A Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) member has slammed Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba for removing the Finance and Planning Committee Chairperson Changkuoth Bichiock from his position.
Juma Zackariah Deng, representing Jur River County, Western Bahr el-Ghazal State, on SPLM-IO ticket, termed the move a violation of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
Kumba on Wednesday removed Bichiock from his position and appointed him the Chairperson of Energy and Dams Committee. Michael Johnson Ayuen was appointed the new chair of the Finance and Economic Planning Committee.
Kumba also appointed Nyadictor Bapiny Monytuil the Chairperson of the Defense and Veteran Affairs Committee.
Ayuen and Monytuil are members of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).
“What the Speaker did by removing the Finance and Planning Committee Chairperson is a coup against the agreement. Both SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG have their quotas,” Deng said.
Deng attributed the changes to Bichiock’s call to parliament to suspend the allocation of oil revenues to infrastructure projects and channel the funds to the civil servants’ salaries and wages.
“She did that because the Chairperson of Finance presented a report last month asking parliament to stop paying for roads because he was aware that there was no road even from Juba to Bahr el- Ghazal,” Deng said.
“There is an audit report for the Juba Bahr el-Ghazal road, but the information is missing. The report is not just for the Juba Bahr el-Ghazal road, but others as well,” he added.