Executive absence forces South Sudan parliament to delay budget debate

By Isaac Vuni

January 20, 2009 (JUBA) – Parliament has today postponed a vital budget debate in its second reading due to the absence of executive ministers in the hall.

Hon. Peter Bashir Gbandi drew attention to the absence of Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) executives in the House at the time when an important debate on budget was to begin. Only five out of 23 ministers were present and so Gbandi accused the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Martin Elias Lomuro, of failing to adequately inform the executive about a change in the date of the debate.

Confirming this, the minister of finance said that the executives were ready yesterday but were not communicated the new change till morning today.

Hon. El Hag Babala elucidated that over the last three years it has always been the executives who cause a delay in the budget presentation. The Ministry of Finance consequently presents the budget late to the August House and at the same time expects it to pass it without critical scrutiny. Legislators remarked that this time round they will not repeat the same mistakes, even if they are appointees of the ruling SPLM party.

Consequently, Speaker James Wani Igga directed the SPLM caucus to ensure that executives attend the 2009 budget debate.

In another development, GOSS Legislators yesterday strongly condemned the killing of 21 innocent people in Malakal, the capital city of Upper Nile, during the celebration of the fourth signing of the CPA between the ruling NCP party in Khartoum and the SPLM of South Sudan. The violence, which centered on land rights, began with an incident in the stadium, in the presence of President Omar el Bashir and GOSS President Salva Kiir Mayardit among invited diplomats, before later escalating in areas outside the town.

Hon. Wol Atak appealled to legislators to treat the Malakal incident seriously as a national issues rather than reducing it to simple warfare between the ethnic communities of Dinka and Shilluk. Correspondingly, Hon. Dr. Tobyi Madut called on the government of Southern Sudan to immediately initiate a reconciliation and forgiveness conference among the warring communities, who had killed each other during and after the 22-year liberation struggle that ended in 2005.

Legislators also passed condolences to the families who lost their dear loved ones in the incident. The legislators committed ten persons as a select committee of MPs to thoroughly investigate what happened during the national celebration in Malakal. They are: Mathew Mating Deng of Unity, Alfred Barakat Manga of Western Equatoria, Oliver Mori Benjamin of Central Equatoria, Andrew Yodo Makatab of Lakes, Wol Deng Atak of Warrap, Mabior Leek of Jonglei, Deng Thiep Akol of northern Bahr el Ghazal, Peter Longole Kuam of Eastern Equatoria, Veronica Domnic Udu of western Bahar el Ghazal and Jack Dai Deng of Upper Nile.

Concerned that a physical confrontation could erupt in the assembly between representatives of the divided ethnic communities of Upper Nile, Hon. Jimmy Wango Miji called for handling the situation delicately. Meanwhile Hon. Martin Aligo Abe urges Southern Sudanese youth strongly to vote out aging politicians during the coming general national election because they have nothing to offer other than creating killing among young people.

(ST)