Lakes state passes interim constitution amid MP boycott ArticleComments (0). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 29, 2011 (RUMBEK) - Lakes state’s parliament passed its long awaited interim constitution on Monday despite some lawmakers boycotting the session. Lakes state Assembly Speaker John Marik Makur. 29 Nov. 2011 (Manyang Mayom for Sudan Tribune)Marial Amuom Malek the MP for Aluak-ALuak and Geer payam [districts] told Sudan Tribune he walked out of parliament in protest against the procedures, the lack of legal experts to guide discussions and the "self interest" of some the decisions. He said that some of the laws were passed due to "self interest instead of public interest", adding that some official appointments had been imposed on the assembly and this was affecting the performance of the parliament. Marial said there was also controversy over who should chair the first sitting of the transformed assembly. According to the sub-article [2], he said, the oldest member of the parliament should chair the first meeting, not the incumbent speaker. His second point of discontent was the process to elect the speaker and chairpersons of specialised committees and the appointment of the assembly’s clerk. He said that he and others in South Sudan had fought the Khartoum regime for over 20 years to prevent laws being forced upon people in an undemocratic way so he was disappointed by the way the Lakes state parliament had acted. Ater Jeremiah Telar the MP for Abang constituency in Yirol West County said he had boycotted the session was to demonstrate to the public what was wrong with the state’s interim constitution. He said that this was the second mistake Lakes state had committed following the customary law that he said victimised the youth of the state. The speaker of Lakes state’s assembly, John Marik Makur, objected to the boycott saying that the MPs had walked out as part of a power struggle to get committee positions. Makur claimed that the MPs who walked out were fighting to get top seats in the parliament but the constitution had been passed by a simple majority on Tuesday evening. He acknowledged that some members were not happy that he chaired the session and not an elderly MP, as it was the first session of the new sitting. However this procedure was voted against by the assembly, he said. However, Marik said he recognised MPs had the write to boycott the assembly but called for representatives to harmonise their grievances and work for justice. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" 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/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
