By Taban Henry
Members of parliament elected in Warrap State are protesting and raising their voice for being excluded from the recent reconstituted transitional State parliament.
The parliamentarians who had been elected by their locals and representing their constituencies in the State parliament talked to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday.
The head of those left out from the State Transitional Legislative Assembly, Mayer Deng Mayer, said that they have unbearably waited and suffered for so long and this is affecting their constituencies.
“We are being bullied and facing unwarranted mistreatment when we have committed no crime against the constituencies that elected us, the party and the leadership of the country. Our constituencies are senselessly being deprived of the services they elected us to offer as the Assembly remains incomplete and waiting to be sworn in, this has created a legislative vacuum,” the MP said.
Honorable Mayer Deng Mayer was represented Gogrial County Constituency in the State parliament before war broke out in the country.
He complained about the unfair treatment against them in the State over their counterparts in Juba.
“It beats logic to see and witness peace being implemented selectively to favour Juba where it is taking full shape and true meaning but gives leverage to a state governor to manipulate. SPLM Juba has given the opportunity to the governor to frame charges against members he does not want,” he stressed.
Deng further said that the governor had never worked and interacted with them in the State to look into the problem.
He said that they were being charged by the State government without a clear reason or notification. He stated that the SPLM Secretary General is new and never worked with the left-out parliamentarian to conclude and permit such a decision.
He disagreed with this decision and said that the charges have no ground and foundation to accrue satisfactory authenticity.
“The truth is that the governor is acting to punish his perceived political enemies while rewarding political allies aiming at personal political development using party and state powers. Hunger punishment is in-humane and an absolute oppressor methodology which must not be condoned,” Hon. Deng stressed.
Deng described their long suffering as a dignified silence, and urged the government to stop the humiliation on them which seems not to end.
“It’s high time for our SPLM chairman and the President to decide and give a direction. We kept quiet for a very long time believing that the leadership would address the grievances appropriately and promptly but all is endless humiliation and suffering,” he said.
“We were the members elected by the 2010 elections and it’s clear that the President did not want the party members that were elected to be affected and the state SPLM chairman has decided to fix other members and leaving out us the elected party members which is not in line with the party rules and regulations,” he added.
In the same way, the MP further said that the governor is expelling some citizens and some members of parliament in Warrap State, citing that a journalist from Radio Miraya was expelled.
In addition, another MP, James Machok a former representative of the geographical constituency No. 19 in the 2010 Warrap State Legislative Assembly stated that, according to the peace agreement, all the elected members are supposed to be considered first and that is why it’s done at Juba level.
The MP further said that what is happening to them is being taken differently in the State, where the governor took an opportunity to do thing as he is pleased which is against the peace agreement and therefore leaving the 17 legislators out.
“The governor bringing in his political allies is not in the interest of the party but in his personal interest, he influenced the SPLM Secretariat to accept his decision. The governor and the secretary are very new and they have no right to level any charges against us. We waited patiently for over 6 months because we love our party and we respect our President. Now it is becoming unbearable,” he said.
Machok further mentioned that the President needs to make a decision on their case and has to confirm whether the governor made a right decision or not.