Members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) in the Eastern Equatoria State Transitional Legislative Assembly have intensified calls for swift resolutions to pressing matters issues including the expeditious passage of the state’s 2023/24 budget.
The lawmakers also demanded that the previous budget be accounted for before they break for recess.
Hon. Visor Likale Olum, a prominent SPLM-IO legislator, expressed his mounting frustration about unresolved issues in the House.
“Instead of sitting indoors, I was expecting the government to have an extraordinary sitting to finish those sensitive issues. One of them is the issue of the budget for 2023-2024. The second is the issue of the policy statement of the ministries for the 2023-2024 financial year. The third is the progressive report that we demanded. He charged. “We did not finish the recess report from the counties. Except for Magwi and Lafon, the six counties are not done. Unfortunately, the state is afraid to fund legislators’ extraordinary sitting. That is very bad because these things are very important.”
He further expressed discontent with the handling of budgetary issues.
“When we end up asking for progressive reports, ministers do not turn up and resolutions are not implemented and it seems the executive is taking over from the government,” Olum said. “They do not listen to what the parliament directs them to do or implement what parliament says.”
SPLM-IO lawmakers urged Governor Louis Lobong Lojore to allocate funds for additional sittings so that the state parliament can address the new budget, as they have already completed the 36 sittings scheduled by the Assembly Business Committee.
For his part, Vitale Ofire Rafael, the SPLM-IO Chief Whip in the Eastern Equatoria State Transitional Legislative Assembly, raised concerns about the non-payment of state civil servants’ salary arrears from last year’s budget amounting to SSP 750 million.
“There is rampant looting of state resources. Up to now, the state assembly does not know how much money is being collected monthly by the revenue authority, including from Personal Income Tax. All those are serving the personal interests of the commissioner of the revenue authority, who is the wife of the governor,” he charged. “Under the state minister of finance and the governor, 15 ministries, the assembly, and commissions lost almost SSP 3.6 billion, including the 386 million SSP budget of the assembly, which has not been released by the minister of finance and the governor despite our request.”
Meanwhile, James Natabu, another opposition member of parliament, said that the state ministers do not appear in parliament even when summoned.
“We passed last year’s budget with only two months left and we allocated funds to activities of ministries. However, till now, we have not received the progressive report,” he said. “So the ministers are dodging us. When we summon them, ministers are dodging. It seems they have not received the budget which is why they are fearing.”
As of Wednesday 20 September 2023, the Eastern Equatoria State lawmakers have completed 36 sittings in three months and they are still awaiting communication from the speaker regarding the official closing for recess.
Numerous attempts to reach Speaker Severino Maira Janus for comment were unsuccessful.