Abraham Gum Makuac, governor of South Sudan’s Gogrial State, denied on Sunday that he has appointed his cabinet without consultations with communities and ruling party officials in the area. He stressed that President Salva Kiir has approved his choices for his government.
“I have heard people claim that I have appointed cabinet ministers, advisors and county commissioners without consultation. They also questioned the criteria of creating counties. I want to make this very clear and I hope you in the media will help me convey this message as it is to the people of Gogrial who reads what is reported in the media about I have formed the cabinet and creation of counties,” said Gum on Sunday.
“I did not do anything alone. I consulted with different communities, SPLM secretariat here in Kuacjok, Juba and our president and his leadership and they approved the names of the cabinet ministers and the number of counties to be created.”
“I visited Juba more than twice after my appointment as the governor of Gogrial and if you have been following, you must have seen my visit and meetings with his Excellency the President of the Republic, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, on South Sudan Television. In all these visits and meeting, I always come out and make statements to inform the people of Gogrial and general public about what we have discussed with the president and what he had said.”
“The president approved 13 counties; he approved the names of the cabinet ministers and advisors I presented to him. There was nothing I did alone,” explained Gum in an interview on Sunday.
He denied that he played any role in the selection of the speaker of parliament and the selection of leadership of the assembly.
“The speaker is elected by members of parliament. I am not a member of parliament and the speaker is not appointed by the governor,” said Gum. “Those who claim I have instructed some of their colleagues to vote for the speaker should provide a proof of what they are saying,” he added.
Critics in the area say that Gum appointed many members of the cabinet and county commissioners from his clan, as well as relatives of business tycoons in the area.
Gogrial State is one of 28 states created by President Salva Kiir by decree but challenged as unconstitutional by a coalition of opposition parties. The country’s constitution says that there are only 10 states.
Monitors of the peace agreement have called the creation of the 28 states a “violation” of the peace agreement. Salva Kiir says the 28 states are the demand of the people.
File photo: Governor Abraham Gum