By Peter Gai Manyuon
November 4, 2013 (SSNA) — Everybody is saying, South Sudan is having Parliament when in real sense, we don’t have a legitimate Assembly in place, we have the building called National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan, but, the people who are there are not representing their constituencies but rather are there for political accommodations from the ruling party. Most of them are there just waiting for their monthly salaries and allowances, which had become a burden to the people of the Republic of South Sudan at this particular period of time.
Ladies and gentlemen in Christ, in South Sudan context there are those that have lost value in them and there are those that have dignity in them know matter the circumstances, however looking at the way our parliamentarians are doing things in the Assembly, you find that, some of them have lost value and dignity within themselves and therefore, nothing is moving well in the National Assembly as we are speaking and moreover the role of parliament is supposed to make laws and orders in every Country worldwide.
We all know that, rule of law and respect for human rights observation had been violated by the both Executive and States Governors in South Sudan that is why some Governors are dismissing speakers who were legally elected by the people. People are being handling based on the village way of solving national agendas in South Sudan.
When you look at the National Assembly and Councils of states, you find that not good issues are discussed people are basing on the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) which had become too ambiguous to the Media and the people of the Republic due to because there is no legitimacy found out from the people who are running the ruling party leadership.
Composition of Members of Parliament
In South Sudan, there are two Assemblies one of which was elected in 2010 using Sudan Electoral Laws not South Sudan Electoral Laws, some people came to the Assembly based on many manipulations, some of whom came through way that is not clear to the civilians who are the voters up to now. That means there were not transparency and legitimacy in the election of 2010 especially the MPs who are now in the National Assembly. Meanwhile President of the Republic of South Sudan appointed some of the MPs to the Council of States Assembly.
Those who came from Khartoum had been considered to be in the Parliament and their main role is to work for the interest of one person which we all know in South Sudan context. How can national issues move when the composition of Parliament is having the big influence from the Executive? And how can we conclude that, we have Independent Legislature when others were appointed by using a decree? Where on earth can Parliamentarians are appointed by the use of decree?
People are having different opinions from the rests. MPs are supposed to represent the voice of the people that they are representing but for the case of South Sudan, things are not going that way, issue are going contrary to the point.
In the autonomous of the Republic of South Sudan, there are many liabilities that are holding public positions without participation that might help the indigenous citizen who are in the grassroots level. Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 to date, there is nothing that had change from the National Assembly in Juba from the time of Comrade James Wani Igga. Most of the Members of Parliamentarians are just getting salaries without raising the motions in one day since the history of the Country after South Sudan gained Independence. Most of them are just dossing when it come to the time of discussing national issues in the National Legislative Assembly.
Interestingly, most of the members of the MPs in the National Assembly, lack good education background, most of them are coming from background of Theology, that mean they have run away from Saving the God the almighty, a very complex issue.
We all know that as per the education context once is supposed to specialize based on his/her interest but for the case of the South Sudan, you find that most people who are in the Assembly most of them are people who were Pastors by then. But the question now is who is going to preach the word of God? Does it mean to them that, they have chosen a wrong career in at that very time?
Conclusively; in South Sudan Legislative Assembly, there are Members of Parliament who were in the house for ten years without raising a motion that can benefits the people of South Sudan, most of them like my Honorable who represent me in the Assembly, never talk one day in the National Assembly, he is there just for survival and moreover people back home have no way of Communications and etcetera.
The author is the Independent Journalist and a prominent Writer of South Sudan News Agency and Juba Monitor Newspaper Juba who wrote extensively on the issues of Democratization in South Sudan. You can contact him through;[email protected]