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JUBA - 25 Jun 2019

MPs threaten to impeach speaker Makana amid salary row

File photo: South Sudan assembly speaker Anthony Lino Makana
File photo: South Sudan assembly speaker Anthony Lino Makana

The pay dispute which has left the legislature and the cabinet at loggerheads took a different twist on Tuesday as some MPs threatened to impeach Speaker Anthony Lino Makana.

South Sudanese lawmakers stormed out of a budget presentation for the 2019/2020 financial year by the finance minister on Thursday last week, citing unpaid salaries for the army and civil servants for the last six months.

There was chaos in the parliament as MPs stopped Finance Minister Salvatore Garang from presenting the budget, forcing speaker Anthony Lino Makana to suspend debate on the new budget.

Dhoruai Mabor Teny, a lawmaker representing Rumbek East County, told Radio Tamazuj this afternoon that they will unite to ensure Speaker Makana is impeached if he allows the finance minister to present the new budget before salaries are paid.

“If the speaker calls for tabling the budget before the payment of salaries, we will impeach him,” he stressed.

“We have united ourselves regardless of our political parties and regions… I am confident of what I am saying and I am talking from the base because our people are suffering,” he said.

“We know that there is money, we know that there is money, but the minister of finance is trying to dodge,” he added.

Mabor, who is also a member of the SPLM party, criticized information minister Michael Makuei for calling on the parliament to allow the finance minister to present the new budget.

“Makuei is not aware of the situation. Our people are suffering while ministers are enjoying,” he said.

He added, “We want to make it clear that there is nothing political in the matter. We are just demanding the interest of the people.”

The lawmaker demanded that the finance minister present last year’s expenditure report.

“They have to pay six months to the army and civil servants before we could listen to the new budget from the finance minister,” he said.

For his part, Paul Yoane Bonju, the head of the parliamentary committee for information, said various caucuses embarked on a series of meetings in a move towards resolving the salary row.

“The sitting was adjourned on Monday because the MPs were busy with meetings of caucuses on how to deliver services to our people,” he said.

The finance minister was due to present a 208.156 billion South Sudanese Pounds budget for 2019/2020 financial year.

South Sudan is struggling to increase oil production, months after the signing of the peace accord in September 2018. Currently it produces 175,000 barrels per day of crude oil.

Last month, the Commissioner General of South Sudan Revenue Authority announced that they collect nearly 4 billion SSP every month.