The Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly (RTNLA) on Wednesday sent back three provisional orders which were supposed to be tabled by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Ruben Madol to the latter’s ministry saying that their time had constitutionally elapsed.
The provisional orders which include Disarmament of Civilian Population Provisional Order 2020, National Public Health Provisional Order 2020, and Cybercrime and Computer Misuse Provisional Order 2021 were issued by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
The provisional orders were based on Article 86 (1) of the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan which provides that when parliament is on recess, the president can issue a provisional order that has the force of law in urgent matters.
The three provisional orders were ordered by the president in 2020 and 2021 before the parliament was reconstituted.
Addressing the press after Wednesday’s sitting, the chairperson of the RTNLA’s information committee, John Agany, the house found that the time for orders has elapsed and referred them back to the justice ministry which will bring them to the house as bills.
“The orders which were adjourned yesterday were brought back again to the parliament to be tabled by the justice minister but as deliberations went on, the house saw that it was too late to table them to the committees concerned,” he said. “So, the house resolved that they go back to the justice ministry for scrutiny, redrafting and to be brought back to the parliament as full bills.”
“So, in fact, the bills have not been rejected but their time has overlapped,” Agany added.
He said Justice Minister Madol accepted parliament’s decision and promise to work on and table them soon.
RJMEC report
Agany also said parliamentarians listened to the presentation of the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) report on the current status of the implementation of the peace agreement.
“The interim chairperson of RJMEC came to report for the first time and the report is a review of the peace agreement and the road map passed some months ago,” he said. “The RJMEC also reiterated that the national parliament has been doing a lot of good work. We have been passing a lot of bills and RJMEC is happy about it.”
Agany noted RJMEC urged the parties and the unity government to expedite sections of the peace agreement where implementation is slow.