Elected lawmaker Bor Gatwech demands explanation after Kiir refused to reinstate him

JUBA – South Sudan lawmaker Bor Gatwech is demanding answers from President Salva Kiir Mayardit after the later didn’t reinstate him back to parliament on Saturday evening when the president reinstated at least 35 elected lawmakers  who missed out during the reconstitution of the national assembly in May.

Bor is one of the initial 170 lawmakers who were elected by the citizens during the 2010 elections. In 2013, he rebelled against the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to fight alongside Dr. Riek Machar Teny, then rebel leader and current First Vice President of the world’s youngest country.

In 2016, following the return of Machar to Juba, he was reinstated to parliament as per the 2015 peace agreement which provided for the reinstatement of elected lawmakers and extension of the transitional national legislative assembly to 400 lawmakers.

Following the resurgence of the conflict in 2016 after the infamous presidential palace fighting, Gatwech decided to stay with Taban Deng Dai who would then become the first vice president in the aftermath of the expulsion of Machar from Juba following a 4-day fighting that killed over 1000 soldiers from both sides.

He stayed in the parliament until May 2021 when President Salva Kiir reconstituted the parliament as per the revitalized peace agreement signed in 2016 which provides for the extension of the transitional assembly from 400 to 550.

However, when President Kiir reappointed lawmakers for the reconstituted parliament, Gatwech – along with at least 40 elected lawmakers – was not reappointed into parliament and this, sources said, resulted into disagreements within the ruling SPLM party.

Kiir on Saturday revoked the appointment of at least 35 lawmakers and reinstated 35 members of parliament who were popularly elected during the 2010 elections. Gatwech was not however reappointed.

In reaction, the lawmaker demanded answers from Kiir because all of his colleagues who were elected alongside him were reappointed into parliament that evening and he said he don’t see any reason why he would be left out again.

“This is to inform the people of Greater Maiwut, those who elected me to the National Assembly , and the people of South Sudan that today, in a Presidential decree, the President has reinstated all the once replaced elected Members of National Assembly except m,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“This was a shock to me in the spirit of peace. I don’t see the reason why I could be excluded by the SPLM leadership from the government given that I was elected like all those reinstated MPS,” he continued, before concluding: “I hope the SPLM leadership clarifies the matter to me.”