A member of the Transitional National Legislative (TNLA) has raised a complaint about cabinet ministers not attending parliamentary sittings even when they are summoned by the house.
Paul Yoane Bonju, an SPLM lawmaker who represents Yei River County, on Tuesday, said the ministers avoid appearing before parliament and do not present reports but prefer to go to the TNLA’s upper house, the Council of States.
“My question to the minister of parliamentary affairs is why are ministers evading the parliament when it is the body that gives them money? When they liquidate the money it is difficult for them to come and report back. I want to know why the ministers evading the parliament,” he charged. “We have some long-serving ministers in our cabinet and surprisingly you do not see them bringing any report (to parliament) and this raises a number of questions. I would like the minister of parliamentary affairs to update this house.”
According to Bonju, ministers only prefer to report cabinet even when they return from foreign travels.
“Hon. Speaker, if you follow social media, especially the if you follow the information ministry, the ministers are very comfortable presenting whatsoever they have, particularly when they travel outside, to the Council of Ministers,” he said.
Responding to Bonju, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mary Nawai Martin said it is the right of the lawmakers to know the performance of ministers and summon them whenever necessary.
“It is your right to know their performance through their reports and I am sure ministers present their reports in their respective committees. You have full rights to summon a minister to come and give his or her report in the plenary,” she said. “The ministers not attending the sittings, we have developed the schedules for all of them because this government is divided into clusters. Those who have their cluster meetings on Mondays are supposed to attend meetings on Tuesdays and those who have their cluster meetings on Tuesdays are supposed to attend the meetings on Wednesday or Monday.”
“I have been passing the information to the ministers,” Minister Nawai said.