South Sudan MPs Are Job Defenders Not People’s Representatives

Lojur Molu

Juba, South Sudan.

May 13, 2015(Nyamilepedia) — These present so called MPs when they were campaigning during the election time they very much lied to their constituencies claiming that they were going to represent the problems of their constituencies and bring developmental activities to their people. Others gave empty promises which up to now they have not been able to fulfill. They have only been able to fulfill their self interest in the parliament.

It is now very clear that the South Sudan members of parliament have become job defenders rather than true representatives of the people who elected them to parliament.

What the MPs only know is that being an MP is an employment where they only wait to sign for their monthly salaries without knowing the roles they were elected for.

Because the MPs do not know their roles they have always been manipulated by the president and the ministers. Whenever bills are prepared by the ministers or president and tabled before the parliament to be passed, they always endorse without questioning the contents of the bill. They were either forced or threatened by the president to pass any bill brought to the parliament. One example is the security bill, extension of the government rule by three years and many others bills enforced on the MPs to pass.

This has made the national parliament as a rubber stamp that always stamps any document presented to them for stamping without even reading and questioning its contents.

Worst of it the recent NGO bill authored by the ministry of Justice to regulate the operations of humanitarian agencies was passed on 12/5/2015 according to Sudan tribune by 188 members out of 300 MPs. This means 112 MPs did not attend the parliamentary session to pass the NGO bill. Congratulations for those mindful MPs who did not attend the session to pass the bill.

President Kiir had earlier warned the MPs to pass the NGO bill regulating their activities in the country and as a result indeed the MPs passed the bill within 2o minutes discussion on the bill. What on earth or in which parliament in the countries in the world that can pass a very controversial bill within only 20 minutes discussion???.

Do the MPs really know how to read or do they have time to read documents presented to them to discuss?

If the document was passed within 20 minutes of its presentation, how much time did the MPs take to study the document?

On several occasions president Kiir had told the MPs to defend their jobs because if he is not there the MPs will lose their jobs too.

They were always threatened that if they don’t dance to the tune of the president they would be sacked from their jobs. Indeed they have to dance to the tune of the president always in order to defend and protect their jobs.

The question one has ask is, are the MPs there in the parliament to defend their jobs or represent their people?

If so the MPs should have been appointed by the president so that the people can know clearly that they are not people’s representatives but appointees of the government who always say yes to their bosses.

If I were the MPs it will better they resign as representatives of the people rather than to accept defending their Jobs in the parliament and leaving their people to suffer because of the failed policies of the government.

It is unbelievable that when the MPs sat to discuss the motion about extending the government period for 3 years no single MP voted against with the exception of the opposition party MPs. So the MPs had to vote for extension of their jobs too. This shows clearly that they are job defenders who protect their jobs at the expenses of their people. Shame on these selfish MPs of south Sudan parliament.

Since the MPs went to parliament they have never met the expectations of their constituencies but they only brought doom to their people.

The MPs have always remained tied lipped and could not condemn the atrocities carried out against the innocent Nuer civilians in Juba. They cannot condemn the ongoing killings and disappearances of innocent civilians in Juba and other regions under the hands of the government security agents.

What is the future of these MPs in the rubber stamp parliament?

It is not always healthy to yes to your boss even though the thing is wrong. This will indicate that you are not a capable representative who can differentiate between the good and the wrong.

I am therefore appealing to the citizens of South Sudan in general so that when the next elections come after the transition period they should not again vote for these job defenders MPs who have let their people down and only think of their bellies. They are non performers and shame on them.

We need a new generation of true MPs well educated who can really represent their people and meet the aspirations of their constituencies.

God bless South Sudan.

The author can be reached at cry.southsudan@gmail.com