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Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan

September 5, 2011 (JUBA)- The Government South Sudan (GoSS) on Monday reiterated its commitment to being a secular state and called for unity among different religious groups.

Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development, John Luk Jok (Sudan Vote)
Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development, John Luk Jok (Sudan Vote)
Minister of justice, John Luk Jok told members of the religious groups on Monday that GoSS and its partners were working to make the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan “available to the general public”.

Jok, addressing employees of the ministry of justice celebrating his appointment and return to the ministry, said the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan separated religion from politics.

“Article 8 (1) of the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan states clearly that religion and state shall be separate. This has been elaborated in paragraph two of the same article eight that all religion shall be treated equally and religion or religious beliefs shall be used for divisive purposes. I am saying this from the bottom of my heart; the government has this stand because it acknowledges the position and importance of religions in contributing to the development of the country,” explained Jok. 

He added that article 23 of the constitution allows for right to worship or assemble in connection with any religion or belief and establish and maintain places of worship and that the government will extend any assistance to religions that request it, without prejudice.

He urged Christians and Muslims in the new country to coexist peacefully and to forward their concerns to the relevant institutions of the government for immediate attention, noting that his government was ready to work with them to ensure better living standards for the people.

Jok also stressed that the judicial system will establish courts run by judges from different religious backgrounds including Muslims, but that “all criminal and civil cases will be handled by the ordinary court and it will have no mandate to institute Islamic or any other religious law.”

He explained that the Law Review Commission would be formed to help advise on legal matters which require review by the government.

(ST)

12 Comments

  • Murle Intellectual
    Murle Intellectual

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    Wrong. You cannot dictate your wrong ideologies and impose them on the people. South Sudan Republic is a Christian country. You are also wrong when you separate religion from politics. You cannot separate the millitary from politics. ANINA KULU FI MURKAB WAHID. South Sudan is not secular, we are Christians. Islam is the terrorists’ religion

    Reply
  • Peter Puoch Ruot
    Peter Puoch Ruot

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    This is what I have been waiting for to hear from ROSS for so long.Congratulation for your new post Hon.Justice Minister Mr.John Luk Joak (in nuer language Not Jok) as many people always misspell it here in the web.I hope south sudan leanrned it basic democracy and capitalism from her true friend USA.Once again congratulation Gatdinay for your new post.

    Long live Jinub! (ROSS)

    Reply
  • kulea
    kulea

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    this is avultures democratic to give too much freedom to everybody including Muslims who are against democratic this is a desaster which is singaling the Country criminals
    Kulea online

    Reply
  • Deng II
    Deng II

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    Jok
    You are so a yes man that do every thing for interest of Kiir. If the country is secular, why didn’t you includes federal system in the constitutional,instead allow Kiir to have right of appointed two parliamentarians house instead each State elect their parliamentarian? The parliamentarians sould be electing by the people, not by the President.

    Reply
  • South Sudan Future Leader
    South Sudan Future Leader

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    didn’t our country fight the civil war to separate ourselves form Islam/Muslims? what bought these Islamic Jihadist to our country? South Sudan is a Christian country not an islamic one. muslims don’t believe in democracy,so i suggest the government to watch out. soon or later they will bring all these Al qaeda and al shabaab to our beutifull country.

    Reply
  • Deng Thiak Adut
    Deng Thiak Adut

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    Last month, Chief Justice Reech was relieved from his duties by the President of the Republic and the particulars leading to his removal were not made public and i doubted that they will be made public. I note that Honourable Luk Jok was silence. I was waiting to hear from you that such allegations (if any at all) do exist and were triable. I have not seen an indictment sheet from your office regarding his removal. His removal is something foreign to many lawyers and the common wisdom of the past stresses that only in rare cases can a Judge be remove from his office. The removal of Chief Justice was wrong and may I suggest to Honourable Mr Luk Jok that Judges need to be to be protected by tenure. Judiciary must be independent from exactive, otherwise citizen will be protected by independent judiciary. They cannnot be remove unless the Judge acted with impropriety or mental imfirmity. If the Chief Justice was in fact suffering from great imfirmity and improriety, then why keeping his misdeed secret from the public? If a person is trusted with public position, he must have the followings:
    (a) integrity and impartiality,
    (b) promoting the public good,
    (c)commitment to the system of government and;
    (d) accountability and transparency.
    Was any of the above breach by CJ Reech?
    I trust that you can reform our judiciary system.
    Kindest regards,
    Deng Adut.

    Reply
  • Deng Dut
    Deng Dut

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    What on earth are our leaders begging for? It’s a big ‘N0’. We are not a secular state, what is the need of being neither cold nor hot? People who are always neutral can be on wrong side of history. You might have stated it in the constitution, but what is the view on the ground? I got no time but my take is ROSS is a Christian Nation,period.

    Reply
  • gotutu
    gotutu

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    TO PUOCH RUOT
    WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY OF NAATH.
    WHEN YOUR USELESS JOHN LUK SAID WHAT IS NOT GOOD TO THE SOUTH SUDANESE YOU SAID CONGRETULATION.ONE TIME YOU WILL SAY HALELUYA TO gods.
    I REGARD NUER PEOPLE AS A BIG HOUSE MADE OF PAPER.
    YOUR HIDENED BEHAVIOURS OF NUER WILL TAKE YOU NOWHERE.
    DEATH TO NYAGETEEN.

    Reply
  • gotutu
    gotutu

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    LOOK HOW WEAK IS THE GOVERNMENT OF ROSS.
    WHY DO KIIR APPOINTED SOMEBODY WHO FAILED THE ELECTION TO THAT HIGH POSITION .
    THAT POST IS FOR THE ELECTED MEMBERS.
    LOOK HOW ABSENT-MINDED IS JOHN LOOK, HE FORGOT THAT LONG CIVIL WAR WAS FOUGHT ACCORDING TO THE RELIGIOUS LINE,
    HIS POOR THINKING LED TO HIS FAILURE DURING THE ELECTION.
    SHAME HIM AND NAATH AT LARGE
    DEATH TO NYAGETEEN.

    Reply
  • Cadaai ?o?
    Cadaai ?o?

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    Historian and Identity Advocacy View:

    South Sudan needs to learn the identities within like: Christian values, Africa Traditional Beliefs Values, Secular values, Social Values, and other Beliefs Values and Non-Beliefs values. Personally, after they have learned those Values, then they have to make a fair judgmets for their citizens.

    Reply
  • Cadaai ?o?
    Cadaai ?o?

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    Peter Ruot

    Historian and Identity Advocacy View:

    I do really appreciate your correction concerning his name.

    That sort of thing, is one of my mssions I always teach to people here. Particularly, those who don’t know the history and identity of many tribes in South Sudan. Like what that person has just did, he wrote the name of a person using wrong-language or dialect base.

    Reply
  • Peter Puoch Ruot
    Peter Puoch Ruot

    Justice Minister reinforces secular nature of South Sudan
    Gotutu

    If you really know the meaning of the word NYAGAT you will not be saying it,because you yourself is making the fool out of you due to the GARANGISM DOCTRINES which infected the whole dinkas community in the south sudan and all over the world too.You can call me Nyagat which is fine to me but your greedness of Dinka is the worse of all.

    Long live V.P Dr.Riek!
    Long live Kirr the lazy one!
    Long live ROSS!

    Reply
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