June 24th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – South Sudan government has said lawmakers at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) should not demand the removal of the minister of finance without giving him the opportunity to do what he is obliged to do.
Last week, lawmakers stormed out of Parliament in Juba and refused to attend a sitting meant for the country’s finance minister, Salvatore Garang, in which he would have presented a draft government annual budget for deliberation.
The boycott was in protest to the delay of civil servant salaries and those of the organized forces. The MPs demanded that the government pay the salaries – which has not been delivered since last year – first before any discussion could be made on the annual government budget.
Speaking to reporters following a weekly cabinet meeting in Juba on Friday, information minister and government spokesman, Michael Makuei, said the lawmakers should not demand the removal of the minister without giving him the opportunity to do his work in order to see if he would not do it as required.
“There is no way you will hang a person, and demand for his removal at the time. You have not given that person the rule of justice required that you should be accorded the opportunity,” Makuei told journalists.
The outspoken minister suspected that there might be other issues involved for the boycott downplaying the significance of the salary delay protested by the lawmakers.
“It seems that there are other issues involved, because people decided to go beyond that question. This is a situation which is not required,” he said.
“The position of the government is that the budget will be presented and the minister of finance should be given the opportunity to respond and give them his plans for the payment of this arrears,” Makuei added.
