Lawmakers at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) on Tuesday raised serious concerns about being sidelined from the ongoing National Economic Conference and of lack of recognition during several national events.
Speaking during a regular sitting of the assembly at the Freedom Hall in Juba chaired by First Deputy Speaker Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, Nyayang Johnson Lok Riek, an SPLM woman MP representing Jonglei State’s Uror County, questioned Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mary Nawai Martin as to why during many big government functions, lawmakers are harassed by security personnel and are not recognized.
“At the occasion (economic conference) of yesterday and many other government functions, parliamentarians are treated with disrespect. First of all, we get information in the last hours and some legislators do not receive their invitations and when we come to Freedom Hall, they (security) begin to disrespect us,” she said. “From the gate, they tell us that the cars we drive are not for MPs, they want us to enter with Toyota Landcruiser V8s. You know our situation very well and we do not look like people who have V8s in this parliament. Maybe a few of you may drive V8s and are escorted by a big convoy.”
“Once we enter we do not have specific places for parliamentarians and they just tell you to find a seat and even yesterday our chief whip was standing at the conference,” Johnson added.
She asked the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nawai to raise the protocol predicament with the cabinet affairs minister and have it resolved.
“We are members of parliament and our place should be known at every occasion where we are invited and there should be nametags on the table,” Johnson charged.
Responding to Johnson’s query, Minister Nawai cited the unprofessional behavior of some security personnel who even searched the bags of the cabinet ministers.
“I believe some of those security personnel harass some ministers and MPs without knowing their importance. To me, and according to the law, this (TNLA) is the super house, you are above the executive. I think there is a need for an induction for security organs,” she said. “The people who are putting on black suits and harassing ministers and MPs are security organs. It is not only the MPs alone experiencing this, even some of us (ministers) are told to hand in our bags to be searched.”
“When we tell them we are ministers, they say they have been ordered that everybody should be searched so there is a lot of undermining,” Nawai added.
For his part, First Deputy Speaker Oyet Nathaniel said he noticed some of his lawmakers arguing with security personnel during the economic conference on Monday and called for MPs to be respected as they play their oversight role.
“Yesterday I witnessed the unfair treatment of our members. Right away from the gate, one honorable member was stopped and was arguing with the security and she even came out of her car and was trying to make her point,” he said. “Also, during the proceedings, we realized that some of the invited speakers could not even recognize the parliament. The House was not included in the program yet parliament has oversight over the executive. When you talk about reforms, they first begin as policies that are passed by this house. If they are laws, they are also passed by parliament.”
“If they (reforms and laws) are implemented, they are also supervised by parliament and it was unfortunate that the house was not given a chance to make a speech during the very important function (economic conference) of yesterday,” Oyet added.