By Yang Ater Yang
Lake’s state legislative assembly listened on the presentation of bill on State’s customary laws and public order. The Speaker of the revitalized transitional legislative assembly in the State, Madam Agum Jacob Chagai, said the bill was earlier passed by council of ministers in their extraordinary meeting in last months.
In statement to the media after the Monday’s sitting, the speaker said that the state assembly has received the bill on lakes state customary laws and public order document that contains fifty-six (56) laws presented by the minister of local government and law enforcement agency.
The Speaker stated that it was her first time to receive laws made by Lakes state government, to discuss and pass to become Lakes state’s laws.
Notably, Madam Agum Chagai said that Lakes state MPs have formed 21 committee members entrusted to scrutinize the bill on customary laws and public order, and given three weeks only to return the bill to the parliament.
She however, urged the selected committee to commit themselves and read the laws carefully as the laws which will guide all the people of state.
Meanwhile, Lake’s state minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agency, Chol Kuotwel Manhom said the citizens of Lakes State have been searching for peace for more than a decade, saying it was frequently frustrated by armed criminals throughout.
He stated that although the previous administration did try their best to mitigate the rate of crimes, it was always very difficult to reach any genuine and durable peace.
The minister said governor of Lakes state Gen. Rin Tueny called for a conference to seek views of all stakeholders including parliamentarians both at national and state to come up with ways and means to combat crimes and restore the lost glory of the people of Lakes state.
He mentioned that last year on 28th August 2021 people of Lakes state deliberated and endorsed 60 resolutions derived from the previous conferences to empower governor and his administration to deal with surging communal conflicts and restore peace and security in the state.
“As a matter of urgency government of Lakes state was urged to put these resolutions into action to curb crimes and create an environment necessary for dialogues and reconciliation, the result was a success story Lakes state is now rated the most peaceful state and we are therefore obligated to transform these resolutions into law as people’s representatives,” the minister said.
Minister Chol Kuotwel Manhom stated that State’s council of ministers in their extraordinary meeting number 4 vide resolutions number 5 and merged the customary law Act 2021 with the resolutions of stakeholders’ consultative conference to become Lakes state customary law and public order bill 2022.
He said that it was basically an amendment to customary law which the State’s assembly enacted twelve years ago.
“The efforts of renewing the image of the peace of Lakes have begun and I would like to thank the August House for standing firm behind our governor and citizens of Lakes state.
The minister called on the members of parliament to enrich the bill as generational law that will guide how Lake’s people should be governed. “I therefore move that, the Bill tittle “Lakes State Customary Law and Public Order Bill 2022,” he said.