Residents in Yei River State have accused their representatives both in the state and national legislative assemblies of failing to restore peace in the area.
The complaints follow a significant increase in fighting in the Yei area between government and rebel forces. Residents have complained of arbitrary arrests and there have been reports of dead bodies surfacing in the Yei river. Recently, the UN says it was blocked from doing patrols in the area.
“These current MPs are just representing their own families and eating government money without doing anything to their constituencies,” according to Hakim Bosco, a resident in the area. “All the MPs were quite to speak to the people since the outbreak of the conflict in Juba in 2013,”
However, Paul Yoani Bonju, a representative of Yei River County at the National Parliament said they could not move to their constituencies to inform the people over presence of insecurity in the area.
Bonju said that he is concerned over the killing of the civilians using panagas and people who have been dumped into the river in cold blood. He added that he has presented the suffering of Yei to the Vice President James Wani Igga.
“We have paid a courtesy visit to the President and the Vice President and said that the people of Yei are in urgent need for protection from brutal killings and need humanitarian support to end their suffering,” Bonju said.
Responding on the issue of eating the people’s money, he said officials are depending on their salaries and sitting allowances in the parliament to sustain their families.
But resident Moses Daula said the MPs are in the parliament to protect their seats and are toothless.
“If they represent their people, why can’t they summon the relevant security players to stop these unnecessary killings and suffering?” he asked.
Meanwhile Joseph Boboya said he did not know that he has an MP in the state parliament.
“They are just nothing but eating money leaving their own people to suffer and being killed like animals,” he said.
Boboya blamed the lawmakers for being quiet without using the local media and other forums to speak to their own people in the community.
“We are not seeing these MPs unless when they hear that the governor, the vice president and the president are coming to their areas, and they will surface claiming to their bosses that they are representing their people”