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Sudan Tribune

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W. Bahr el Ghazal says new cabinet will represent local ethnic diversity

August 8, 2013 (JUBA) – Western Bahr el Ghazal state will reduce the size of its cabinet from 14 to 8 ministers after South Sudan president Salva Kiir recently decreased his own cabinet in a major reshuffle.

250px-western_bahr_el_ghazal_map.svg.pngGovernor Rizik Zachariah Hassan said that the new cabinet will represent the ethnic diversity of the north western border state.

“I briefed the house already when i delivered the policy statement of the state government. I told the house that the new cabinet will be reduced to 8 cabinet ministers in line with the directive of the president but I told them (MPs) that the cabinet I will try as much as possible to ensure the new cabinet reflect the ethnic diversity of our people”, the governor told Sudan Tribune on Thursday from Wau, the capital of the state.

Rizik said over the last few years, the changing needs and priorities of the state had resulted in the gradual increase to 14 ministers. He however said it was now time for service delivery, considering South Sudan’s current economic situation.

“A part from being a response to the directive by the president, there was a general feeling from our people that the cabinet size and number of the specialised committee in the State Legislative Assembly should be reduced”, he stressed.

The governor further said his decision to reduce his cabinet was prompted by heated debates involving various stakeholders, including women, youth and politicians.

He pledged that his administration would channel the money saved from the cuts the budget to improve the standard of living in the state by ensuring that more health centres, schools and roads are built.

Wilson Ochalla, a native of Western Bahr el Ghazal in Juba expressed doubts over whether the cuts will actually result in more development projects due to the inefficiency of the state government.

“The idea is good because the increase which was made in the past was not for the purpose of wanting to enhance efficiency or specific governance needs, but merely to create dockets and rooms for individuals or to placate political and ethnic interest”, Ochalla said in an interview.

This was not done by creating specific units to handle new tasks and priorities, but simply hiving off existing government departments and turning them into fully fledged ministries and commissions, he added.

PRESIDENT APPEALS

South Sudan’s Kiir, last week, presented his new cabinet structure to South Sudan’s 10 state governors, asking them to emulate him and downsize their own administrations at the state level.

The reduction in the country’s large cabinet size, he told the governors, was to ensure more money is channeled to support development projects.

The president, at the meeting, also called for more cooperation among the state governors and federal ministers to enable effective delivery of basic services to citizens.

(ST)

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