South Sudan – President Kiir addresses joint SPLM Bureau and Caucus in the Council of States
5 min readThe President of the Republic of South Sudan H.E Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit reiterated that the expected new government of the Republic of South Sudan will be formed based on ability and qualifications; not tribal representations.
President Kiir said this when addressing a joint meeting between the members of the SPLM Political Bureau and the Council of the States SPLM Caucus held on the evening of Thursday 4th August, 2011 at the Conference Hall, Presidential Guest House in Juba.
President Kiir congratulated all members of the Council of States for the new post and urged them to work as one body in serving the new nation of South Sudan by sticking to the functions and responsibilities assigned to them. President Kiir said the house is having a lot of challenges for it starts with no infrastructure and references. Nonetheless, he said that the government will support it adequately to enable it to stand.
The President called on the Council of States members to elect its Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the Chief Whip in its first sitting today Friday 5th August, 2011. President Kiir urged the Council of the States members to work hard in order to discourage the culture of idleness among the youth and contribute effectively in implementing the vision of taking towns to the villages.
President Kiir also formally announced to the gathering that the former rebel fighting the Government of Southern Sudan Maj. Gen. Peter Gatdet is the first militia leader to respond to the amnesty he declared during the Independence Day on 9th July, 2011. He said the former rebel is now in Juba. “We welcome him back home to contribute in building the new nation of South Sudan with no conditions”, said the President.
On his part the Speaker of National Legislative Assembly Rt Hon. James Wani Igga highlighted the most important functions and responsibilities of the Council of the States as hereunder:
To enact the laws which interest to the states;
To supervise the national reconstruction projects and programs being carried out by national institutions in the states;
To monitor the implementation of the decentralized systems by the institutions in the states;
To ensure communal harmony among the people in the states;
To approve changes in the states names or capital of states names, and to resolve boundary disputes between the states; and
To carry out any function stipulated in the constitution.
Canon Clement Janda on behalf of the SPLM Caucus in the Council of States appreciated the SPLM leadership, and President Kiir in particular, for welcoming former the members of the Council of the States back home after working for six years in the North. Canon Janda expressed readiness of the SPLM Caucus in the Council to cooperate as one team in serving the new nation of South Sudan.
By Waakhe Simon (AFP) – 3 hours ago
JUBA — South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir on Monday told lawmakers at the opening session of parliament that corruption in the world’s newest nation must be curbed if the country is to succeed.
“The people of South Sudan will not sit idly and allow corruption and abuses of public resources to continue unabated,” he said, adding that for the state to succeed, “we need to abide with the principles of accountability.”
“We must focus on delivery of basic services to meet the great expectation of our people,” Kiir told the gathering of MPs, ministers, diplomats and religious leaders.
“This is only possible if we have a government whose first and last priorities are public interest.”
Kiir said he would ensure that, within its first 100 days, the new government passes “five essential laws to establish full transparency and accountability in the management of our financial resources, natural resources and oil.”
Parliamentary speaker James Wani Igga said the anti-corruption commission, which was established in 2006, but had no powers to prosecute until this year, would now play a key role in tackling graft.
“The anti-corruption commission has been toothless and henceforth it will be kicking and biting. From now onwards, it possesses prosecution powers. It only needs to quickly equip itself with the required and qualified personnel,” he said.
South Sudan, which gained formal independence from the north on July 9, is one of the poorest countries on earth. It was left in ruins after five decades of conflict between southern rebels and successive governments in the north.
The fledgling nation faces a host of daunting challenges, including the rampant corruption Kiir has repeatedly vowed to confront.
Other key objectives, Kiir said, were providing education, which “only a minority of our children in South Sudan have access to,” and turning the Sudan People?s Liberation Army (SPLA) into a national army, with former soldiers being provided with new opportunities.
Literacy rates in the fledgling nation are appalling: the education ministry says 73 percent of the population cannot read or write, and a much higher proportion of women are unable to do so.
Separately, there are serious concerns about human rights abuses committed by the SPLA as it struggles to transform itself from a rebel to a regular force.
Igga, the parliamentary speaker, stressed the need to boost security, especially by disarming former soldiers and removing the many weapons in the region left over from decades of war.
“We must therefore disarm, disarm and disarm, until a woman can work in her farm without fear of rape at gunpoint, and until a trader can open his shop even up to midnight without fear of robbery at gunpoint,” he said.
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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