South Sudan lawmakers furious over ministers’ failure to honor summons

JUBA – Members of South Sudan’s Reconstituted Transitional National Assembly (R-TNLA) are furious that ministers in the revitalized unity government are stalling and undermining the work of parliament by failing to honor summons to answer questions on devastating floods.

Last month, the national assembly summoned eight ministers and two chairpersons from the independent commissions to the August House to answer questions regarding ravaging floods.

They include the minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, the minister of environment and forestry, the minister of finance and planning, the minister of interior, the minister of health, and the minister of petroleum.

Those ministers, according to Paul Yoane Bonju, the designated chairperson of information committee in the parliament, failed to show up, except for the chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation Commission Dr. Manasse Lomole Waya.

“The sitting has been adjourned although it looks premature we have to admit that most ministers who were summoned did not appear with exception of the chairperson for Relief and Rehabilitation Commission Dr, Manasseh Lomole Waya,” Bonju told reporters after Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting in Juba was adjourned.

“The summon is going to be resubmitted to these ministries and I believe once it reaches that within a few weeks they will appear and testify to what their ministries are doing regarding the issue of floods to minimize the suffering of our people in Upper Nile, Unity, and Jonglei, and many others,” Bonju added.

Bonju said the parliament will take measures against the ministers of the evaded appearing in August House three times.

“We always operate within the laws and regulations 85 stated that if a minister is summoned three times and failed to appear before August House, it is referred to as a contempt to the house and then the house will take necessary measures,”

He said the parliament in near future will impeach ministers who might defile summon

“I believe maybe in future or in short term some of these ministers if they are going to continue dragging their feet evading appear parliamentary summons, I sure one day that is going to run into article or regulations 83 which talks about impeachment,” he said.

“Most likely if they are going to continue dragging their feet and not attending as you have seen the mood of members of the parliament, they want to see ministers and want to hear from the ministers but the ministers didn’t appear,” he added.