EES Parliament Resumes As Legislatures Reject Crucial Clauses On South Sudan Draft Constitution After a 3 months recess, Eastern Equatoria State Assembly, EESA finally reopened on Monday 13th this week. The Legislatures promised to maintain peace in the State as they resentfully debated on crucial clauses in the South Sudan Draft Constitution.16 June 2011 EES Legislatures critically study the proposed South Sudan constitution in Torit [©Gurtong]By Peter Lokale Nakimangole TORIT, 16th June, 2011 [Gurtong] - After a 3 months recess, Eastern Equatoria State Assembly, EESA finally reopened on Monday 13th this week. The Legislatures promised to maintain peace in the State as they resentfully debated on crucial clauses in the South Sudan Draft Constitution.
During the opening session on Monday, the State Governor, Louis Lobong Lojore called for unity among South Sudanese adding that it was important for southerners to continue forgiving each other as they prepare to usher in a new nation. Governor Lobong admitted that there were numerous challenges that would face the new South Sudan but was optimistic in resolving them as a nation. He assured the house that organized forces had been deployed to hotspots while all conflicts in the State had been effectively settled. According to him, the Government had set up different peace and reconciliation oriented committees to mitigate conflicts among warring communities in the State. Lobong also said that his State was committed to ensure that public funds and property were managed appropriately by ensuring those who embezzle public funds were apprehended. A joint committee was formed for the public service to handle promotions and appointment of civil servants based on merits. The disclosed that among other achievements, his government had improved various road networks and rehabilitation of bridges, fair allocation and regular supply of drugs to State run and Counties health facilities, initiation of Ngaluma gravity water in Ikwoto County, and successful construction of Kapoeta electrification plant which is currently operational. The House Speaker, Emmanuel Ambrose Ocholimoi told the House that while they were on recess, he managed to issue a number of provisional orders together with the cabinet ministers in collaboration with Business Committee of the Assembly, ABC; citing provisional orders on Land & Public utilities tax 2011, Water, Environmental sanitation & Hygiene promotion 2011 and an order on Tourism Tariffs. The President of High Court in Eastern Equatoria State Mrs. Sumeya Saleh seriously advised the State Lawmakers to embark in reviewing and passing necessary bills that impact on the people’s socio-economic welfare. She urged them to prioritize fundamental bills which aim at addressing people’s needs while citing a faith-based bill that would allow civil society organizations like religious groups to apply for national funds to enable them run programs and help the needy. “You are privileged to represent your people in the respective constituencies. This does not mean you are here to sit back and enjoy yourselves; you are required to offer maximum support to them in return,” The president told the Legislators during the opening session. The High Court president also reminded the house that it was very important for the Judiciary and Parliament including the Executive to cooperate. According to her, in order to ensure promotion of good governance, the rule of law and human rights, Saleh recommended that, “it is necessary to have a State strategy on good practice, governing relations between the Executive, Parliament and the Judiciary.” Justice Saleh affirmed, “We should all of us necessitate each other by seeking principles that ensures tolerate each other. These sisterly branches, Legislative, Judicial and the Executive, must always have the confidence of their people by being transparent during deliberations and accountability decisions. She warned that the State -wide legal institutions shall favour nor fear no one while dealing with the top management, including the premiers, when handling cases filed against them. Saleh took office late March this year after her counterpart; Justice Charles Oyoo was transferred to Upper Nile State following a judicial reshuffle. Key clauses in the South Sudan draft constitution debated After a thorough study by the joint committee drawing its members from the Legislature, Executive and State Civil Society groups, Eastern Equatoria State has rejected and in the same time amending some selected key clauses in the South Sudan’s draft constitution as announced by the advisor to the State Government on Political Affairs, Hon. Alphonse Muras Chacha. Speaking to Gurtong on Friday the 10th of June in Torit, Hon. Muras said that having critically studied the document, a clause which states that the president of the Republic South Sudan shall be empowered to remove State Governors and dissolve the Assembly and replace it with new appointees saw the Assembly members bitterly express dissatisfaction prompting the formation of a parliamentary committee which made amendments and recommendations then sent to the drafting committee in Juba for consideration. Quoting article 101 of the constitution on powers of the president, the Political Advisor recommended that, “an elected Governor should not be removed by the president, except by impeachment of the State Legislative Assembly.” In his opinion, Hon. Muras recommended that the clause needed an immediate deletion since the State Assembly was competent to impeach an elected Governor. “The president should only be given powers to recommend for the removal of a State Governor to the State Legislative Assembly which may reject or endorse based on charges.” The Advisor also highlighted some of the clauses which the State had already recommended like the Police Force deployments & State Police Commissioner’s appointment to be the responsibility of the State in addition to customs revenue collection management. Hon. Muras protested that since the State Governors were democratically elected by their constituents, the president of the Republic of South Sudan had no powers to remove or replace them; the same applied to the Members of Parliament. “Removing these officials through presidential orders contradicts the spirit of democracy we have been talking about.” He insisted. Speaking last Saturday during the graduation ceremony of 36 Local Government Administrative officers at the Catholic Diocese of Torit, the State Deputy Governor, Nartisio Loluke Manir who is also the Local Government Minister criticized some clauses in the draft South Sudan constitution where authority to deploy police officers and appointment of the Police Commissioner in the State were vested on the President. He recommended that, “The appointment of the State Commissioner of Police should be done by the State Governor in consultation with my ministry.” Posted in: Home, Governance, Parliaments -- 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.
