South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
By Isaac Vuni
May 28, 2008 (JUBA) — The Speaker of Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA), James Wani Igga, today, said that lawmakers have only passed 16 bills out of 70, since the parliament inception in August 2005.
He went on saying that Southern Sudan lawmakers need quicker formulation and submission of bills from the southern Sudan Ministry of Legal Affairs and constitutional development. He further said that the most urgent include the Anti Corruption, Investment, Taxation, Local government and Land Acts among others, he emphasized.
According to the speaker, southern public have already developed negative impression that huge numbers of bills are being delayed by the house. Contrary, he said, the SSLA has only three bills under the custody of specialized committee of Legal Affairs and are in their second and third reading stages.
Delivering key note address at the official opening of the first session of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, the Speaker called on Executive institutions to come up with bills to enable the parliament makes laws faster.
However, Igga said he was aware of the serious shortage of lawyers in South Sudan including SSLA were legal documentations are often not produced in time, therefore, he suggested that the SSLA may resort to hired lawyers from other countries.
He further observed that some ministries have since not yet submitted their work plans and policy documents to the legislative chamber.
Wani warned that during this first session of 2008, the house would seriously request each ministry to submit a report of its performance based on the approved work plan by the lawmakers during the year 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Articulating achievement of the SSLA, Speaker Wani said implementation of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) approved last year by the house has been appreciated by southern Sudanese because it coincide with SPLM policy of taking towns to the people.
Regarding salary delay for the SPLA, the speaker said the legislators have last year approved the largest budget allocation for the SPLA, first of it kind in the history of southern Sudan. Therefore, he sees no reason why their salaries should not be paid in time.
He calls on the ministry of Defense not to disappoint the soldiers who fought tirelessly to being the CPA and peace now being enjoyed today by the whole country.
Wani further reminded that during the last quarter the SSLA has taken drastic measures against corruption and nepotism practices in southern Sudan ministries that resulted to the dismissal of former minister of Finance, Auditor general along with seven seniors’ officials of finance and audit chamber.
Meanwhile for the electoral laws, he said the house is keenly monitoring the legislation of the electoral law by the National Assembly.
The speaker hailed southern Sudan government for the ongoing asphalting roads in Juba town though extremely slow, Juba-Nimule road, Juba-Lokichogio roads, Baden Falls and Sue dam among others.
In order to eliminate dependency on foreign food being supplied by neigbouring counties, Wani appealed to people in southern Sudanese to seriously take advantage of this year rainy season to produce more food than loitering during cultivation season.
The parliament was scheduled to have resumed on 7th April but due to importance of Sudan national Population and Housing Census, MPs were compelled to be in their respective constituencies to sensitize their people on the census.
The assembly quorum was 110 present out of 172 members.
(ST)
YihHon Alewei
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
I have a question here to our Speaker! Is it necessary to hire lawyers or other form of academics from the neighbouring countries while we have people who have finished with the qualifications South Sudan desparately needed?
The speaker have pointed out a very good point in his speech, “what he called a dependency from the neighbouring countries in term of food and everything else! Why he just made that valuable point and put it aside and looked at the other side of the equation! What I don’t know here is the independent departments of the GOSS! If you do have the above mentioned, than I think, there would be no blame from ministery to ministery!
We need many many reforms and decentralisation of power from the top to the bottom end! There will be no progress in the South when we don’t take comments and criticism seriously and learn from them!
How long are we going to dependent on the neighouring countries in regard to all the aspects the speaker has mentioned in his speech! I think South Sudan have a higher number of educated people who can rebuild South Sudan instead of neighbours!
My arguement is, don’t loose ties with South Sudanese who are in diaspora! All of you intellectual who are leading the GOSS including our late Father of the South Dr.Mabor are educated abroad! Why you leave your own seeds that you have planted and keep the dependency theory!
My advise to you is this eventhough am not qualified in any field, you need to set up intership with the Universities in the US, Australia, Canada, UK and Europe where South Sudanese do have students in higer education! In the above mentioned countries, South Sudan have a good number of people who have finished in the higher education, but there is no body ready to employe them in the South!
I think GOSS, you have a big task ahead of you! Take advise from your people around the world and use them to rebuild New Sudan what you have fought for in decades!
The authour of the article is a South Sudanese studying on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
He can be reached by [email protected]
LONE
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
Mr Speaker until when shall we continue to ‘lack qualified’ personnel? It is disheartening to continue losing the meagre resources we have in the country by way of hiring ‘qualified’ personnel from out side. I am afraid the August house is filled with sizable porportion of hand picked old timers whose education in the face of today’s fast moving world is remedial.
kusini09
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
The auditor general was only removed on an unproven allegation. Mr. Wanni Igga, as Speaker of SSLA, when are you going to push the Executive to audit the accounts of GoSS? And when are the accounts of SSLA going to be audited as well? We need to know how our funds are being spent?
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
Great Point Hon:James Wani Igga
Guys don’t believe that what Wani Igga has utter to Goss will be a true opinion,the fact is that most of our brothers and sisters are just in lack of logically analysis of different views.However according to my understanding what Wani Igga has intend to tell Mr president is that,let Mr president Kiir be ware that Southern Sudan has a big shortage of Lawyers and this is going to affect the system of Goveronment in Southern Sudan.Therefore in his point of view there is nothing like bringing some people from other countries to work in Southern Sudan as our own lawyers,it’s just a clue of refreshing mr president that let him get to know that Corruptiona and triblism is increasing in South due to lack of experise lawyers who can deal with South properly.Also we knew that lack of rules always result to poor family,area and country in general.So please be honest in your opinions about this article it is not going happen completely i disagree.just lets understand that this is a right idea because we need to pull out our nation of Southern Sudan from Corruption,triblism,selfishness and etc.Keep the spirit Wani Igga.
In the other hand we as Southerners,we have alot of qualified people across the golb such as in USA,Australia,UK and even within Africa,countries like South Africa and Kenya,but the fact is that most of those people will never come to work in South just because of two major issues low income and insecurity,should mr president put more effort to improve those areas for truth South will get 100% of her people with top knowledge of Drs,lawyers,Teachers,Dentists and many more.Just according to my logically analysis,Southern sudan is not scure in those area,one of the fact is that most of our people who are qualified from USA etc countries are in big debt which was given to them as assistance help for their education and i strongly propose that the salary that be will earn in Southern Sudan Goss will not meet the required range of the repayment,secondly the issue of improper security in South especially the problem of those who killed people like what had happened in Jonglei (in-laws)and the killing of Doctor in Yei,Wildlife Officers in Juba and even around South in general will not be tolerated by some people especially those who are familar with democracy life eg UK.therefore in this point of view,i would like to advice Mr president to deal with the issues of Security in South and this will bring more expertise hands to Southern Sudan development.Just imagine those who keep the bill in their pockets instead of passing it forward,is that how our nation is going to change if we keep relaying on the old knowledge.I hope Wani has done great idea concerning the real future of South.
Akolde Nhiak Jinub
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
Gentlemen,
My pleasure to seeing everyone’s concern on what is going in our South Sudan nation. My brother called Aduoljohk wende Makuek wrote in his article of September 15th 2007, pointing at the so-called Partners in Development directing the our South Sudan parliament of where the problem lies. Our so-called Worldbank Technical Team who came to misappropriate our funds are behind all these delays or none existence of laws and bills. A company hired by USAID called BearingPoint ECA Ltd is sitting on our Bills and laws for strengthening our constitutional structures. Refer to http://www.southsudannation.com website and see therein Mammoth Corruption Among NGOs and Partners in Development: By Aduoljohk W. Makuek 2007. All of you will know where did we go wrong.
We can’t continue importing in what we so-called Foreign experts, some of whom are picked up from the streets, geared at international, regional philosopy of my continent men/women.
They will come and take all the resources in less than six months and export our money out for good. Mr. Speaker, it is a bad idea to seeking foreign legislators to come and do our Bills and Laws. There are two to three bad part of foreign experts, one they will come and legislate to us their countries norms and practices which are not of our need as South Sudanese and Africans.
Two, they will seek to be accommodated in AFEX, Juba Raha, Sunflower, Nile Bridge, Heron and many more camps in Juba which export our money in their baggage without paying fees of services. Mr. Speaker, first check, evaluate what all these NGOs, damn companies, UN and any other so-called Partners are doing before you speak of hiring more salt into the injury.
More in my next article. Keep checking in Southsudannation.com website.
Osorubeng-Beng
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
Mr. Wani,
I am still wondering whether some of these guys are been caged as a result of the crimes they committed including the misused of public funds. You can’t just dismissed criminals or otherwise; It might encourage many others to steal from the government.
Thank you.
Osorubeng-Beng
James Welkerun De Majok
South Sudan parliament only passed 16 bills since 2005
Dear Southern Sudanese Parliament and Legislators, try your level best to promoted your great idea for putting the rightfull system that can allowed all the candidates to pass, but in my request let it be the multi-national system that can attract the peoples to have a good ideological. I actually anticipated for a great change that, parliament will do in the next coming seasonal and Thanks you very Much,