By Philip Buda Ladu
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has on Monday tabled the long-awaited Social Insurance Fund Bill 2022 to the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) for deliberations and enactment into Law.
The Bill has taken almost a year since its draft was first deliberated and passed by the Council of Ministers through Resolution No.6/2022 in mid-January 2021.
Minister Ruben Madol Arol who tabled the Bill on Monday 9th May 2022 said, the purpose of the bill is to establish the Social Insurance Scheme for the private sector and the Non-Governmental Organizations.
“In light of the foregoing I hereby respectfully submit the Social Insurance Fund Bill 2022 to You after its approval by the Council of Ministers in its Resolution No.6/2021 in its Regular Meeting No.2/2021 held on Friday 15th January 2021 for your deliberations and enactment,” Justice Madol told lawmakers.
The Bill is in conformity with constitutional legal and political guiding principles, objectives and ideals in the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflicts in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) 2018 and the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan 2011 as amended.
Justice Minister stated that the Bill was drafted in accordance with provision of Article 52 read together with the provision of Schedule (A) paragraph 36 of the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan as amended. The Bill has fifteen (15) chapters.
However, the Chairperson the parliamentary specialized Committee of Information, Communication, Technology and Postal Service, John Agany Deng said that, it is important for the country to have Social Insurance for each and every South Sudanese, so that their activities are regulated.
“If we don’t have that law young people won’t have spaces to work because the old ones will still cling on and it will be their own right because there is no law advising them to leave and for that matter it will be gaps for the youth,” the lawmaker underlined.
Agany Deng said that Social Insurance Fund Bill once enacted into law will be very important to help in specifying which age should begin to work and which age should stop.
“It will be very good for all of us to have that law so that you know when you are 65 years old you are no longer a working class. Yes, if you are strong enough you can join the private sector basically and you can be working there as a casual worker or maybe you can be seconded there as a consultant and for that matter you can continue to enjoy the work though you are pensionable. So, the problem here is that there must be a law in place so that people are well informed about it,” Agany stressed.
Although, after tabling the Bill the 1st Deputy Speaker of the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) Rt. Hon. Speaker Oyet Nathaniel committed the Social Insurance Fund Bill 2022 to the Specialized Committee for Justice and Legal Affairs at the R-TNLA for scrutiny and they are expected to report back to the assembly after 14 working days.
On the same note, the National Minister of Culture, Museums and National Heritage, Dr. Nadia Arop Dudi also presented to the August House the draft Bill on the National Policy for Culture and Heritage after it was passed last year by the Council of Ministers via Resolution No.83/2021in its regular meeting No.17/2021 held in November 2021.