Lawmakers banned from using phones in chamber

JUBA – Members of the Central Equatoria State Legislative Assembly have been banned from using mobile phones during proceedings in the house.

The decision was announced by Speaker Peter Wani Kulang on Wednesday during a plenary sitting.

“I would like to tell all of us, honorable members of this August House, that from today onward all the devices, the telephone are not needed in the August House here,” Kulang said.

He explained that the move was intended to minimize distractions during parliamentary sessions.

“This is in accordance with our conduct of business regulation. All the devices and the telephone are not allowed to be here – so I ask the protocol to make sure all telephones are out of the House,” he added.

Members of the assembly have often been seen using their phones during plenary sessions, which has been criticized as disruptive.

Morris Andrea Lupes, Deputy Chairperson of the Specialized Committee for Information at the Assembly, welcomed the ban. He said that the use of phones during sessions was distracting and hindered the assembly’s work.

“The speaker has the right to ban that because sometimes when honorable members are deliberating on some burning issues, we expect calls, so these calls may disturb the session which is not right,” Lupe said.

He suggested that MPs leave their phones in their offices or with the assembly’s protocol staff before entering the chamber.

“As the procedure in the conduct of business it is not allowed for members to enter during the sittings with phones,” he added.