Lakes state lawmakers off for three-month recess
September 9, 2015 (RUMBEK) – Lawmakers in South Sudan’s Lakes state assembly have broken off for a recess period that will last for at least three months.
49 lawmakers, mainly from the ruling party (SPLM) make up the state assembly.
During recess, the lawmakers are expected to inform their constituents on importance of peace as opposed to revenge killings.
“Peace and reconciliation will disconnect all cycles of inter-communal violence [and this] will top the 90 days recess,” said Takpiny.
“Advocacy for good governance will be the focus of everyone in the rural village as well as in the rural town,” stressed the speaker.
Meanwhile the head of parliament’s specialised committee, Helena Nyibol Magorbok, said that speaker and lawmakers were pushing for payments accrued to formerly detained lawmakers, Marik Nanga Marik and Isaac Makur Buoc Apac. The two MPs spent 303 days in a secret prison minus salaries until their release on 22 August.
The two formerly detained lawmakers were released without any charges after South Sudan President Salva Kiir intervened in the case.
Meanwhile, Lakes state lawmakers rejected a proposal, which could have seen Rumbek town upgraded into a municipal city council.
“The house rejected the proposal of a city council because it had more loopholes. We needed to get data on Rumbek town. We need to know why state ministers demanded for city council”, said Nyibol.
Lakes state has been blighted by cattle raiding since South Sudan’s independence in July 2011 and continues to be locked in a cycle of inter-clan revenge clashes.
(ST)