Salva Kiir maintains Lakes finance minister despite legislators opposition
By Manyang Mayom
October 30, 2007 (RUMBEK) — The Lakes State Interim Legislative Assembly Speaker Isaiah Alier Machinkok told Sudan Tribune that the president of southern Sudan government, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has suspended the impeachment of state minister of finance.
Lakes State Interim Legislative Assembly impeached by unanimous votes the state minister for Finance, Trade and Industry Philip Marol Mading on August 21, 2007.
The Lakes state parliament, following the recommendations of investigation committee on the activities of the finance minister, said he shifted the budget line items without the authorization of the assembly. Aslo, the legislators enumerated some violations related to the misuse of public funds.
Isaiah Alier said that Lakes State Legislative Assembly has high respect to President Kiir by allowing Philip Marol to be active in his office of Finance as well Marol as done everything in Finance become trouble in Lakes.
The minister will still work while Assembly is waiting for president Kiir to form auditing committee to audit Philip Marol, as well other directive measure will be taken against him later if his is finally proved guilty “Alier explain”.
Alier underscored to Sudan Tribune “We have indeed respect the Fist Vice-President and President of GOSS decision although thing are still going on wrong in Lakes, the Assembly of Lakes will still monitoring the move of all executives without objection.”
The impeachment of state finance minister empoisoned relations between the executive and legislative powers in the Lakes. Actually, the government resisted the decision of the parliament and governor, Daniel Awet Akot, maintained the minister.
At that time, the state government considered that the parliament had no authority to relieve a minister who is named by the president of southern Sudan government. So, the state parliament resolution is submitted to the president Salva Kiir Mayadrit for consideration.
(ST)
YihHon Alewei
Salva Kiir maintains Lakes finance minister despite legislators opposition
I want to ask questions which are going to be rude to other people but not to me!
What is the government system in South Sudan look like? Is there a different between state government and central government of South Sudan? If so why the president of South Sudan have powers in states parliaments? Is the government of South Sudan is centraliesd or decentralised?
why I asked the above questions is because I left the country before the peace was achieve! Other people can quote me out of my context but it will be a mistake if they do it! I am not that better person then those who are leading South Sudan, but the little I know should be considered and taken into account! The conutries we always seek help from are rule through public ossifics, comments and suggestions.
According to my own standarding about the systems of government is different from what the president of GOSS has taken. In the case of disgrace ministers like Marol Mading, the governor of the state is the one to decide whether to sack the minister or to be discipline in other way round. It looks like a favor in the views of the public and this is where the GOSS is facing many critics in Sudan and abroad! Centralising the power is not the best way for the country to get a good governance and development as we all hope of development and transparent administrators!
I am not criticising the president decision, but as a South Sudanese, am concern about the wellbeing of my people and the best way forward! For South Sudan government to avoid criticism, it needs to have two separate powers! The GOSS want to give states governments independent powers which don’t anyway reference what so ever to the central government! And in that case, it will give more relief to states governments to act independently without fear from the top which is “central government”.
Many incidents happened in the GOSS, States governments since the formation of GOSS, and those things caused negative reaction from we the people in diaspora. There have been many scandals about corruptions and many other things but the GOSS didn’t deal with these issues accordingly! And this caused negative commnets from non-dinka tribes about the government being dinkanised which is what I don’t like personally!
To make it works, I want the GOSS to have a committee that read suggestions and comments of all South Sudan and take them into account. That will help the GOSS to have a better ground in resistent of all allegations about the government! To have a good performance, it needs you to take suggestions and comments seriously and work out your ways from there!
The writer is a humanities student in Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia.