Ruling SPLM blames ‘confused’ governors over delay in state governments’ formation

JUBA – South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit has blamed state governors it describes as confused over the continued delay of the formation of state and local governments hours after the rival SPLM-IO urged the SPLM-led government to form the governments.

Earlier on Thursday, SPLM-IO Director of Information and Public Relations Puok Both Baluang deplored the continued delay and urged the ruling SPLM party to speed up selection of its nominees for various states government positions to allow for timely formation of the states and local levels.

Some analysts and activists have also accused the ruling party of intentionally hampering efforts to get the state governments ready. Some have also attributed the delay in feuding between Kiir and vice-president Taban Deng Gai who has reportedly requested at least 20% of the positions allocated to the former ITGONU at all levels of government.

However, SPLM spokesman Peter Lam Both dashed all those speculations and instead attributed the delay to confusions among governors who apparently don’t know the portfolios allocated to each party by the revitalized peace agreement.

“The formation of the state government is delaying, not because of any policy or any system, but it is just because the governors are confused,” Lam said in an interview with Juba-based Eye Radio.

“They go and take percentages that are not theirs, so when they return, we keep sending them back because they have not done a good job,” he added.