The Unity State Legislative Assembly has not conducted any official business for the last year since 20 December 2023 due to multiple challenges, according to officials.
Stephen Mawich Kai, the chairperson of the information committee in Unity State Legislative Assembly, confirmed the delay in the reopening of the House after recess due to several trials including, but not limited to, lack of finances, challenges in transporting members from their respective areas, poor roads, flooding, and the removal of Former Governor Dr. Joseph Monytuil.
The legislator revealed to this publication that the speaker and the House’s leadership met Governor Riek Bim Top to discuss the budget for reopening the parliament. He also said that the money for the recess of 2024 will be paid soon to the lawmakers.
“Our parliament delayed operating due to those challenges I mentioned, and this time around, we are going to resume our duties as soon as possible,” he said. “The parliament will reopen in two weeks after the governor returns from Juba.”
Dr. Riek Koang, a civil society activist in Unity State, urged the leadership of parliament to resume business and provide services to the state’s communities.
“There are many challenges in the state that need to be addressed by the assembly, like the recent outbreak of cholera that killed over 300 people across the Unity State, including our national MP, who died when he decided to visit the state for the first time since the outbreak of conflict in 2013,” he said. “The executive cannot work without the legislative assembly because things like development will not go well.”
Dr. Koang added: “We condemned the delay in reopening the state parliament.”
Meanwhile, a resident of Unity State, Kueth Tut Kuol, said it is inconceivable that the state parliament has had no sitting for the last year. Yet, they should be addressing challenges being faced by the common people.
“It is very unfortunate that our parliament has spent one full year without sitting. As citizens of this state, we always ask ourselves why the parliament is not working, and there is no right answer from the MPs who went on recess,” he said. “I think there are things that need to be presented by the leadership of parliament, such as cholera, floods, lack of clean water, and development projects, and all these challenges need to be addressed.”
A resident of Mayiendit County, Nyakuma Kueth, said it is as if they do not have legislators representing them because they have never visited the constituency.
“The situation is like we do not have MPs representing us in the Unity State Legislative Assembly because there is no single day that they have come to us here in Mayiendit County,” she charged. “The reason why we are saying that the parliament is not doing their work is because they do not present the challenges that affect us, the residents of Unity State.”
For his part, Taban Mose Kai, a resident of Rubkona County, said the parliamentarians were not appointed to serve the communities but to fight for the interests of their parties.
“It is now very clear that our MPs saying that they are representing us in parliament is not true. Otherwise, they would not have taken one year without sitting and conducting business,” he stated.