Deputy parliament speaker says dismissing MPs with presidential decrees ‘illegal’

JUBA – The first deputy speaker of South Sudan’s Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) Oyet Nathaniel has said that President Salva Kiir’s removal of lawmaker bide a presidential decree last week is a violation of the revitalized peace agreement.

In a Republican Decree readout on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on October 27, President Kiir revoked the appointment of MP Dharuai Mabor Teny who was representing Rumbek East in the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) on the ticket of the opposition National Agenda alliance.

Though the South Sudanese head of state did not give reasons for sacking, several South Sudanese social media activists took to Facebook and Twitter to condemn the presidential decision as a backstabbing of young people in the country and a violation of the revitalized peace agreement Kiir signed with opposition groups in September 2018.

“We are informed that he has been removed by presidential decree, this is similar to a violation of our code of conduct, a violation to our constitution. Article 63.1 outlines grounds for removing an honourable Member of Parliament. Yes, Members of Parliament were indeed appointed according to the revitalized agreement but the procedure for members of parliament is not upright revocation by a presidential decree or by executive order is by due process,” Oyet said, according to City Review.

“These are the only grounds for removing or loss of membership, any other procedure used whether by executive orders or by any other means is illegal and inconsistent with the provision of the constitution. Therefore, since it is inconsistent with the provision of the constitution, it is also null and void,” Oyet added.