By Philip Buda Ladu
The Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) has finally passed the long awaited amended political parties Act 2012 (Amendment) Bill 2022 on Monday after thorough deliberation through all procedural processes.
The August House deliberated on the Political Parties Amendment Bill 2022 on Monday during Assembly’s Ordinary Sitting No. 9/2022. The amended Act is a very important Bill that South Sudan has been waiting for after the agreement and yesterday it was extensively discussed by majority members of the assembly in attendance.
Dr. James Mabor Gathkuoth the chairperson of the Justice and Legislation Committee at the National Assembly presented his committee’s report on the Political Parties Act 2012 (Amendment) Bill 2022 at the third and final reading stages to the parliament.
Mabor presented his committee’s observations and recommendations into the Bill, which was welcomed by the August House and later deliberated further by the lawmakers interjecting in their views and observation.
John Aganny Deng, the chairperson of Information Committee at the (R-TNLA) told reporters after the sitting that during the deliberation on the subject there emerged some controversial issues between the number of registration of the voters across all the 10 States and the 3 Administrative Areas.
People were divided along the line that the parties should be given chance to have 300 membership registration for all 10 States or at least the 2/3 which is amounting to 7 States of the 10 States plus the 3 Administrative area.
The information chairperson however said the problem was in fact very small because registration number of voters is always what qualifies the party to kick off its activities.
Majority of the National Legislative membership however came to the conclusion that the official registration number will be 500 in each State and Administrative Areas and that will qualify each and every party to be eligible for registration.
“Finally it has been already concluded and now South Sudan with the Revitalized Peace Agreement has acknowledged that we have an Act which has already been amended and we will from today onwards, we will be having that Political Parties Act 2022” Hon. Aganny affirmed.
John Aganny applauded the Rt. Hon. Speaker for her work in coordinating the sittings citing that most membership of the assembly are happy because the Political Parties amendment Bill 2022 has finally been passed, congratulating the national assembly.
“We have come to this conclusion and as a matter of fact there are a lot of Bills which are waiting us and tomorrow definitely the sitting will continue to tackle some of the lying Bills which one of them was ready, tomorrow (today) we will come back again to deliberate on them” Aganny acknowledge the workload ahead of the parliament.
“This Political Parties Act definitely will give a ground to a political pluralism, you know without having an Act which is guiding, a nation it will be in dilemma that the nation will make a very small choice maybe a very minimal choice but if you have a law which is guiding you definitely your activities will be official and more less each and everybody will go according to the choices which they have” he said.
Aganny noted that with the passing of the Act there are so many privileges and rights that will from now forth give chances that citizens are free to join any political party that they feel its meeting their interest as South Sudanese.