the acting person should handover to the deputy speaker. But in Torit assembly, the acting person refused to handover to the official Deputy Speaker, citing instructions from speaker was not to hand over to the deputy speaker”, remarks Ojetuk.
Nevertheless, Ojetuk assured legislatures that, the Executive would try as much as possible to implement all the bills passed by state lawmakers.
As a public figure, my office and house are opened to anyone who wants to come and chart with me on matter of interest for the state.
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Responding to request raised by Churchill Mundia, programme manager of skills for southern Sudan to train staff of the state in capacity building, Governor Ojetuk says, “Knowledge has no ends and its power by itself; therefore we shall prepare the list of gape that requires enforcement through training then would request skills to assist the state in training them”.
The speaker of Interim State Legislative Assembly of Eastern Equatoria State, Adelino Michael Opi urged participants to put in practice what they have learned from the five days training.
He said the training workshop has given them ample opportunity to deliberate on state constitution and be able to amends if any then pass it. He appeals to Goss to continue conducting such training for parliamentarian of southern Sudan.
The Capacity Building Workshop for Eastern Equatoria state Legislative assembly closes Friday in Torit, capital of the state.
During the five days training, the MPs were introduced to know what government and its origin, Arms and organs of the government, how they functions, power limitations and interrelationships.
The role of the legislature and the organizational structure of the legislature, good governance aspects, principles and relevance to the state government.
They were also taken through the conduct of business, motions rising, privileges and immunities, party discipline and conflict resolution. Composition of parliamentary committees, operational and public hearings
The law making process and legislative drafting, coalition building and the role of minorities in parliament
Mainstreaming gender and diversity in parliament institutions specialized groups. An examination of bills and questions, policy formulation, analysis, implementation and evaluation
Parliamentary outreach and networks, lobbying and negotiation mechanism then were given practical demonstration of parliamentary mock session of parliament and committee proceedings.
The five days training workshop was organized by government of southern Sudan ministry of parliamentary Affairs Juba, in collaboration with DFID, UNDP and skills for southern Sudan.
The assembly resumed on January 15, 2007 but has since then not adopted the state constitution nor passes the state budget for financial year 2007.
EES interim Assembly has 48 sitting members of parliament and for it to constitute a quorum; there must be at least 36 members present in the assembly hall.
Mrs. Jennet Nacona, director for legislative affairs advised the state legislatures, executive and judiciary to work together in form of transparency and accountability in the state.
She noted that only western Equatoria state was the only one who managed to grant women their 25% as stipulated in the CPA.
Meanwhile the Acting Clerk of the Assembly, Adelino Kau Kawa, revealed that there are six vacant positions of MPs that ought to be filling during this third session. The vacancies, he said, were created by the dead of four MPs, appointment of two MPs to position of Commissioners in Budi and Ikwotos counties respectively and replacement of the National Congress Party MP whose immunity has been lifted because he is under police investigation.
(ST)