By Jacob Onuha Nelson
Executive Director for the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) Ter Manyang has urged the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to repeal the National Security Service (NSS) Act.
On 3 July 2024, the parliament passed the Bill retaining the NSS powers in article 54 and 55 to arrest and detain.
After being approved by parliament recently, the NSS Bill has sparked a heated public discussion due to the fact that the parliament has maintained the authority to make arrests as outlined in Articles 54 and 55 of the NSS Act, 2014. This means NSS can arrest and hold anyone, with or without a warrant.
In an exclusive phone interview with this outlet on Friday, Manyang said the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs had to submit the National Security Service (NSS) Act to the Council of Ministers for repeal, in line with prior commitments made during the 8th Governors’ Forum in 2024.
“You know, first of all, in this national security bill, it was agreed during the eight-governors forum for that one to be repeal” Manyang said.
He emphasized that both the Ministry and the Council of Ministers should honor this agreement to ensure a more open and democratic environment ahead of the upcoming general elections.
“So now there’s two ways that the minister is taking it to the council of ministers or if they haven’t seen which side of the position will be strong, they supposed to challenge the court of the law. So those are the only two ways. In order for us to know, to enjoy our space. Because these issues might not get to me, they will become a threat to everybody. Whether you’re a politician, you are not a politician, you know, it affects all of us,” Manyang Expressed.
He expressed that for south Sudanese to hold credible, fair and peaceful elections, they should ensure that civic and political spaces are open to Nationals freely before and after elections.
“And when we talk about elections, we mean now is free and we don’t need any permission from anybody. The south Sudanese need to exercise their freedom of expression, the people need to exercise their rights, their freedom based on the constitution of the South Sudan,” Manyang added.