The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), a South Sudanese advocacy outfit is calling on the Western Bahr el Ghazal state government to swear in the newly-appointed legislators so that they can pass legislation.
Speaking to Radio Tamazujon Monday, CEPO’s Western Bahr el Ghazal State coordinator Stephen Robo Musa said the MPs are the bridge between the people and the government.
“Ordinary citizens and CEPO in particular, we are really concerned about any delays in the process in the implementation of the peace agreement,” he said. “They should be speedier in the process of swearing in the legislatures so that they can be able to respond to the needs of the general public.”
He adds, “We are urging the immediate swearing-in of the state parliamentarians so that they can start doing their works as stipulated in the peace agreement. We know that the parliamentarians are the voices of the community, they are the peoples’ representative meaning they are coming from the community and they know the issues within the community, they are the people who raise the issues based on the constituencies that they are coming from and they are the people who link the government with the community.”
Robo pointed out that the MPs once sworn in should discuss the return of many refugees and internally displaced persons in camps in and out of the state.
For his part, the state assembly clerk, Romano Alfonse Dulgan, said the delay has been caused by the absence of the speaker who left for Juba after appointments.
“I want to tell the public that the reopening of the assembly has been delayed because, after the announcement of the members, the speaker was invited to Juba. Up to now, the speaker is still in Juba but we hope until he completes the mission he went there for, then the MPs will be informed to come for the swearing-in ceremony,” Alfonse explained.