Parliament has summoned the national finance minister and the Western Equatoria state governor over unpaid salary arrears for civil servants in the defunct states in Western Equatoria.
During a sitting chaired by Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba on Monday, Richard K. Mulla, an SPLM MP representing Mundri, raised a motion on unpaid salary arrears for civil servants in the defunct states of Amadi, Maridi and Tambura.
According to the lawmaker, civil servants in those areas have gone unpaid for 27 months, from 1st August 2020 to 31st May 2023.
“The republican decree number 14/2020 relieved only the 32 governors and the constitutional post holders of the states but not the civil servants, and consequently, the civil servants were to be integrated into the original state governments of the former 10 states as they stood before the creation of 28 states or 32 states respectively,” he explained.
Mulla said despite recommendations of the integration committee of Western Equatoria State, which was concluded on 22nd December 2022, the governor of Western Equatoria failed to integrate the civil servants from the defunct states into the state government.
“Consequently, the Western Equatoria government has to date failed or refused to pay monthly salaries for the civil servant of the defunct states for 27 months or more, having paid only seven months and since then it is still refusing to pay up to date,” he said.
Mulla claimed that the national ministry of finance has been remitting monthly transfers to all 10 states on a regular basis, inclusive of the budget for the defunct states.
The lawmaker said the salary arrears of the civil servants in the defunct states of Western Equatoria have now accumulated to 813,541,909 SSP.
“Following this inhumane and barbaric act, 17 innocent members of staff of the defunct states have continued to die from hunger, diseases, and distress to date. This situation is extremely serious and miserable and needs urgent rescue,” he stressed.
The lawmaker recommended that President Kiir invoke his powers under Article 165 of the transitional constitution to fire the governor.
Reacting to the motion, Samson Amule, an SPLM-IO MP representing Lainya County in Central Equatoria State, said: “When we look into this house, the current status of TNLA is a house reconstituted as stipulated in the peace agreement. Yes, this motion is very good, it is very important so that the governor comes here and explains, but when we look at the defunct states of Western Equatoria state, I would assume here that the mover of the motion included the number of those staff in the defunct states so that we know the number. When we look at the language he used here, it is completely against the spirit of the peace agreement.”.
Susan Thomas Perembata, an SPLM MP representing Ezo County in Western Equatoria State, said the people of Western Equatoria State have been suffering in different ways under the current leadership.
He called on the parliamentarians to discuss the issue of the salary arrears in the defunct states of Western Equatoria before the general elections.
After lengthy deliberations, Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba endorsed the motion and resolved that Western Equatoria State Governor Alfred Futuyo and National Minister of Finance Bak Barnaba be summoned to answer questions regarding the salary arrears for public servants in the defunct states of Western Equatoria.
When asked by Radio Tamazuj after the sitting about the date set for the two officials to appear before the MPs, John Agany, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Information, said the clerical section of Parliament would send a summon letter to the two officials to appear before the MPs soon.