President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Thursday said the spiky altered Political Party Act deadlock will now be referred to Presidency desk to deliberate on the opposition’s concerns and come out with consensus.
President Kiir made this promise during a meeting with delegation from Transitional National Legislative Assembly led by Speaker Jema Nunu Kumba to clarify how the Bill was passed and the way forward on the complaints raised by SPLM-IO Parliamentary Caucus.
Speaker Jema clarified to the President that the August House had smoothly deliberated on Political Party’ Bill in translucent way and was passed but was later rejected by SPLM-IO Members in Parliament.
On Monday this week, a section of lawmakers from Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) have been boycotting Parliamentary sessions echoing that the recently passed Bill was tampered with.
The opposing legislators declared that they will continue to boycott sittings till their concerns are sorted out, this development came after specialized committee on Legislation and Justice in the Transitional Legislative Assembly (TNLA) adopted the Political Party’s Bill, 2012, as amended bill 2022 on May 30, 2022.
After he was briefed on what transpired during the political party’s amendment bill, 2022, President Kiir directed that the issue will be transferred and discussed at the level of Presidency.
“President Salva Kiir Mayardit directed that, the issue will be raised at the level of Presidency meeting in order to resolve the issue and the way forward,” read partly the statement published on the official Presidential page.
Addressing the media after meeting, Speaker Kumba said, she sees no reason why SPLM-IO Parliamentary Caucus boycotts the parliamentary sittings, asserting that the debate was done in transparent manner were majority passed the Bill.
“I appeal to the members of SPLM-IO, that we are all here to implement the Revitalized Peace Agreement, and if there are issues, we should work together and resolve them and move forward in order to bring peace and stability to the people of South Sudan,” Kumba noted.
She urged the members of transitional National Legislative Assembly to wait for presidency meeting outcomes since the matter is now been referred to be discussed at presidency level.
On 2nd June, members from other Political Parties (OPP) to revitalized peace agreement have objected to the amendment of Political Parties Act that was passed.
In the mouth of both SPLM-IO Chief Whip Farouk Gatkuoth Kam and OPP representative, Albino Akol Atak said that “we strongly object to the ruling made by the speaker of TNLA contrary to the spirit and text of the peace agreement”.
They said, they criticized the strategy of picking 14 members from one party (SPLM-IG) over the numbers of other political parties only six members to deliberate on such a critical Bill, hence consensus in decision making was undermined.
“Point of argument is the bill’s cancellation of section 7.3 (a) which increases the number of eligible voters required for political party registration from 300 originally adopted by NCAC, to now 500 members from at least two-third of states”.
Another dissatisfaction point were the bill’s elimination of the principle of diversity by deleting the right of minorities and marginalized group outlined in Art 1.18.9, 1.4.4, 1.4.5, 1.4.6 and 1.4.11.
In his earlier response to the parties’ petition, The Chairperson of TNLA’S Information Committee and Member of SPLM, John Agany denied the accusation made and maintained that the judgment was objective.
Agany added that the parties are wrongly accusing the Speaker “the only body to deliberate are the members of parliament, and when they agree then the Speaker cannot alter it. So, the Speaker was only pronouncing what the house had already passed.” Agany told the City Review earlier.
Meanwhile, after making decision on the amended bill, Jemma Nunu Kumba asked all members to retain their unity as representatives of the people, adding that Political part’s bill should not divide them as the leave chamber.