Will Juba be the Capital City? The GOSS Minister for Investment has revealed that a constitutional mandate is hindering the decision if Juba should be the Capital of South Sudan or three other choices on list.02 March 2011 H.E Oyay Deng Ajak briefing the press in Juba. [©Gurtong] By Waakhe Simon Wudu
JUBA, 2nd March, 2011 [Gurtong] - During a press briefing in Juba, the GOSS Minister for Investment H.E Oyay Deng Ajak who is also chairing the committee on the GOSS Capital Decision said that they have suggested four options for the capital alongside Juba. Oyay said that according the two constitutions of Southern Sudan and Central Equatoria State have stated that Juba in which the two-State Governments and GOSS are in currently, should remain the capital city. The minister said, “After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement-CPA, in the constitution of Southern Sudan, it was indicated that Juba shall remain the Capital City of Southern Sudan.” “It also states in the constitution of Central Equatoria State that Juba shall remain the Capital City of Central Equatoria,” Oyay added. In his recommendation, the minister said that it was an obstacle in reaching a decision as to where exactly the capital of GOSS should be placed. “So now this is where the problem arises. Here in Juba we are having two governments,” said the Minister. He said the first option was to relocate the government of Central Equatoria State-CES and leave Juba as the seat of power for the GOSS. In the second option, communities in CES are to identify and give GOSS a new location East of the Nile to build the capital or alternatively GOSS any other location suitable for a capital in their State. The fourth option is to relocate the capital city of the GOSS to Ramciel- an area as suggested during the civil war by the leadership of Late Dr. John Garang De Mabior. It is amidst the three regions of Greater Equatoria, Upper Nile and Bar El Ghazal which is considered as the geographic centre of the new country. However, the committee met with the top leadership of CES; the Governor and his Deputy, the Parliamentary Speaker and his Deputy and the state’s council of Ministers for legal consultations. The Minister said the committee exhaustively discussed with the state leadership and is waiting for a report after its deliberation. The Minister further explained that, this is not the first time the government is consulting with the Central Equatoria state over the capital. He reported that a committee under the chairmanship of H.E. John Luk Jok engaged the state in 2006 on the issue of relocating CES’s Capital out of Juba but was fruitless. The minister reiterated that Juba, in its current status, is unplanned, disorganized and congested. Some developments have been shelved because there is no land to build. For instance, there are many consulates which would like to build embassies in Juba but they cannot because there is no space in the city. Gen. Oyay said that regardless of where the city will be located, the government is keen to building a modern city which is suitable for a new nation that will officially be recognized by July 2011. The Committee plans to visit Ramciel this week for survey and consultations as a possible choice for the capital. Posted in: Home, Governance -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
