By Taban Henry
The Interim Secretary General of the ruling SPLM party has raised an alarm over issues of civil servants’ wages saying it might force workers to take legal measures against the government that doesn’t take care of their salaries.
Peter Lam Both the SPLM Interim Secretary General was speaking during the swearing ceremony of the Warrap State SPLM Secretary General Wol Anei Anei at the SPLM House in Juba on Monday.
Peter Lam expressed worry over court repercussion against the government saying people cannot work without salaries
He said it won’t be good for civil servants to work without pay, saying those salaries are contracts signed by the employer and the employee.
“There is something we are fighting, so if we succeed to get money for you the people in the State all the back payments in the next two to three weeks, we would have accomplished something for South Sudan because people cannot work without salaries. Salary is a contract between the employer and the employee. People cannot work without salaries,” Mr. Lam stressed.
The SPLM Interim Secretary General however called on all the SPLM cadres to carefully manage resources.
He said that for now, SPLM National Secretary General is responsible for the appointment of the State secretariats in order to give those who are working in the States freedom to perform their duties, citing that in the past when the SPLM State secretary is appointed by the State Governor sometimes they don’t last long.
“The relieved must be based on evidence, it cannot be done randomly just because my brother is appointed governor so the other person is relieved that is not the reason. The governors will always go but the SPLM secretariat will always be there,” he asserted.
Mr. Lam however stated that the party secretaries in the States are the engines of the party in the States and once you change them time and again you are killing the party without knowing and that’s the reason why they should be appointed from the National Secretariat.
“We want to have stability in the State secretariat, if there is anything I expect is to unite our people and our members must be united and that is the message going across all the state, if there is problem within the party we must reconcile because when you leave and someone is brought you will come and support that person and this how the party family works,” he underscored.
Lam warned members against having groups within the party adding that, that’s how you kill their party.
“Let us forget this nepotism because we have a common objective and our common objective is to organize SPLM to win election, if you’re working against yourself thinking that you will come you will not because it’s a collective effort that will bring you into power. Secondly respect your chairman in the State your appointment here does not mean that you’re a chairperson there in the State, you are there to work with the State chairperson. This day’s respect has become difficult in our country even people who are older than us we don’t respect them anymore, which is not good manners so we have to change the act,” Peter lam advise the cadres.
“If you make proposal share with him as we do share with the chairman here at the national secretariat. You will have the party finance that you need to manage them in appropriate transparent manner. How do you advise the government if the same problems are in the party itself? We must account of what we do,” he further stated.