Finance minister pushes for Lakes development despite obstacles

By Manyang Mayom

December 3, 2008 (RUMBEK) – The Lakes state tax revenues for 2007 went into private pockets, said the state Minister of Finance, Trade and Industry Philip Marol Mading.

The state budget for this year 2008 is 98 million SDG, 60% of which was used for staff salaries and another 10% for operations for the ministries to buy pens, stationery and textbooks. The remaining 30% is allotted for development of the state such as hospitals and infrastructure, for instance to maintain roads or so that hospitals can buy more drugs. Other expenditures include agricultural spending to boost the local economy.

The Finance ministry is not the only ministry that collects taxes in Lakes state; other collectors include the Ministries of Health and Infrastructure. But the Finance Minister alleged that all these revenues have gone to government or treasuries of government without either ministry reporting their cash.

“Last year’s budget was 100% of taxes has got to pocket and this is where is public money that was supposed to build hospital, school and health care centre,” said the minister before his trip to Juba on Monday at Rumbek airstrip.

He said many people are going to be affected because the government is planning to downsize its staff.

“There is more to be done in the community,” said Mading.

Despite the budget woes, Mading assured that no land had been sold by the government for profit. He indicated that the government of Southern Sudan is taxing a big private hotel and company within Rumbek and the Finance Ministry is only taxing local businessmen in Rumbek and Rumbek town centre is also involved in collecting local taxes within the Rumbek market.

“The 30% for development is very small and I am traveling to Juba to make credit and we are asked by those whom we require credit whether we had wealth, and always we have cows and oil and we promised them to pay them back if we dug out oil later in the nearest future. Our community uses first class bull for dowry despite getting no benefit from it,” said the minister, making a boast of the region’s wealth in cattle.

The road to Maper County in Rumbek north is becoming another headache, Mading said, describing that Rumbek North (Maper) county, which is 75 miles by road from Rumbek centre, needs 70 million US Dollars or 140 million Sudanese pounds to fully complete construction. “This is why I am planning this trip to Juba to launch dialogue with government of Southern Sudan minister of Finance to loan me some funds,” said the minister.

However, the state’s 2009 budget is not yet endorsed by the parliament—but according to the state’s Acting Governor the part of the budget which is already approved by the Executive will be sent directly to Juba.

In 2007 Philip Marol Mading was impeached by Lakes state Legislative Assembly with particular effort from Lakes State Speaker Isaiah Alier Mashinkok, but the governor of Lakes state Lt. General Daniel Awet Akot maintained the minister. In August a crisis erupted again on the same track.

(ST)