A member of the South Sudanese National Assembly says that three million pounds allocated for foreign visits by members of parliament is unaccounted for, and he has called on the leadership of the parliament to explain.
MP Zacharia Matur Makuer from Lakes State told journalists in Juba today, “I raised a motion on issues which are not clear in the house… one area was the whereabouts of three million which was allocated for foreign visits.”
Matur said the missing funds were part of a supplementary budget allocation passed earlier this year as part of information activities linked to the war effort.
“We passed 29 million – 26 million was allocated for MPs to go to their constituencies to mobilize the public about the current situation in the country as a result of the coup – 3 million was allocated for foreign visits to explain to our friends in foreign countries about the political situation and also the attempted coup in our country.”
He explained further, “So when we went to our constituencies and we came back the foreign visits were not organized. So as my right as an MP I asked the leadership, ‘Who has taken three million’?”
The MP’s information request has been controversial. First, he was asked by his fellow members of the Lakes State caucus to withdraw his motion. Then he was asked by the Speaker of the Assembly to apologize. Lastly, a member of the parliament asked journalists to delete recordings of the MP’s remarks.
Speaker of the Assembly Manasseh Magok Rhundial denied stealing any money: “Of the deliberations, somebody got up, an MP giving a form of information. This information went as far as allegations were given that amount of 3 million and so forth and so forth… I had nothing to do with that money.”
“It was in the committee of the foreign affairs. I had nothing – I cannot reach it… where do I take the money in this assembly?” said Manasseh. “I’d better resign if I’m called a thief… I can never be a thief here.”
He also called on MP Zacharia to apologize to him for making accusations: “He will come and apologize, so I will call you when he apologizes.”
But Zacharia says he has not accused anybody of taking the money. “I am not accusing my Speaker, I am not accusing any other people in this House, but I am trying to find out where is the money.”
According to the Speaker, the party chief whip Tulio Odongi has been asked to intervene to help manage the situation.
Meanwhile, the head of the parliament’s security committee, Samuel Duwar Deng asked journalists not to cover the issue: “[the recording] you have done with the honorable member with regard to that motion he has done, I want you to delete out.”
“We have a regulation in the parliament. When you want to make interview, it has to be made known what kind of interview… A member cannot come and call the press outside,” he claimed.
But MP Zacharia emphasized, “I’m not going to apologize because this is my right. Even on Monday when there is a sitting I will ask, ‘Who has taken that money?’ I will still continue to ask.”