Warrap parliament votes to remove state governor

By Ngor Arol Garang

September 29, 2011 (JUBA) – More than 40 members of Warrap State Legislative Assembly (WSLA) said on Thursday they are determined to remove state governor Nyandeng Malek, from her gubernatorial position.

The lawmakers made the statement during series interviews with Sudan Tribune on Thursday, two days after the local officials said the house attempted to impeach governor during a vote on Monday.

“The struggle for good leadership, democracy and social justice is not an easy task. It is a struggle much more than making electoral promises,” Deng Mayom Akeen, member of WSLA, told Sudan Tribune.

Akeen confirmed an attempt by the house to impeach Malek on Monday which failed because the Speaker of the House claimed he was instructed by South Sudan’s vice president, Riek Machar, to stop the house from voting, if insecurity was one of the reasons why they wanted to remove her.

Machar was quick to refute the claim on Wednesday, saying he was only inquiring about what was happening in the state and that he had not called for the vote to halted.

James Machok Deng a member of WSLA told Sudan Tribune that the speaker abrogated constitutional and parliamentary rules applicable when a motion on anything is moved.

“There are certain parliamentary and constitutional procedures which are followed when a motion is tabled. These requirements and procedures, which include first and second readings prior to deliberating details of the motion, before the voting takes place, were not followed simply because the speaker claimed he was instructed by the Vice President to cancel the voting,” said Macok.

Macok said the voting was conducted hurriedly, in order to deny the participation of other members of the house who were not in the hall at the time when the motion was being tabled, because they knew deliberations would first take place before the actual voting exercise.

Ariec Mayar Ariec, an member of WSLA said members of the public were disappointed when they received information that Machar had instructed the speaker to cancel the motion of no confidence against the governor and that the absence of some voters meant that the percentage required for an impeachment had not be attained.

Ariec said Machar scuppered the impeachment because the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, who is a native of Warrap state, has refused requests to remove Taban Deng Gai, the governor of Machar’s home state – Unity.

Ariec claimed that it was an act of “political revenge” on Machar’s part.

He said there are eleven charges against Malek, including: failure to preserve the security of the state; the absence of a policy statement outlining her programmes; denying the prevalence of hunger in the state and not reporting it to central government, which resulted in an unnecessary loss of life; failure to establishment fiscal and monitoring commission provided for in the state constitution; allegations that she awards contracts to individuals without seeking approval of the assembly; initiation of bills which operate in the state as laws, without seeking approval of the assembly; and a lack of transparency and accountability in her administration.

Achol Chier Rehan, a minister of parliamentary affairs in the state told Sudan Tribune that he refuted all the charges brought against Malek and questioned legality of the constitution quoted by members of the assembly to move a motion of no confidence against the her.

Rehan claimed that the interim constitution cited by those wishing to impeach Malek is flawed as it is not compatible with the new national interim constitution.

Rehan also claimed that the charges laid against Malek are insufficient to warrant her removal from office. She explained that insecurity is a national problem which “can not be politicised” and that “people have died of disease. They did not die of hunger.”

Rehan recounted some of Malek’s achievements during office such as the construction of the state house and an increased level of school enrolment.

Warrap is one of the states which the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) identified as facing a severe food crisis. This came following reports by the state parliament that more 358 people, mostly returnees from Khartoum, have died of hunger-related problems in a camp near the state capital.

A parliamentary committee formed to investigate concluded that the deaths were due to lack of food.

In July Reverend Amet Amet Kuol, chairperson of the state’s peace and reconciliation committee, corroborated the claims.

Malek attributed the deaths to inadequate health facilities.

(ST)