An Assessment of the so-called Governors’ Forum
By Malith Alier, Juba
The Office of the President (OP) spends millions of money each year on a forum known as the Governors’ Forum. The Governors’ Forum is a gathering of the ten States Governors to discuss “relevant” matters that affect their respective states and in relation to the central government in Juba. The OP organises this forum since 2011.The fourth Governors’ Forum in a row kicked off yesterday at Freedom Hall in Juba.
The roads leading to Freedom Hall were littered with soldiers from the army and the police to protect VIPs attending the gathering. It is like previous gatherings were some main roads are temporarily closed for security reasons. This is usually done as a matter of precaution because South Sudan is not a haven for terrorists like al Qaeda or Boko Haram. The nearest to home terror group is al Shabab which mostly operates in Somalia and Kenya. That is just a side ditch for your consumption.
The Governors’ Forum was and continues to be a well intentioned forum for this country with a decentralised regime. The existence of National, State and County Governments meant that a forum such as this, acts to bring those levels of government together to discuss matters of governance in a single arena. This is also the case in other nations with such arrangements such as federal systems of governance. It is therefore, appropriate for South Sudan to have such forum.
The OP was right to initiate such a forum. However, there are concerns with the phrase “Governors Forum” and also with what is under discussion since 2011.
The phrase “Governors Forum” does not bring out clearly the meaning and the arrangement in which various levels of government participate. It’s not only the Governors of the ten states who participate in that forum but also the OP and other national ministers and even some county Commissioners and parliamentarians from states and National Legislative Assembly. There participate also the other areas Administrators like the Pibor and Abyei. This is where the problem lies and therefore, makes the discussion a talkfest.
Some of the governors expressed lack of follow up on the past forums. Governor of Warrap in particular expressed to the media non compliance to the previous resolutions. This is true. The citizens witnessed the past forum but nothing tangible was so far achieved in the history of such forum. If my memory failed me, anyone can correct it.
There exists a presidential advisor on decentralisation and intergovernmental linkages. This is where the so-called “Governors’ Forum” should have been modelled on. Simply put, the forum should be renamed “Inter-Governmental Forum/Board” because it involves all levels of the decentralised government. The gathering should be upgraded from its parochial to broader perspective that includes every. The ten Governors feel that the forum is solely theirs and tend to think in narrow way.
The other thing is, what has the forum achieved in its four year history? Evidence suggests that nothing this country should be proud of for putting money on the forum. The Governors, because of their narrow approach tend to push for their state interests to leaving the rest of the country behind. They mostly dwelled on further budgetary allocations even in 2014 where war is raging in many parts of the country.
Over the past two days, no governor or other participants talked about federalism, power sharing or the predicted famine. These are the pressing issues under the spotlight. Don’t tell me that the theme for this year’s forum is “National Reconciliation to Restore Peace, Unity and Reconstruction.” Reconciliation and reconstruction are far way like cupids in the sky.
The Governors’ Forum will continue to be a talkfest if not renamed Inter-Governmental Forum or Board. The Forum is broader than just governors of the ten states. It includes other emerging administrations and even the central government. So, the OP should be open-minded.
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