Bahr el Ghazal parliament calls on Speaker to resign

By Ngor Arol Garang

September 17, 2009 (ABYEI) — Just a day after the speaker of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State legislative assembly, Hon. Angelo Marach Thiik, called for governor’s intervention to solve the three-year financial scandal allegation against him, the 47 members of the house including his deputy today issued statement calling on him to tender in his resignation instead of running away from settling the issue with members.

“Mr. Speaker does not want the issue to be addressed timely hence run away thinking that avoiding locking eyes with members in the assembly as alternative,” said MP Deng Majok by phone from Aweil.

Hon. Deng further added that the speaker has repeatedly avoided sitting together with state parliament members “so understanding is forged being members of the same house”, he commented.

Athian continued to say the house has twice confronted him with non allegiance, partial, genuine complains and evidence of mismanagement of the assembly budget, poor leadership, repeated mistakes, inconsistencies in decisions making among others yet the speaker is not showing signs of readiness to forge understanding with the members.

“He has twice been impeached, thrice asked to resign yet the speaker claim legitimacy, what does the GOSS leadership particularly President General Salva Kiir Mayardit expects members do,” he posed adding it is hard fighting corruption if victims are not brought to books instantly so the rest learns from execution.

A move the Speaker Thiik vowed never to resign from his position describing the move as duo political misfits posing “who should expel me from the house if refuses to tender in his resignation.”

“None of these members is legitimate to pass vote of no confident against me having not be elected when they came into the parliament, all of us were appointed and can only leave the house by presidential decree which appoints and relieves,” he commented by phone from Juba.

“I am returning this week and would appreciate having governor Malong addressing this problems with members this time,” he stressed, adding ready for any lasting solution to avoid recurrent of the same issue.

Marach whose financial scandal allegations against him have covered public attention and most media headlines, further added that SPLM need to have members who are genuinely loyal to the party than having members who rise tall only when anything to do salaries hits their pockets.

“How many times have I encouraged MPs to increase efforts on legislations beneficial to their respected constituencies? How many times have I encouraged them to closely monitor ministers’ activities? How many times have I asked them to stop going public on issues which can be addressed by the house? He posed.

He further reiterated that my problems with legislators have nothing to the leadership competency as being claimed but personal grudges transferred to the house by individual members.

On another development, officials from governor office who requested not to be named, said General Paul Malong Awan Anei; the governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State has expressed readiness to solve three years financial grudges between members and Speaker of the house.

The governor was this morning at the assembly advising the members to at least discuss way forward than keeping the house closed from attending to public affairs, said the official whose name as requested is withheld adding that there are a lot of bills waiting deliberations and endorsement by the house.

(ST)