South Sudan lawmaker proposes plan to clear 10-month salary arrears

JUBA – A South Sudanese lawmaker in the country’s transitional parliament has proposed a bold plan to clear 10 months of unpaid salaries for civil servants, organized forces, and constitutional post holders.

South Sudan’s civil servants last received salaries in September 2023. Diplomats have gone unpaid for nearly 41 months. Changkuoth Reath, chair of the Specialized Committee on Finance and Economic Planning, suggested redirecting oil and non-oil revenues to settle the arrears.

“I am suggesting and requesting this August House to direct the minister and SSRA/commissioner general to allocate SSRA collection into the government salary account,” Reath said.

He further proposed suspending the cabinet resolution that allocates Nile Blend Crude oil for infrastructure development and instead redirecting it to clear the wages backlog.

Reth revealed that the monthly wage bill for civil servants stands at SSP 85 billion, according to the Ministry of Finance and Planning. The South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) collects over SSP 40 billion from non-oil revenues, which covers almost half of the monthly wage budget.

The Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) also contributes between $44 million and $47 million monthly, enough to cover salaries.

“This implies that both SSRA and Nile Blend Crude Oil are sufficient to pay the entire wage bill monthly, keep the government operational, and slowly clear the entire arrears for government salaries and foreign missions, which have accumulated for almost 10 months,” he explained.

Reath’s proposal was described as a temporary solution until a more sustainable plan could be found to reallocate the 20,000 barrels per day for infrastructure projects.

However, First Deputy Speaker Oyet Nathaniel Pierieno warned that the proposal has financial implications and should be discussed with the executive.

“The statement is valid, but any proposal with financial implications requires dialogue between the August House and the executive,” Oyet said.

He referred to Article 89 of the constitution, which stipulates that no member of the National Legislative Assembly can introduce any financial bill or amendment affecting public revenue without the prior consent of the National Council of Ministers.

Oyet emphasized that while MPs are allowed to introduce financial proposals, “the exception or limitation is that you need the cooperation of the executive.”

The statement was referred to the committee on finance and planning and the committee on legislation and justice for further consultation with the finance minister.