By Bida Elly David
A civil society activist has criticized the government for giving fifteen thousand United State Dollars (15,000$) to the members of the parliament as medical allowance while the Country is in total condition of suffering.
This criticism came following approval of medical allowance to the members of the parliament that rose the attention of some civil servants and citizens who were concern with the medical status of the citizens across the Country.
Recently, reports from concerned citizens indicated that public hospitals have turned to sell medicines to patients instead of rendering free medication. They reiterated that doctors and medical officers from most government hospitals complained of continuous drug shortage while a specific budget has been allocated for health services across the Country.
According to them, the recent approval of the medical allowance for the members of the parliament was a clear indication of destroying the health sector and disregarding the health of the common citizens.
Speaking to No.1Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday, Edmund Yakani, the executive director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization slammed the government for failing to invest that money into the health sector to benefit the majority citizens.
“It is really very disappointing to see members of the parliament being given a sum of $15,000 as a medical allowance while the Country’s health sector and salaries of civil servants are low. This money given to individuals who are also going for very expensive treatment is not beneficial to the nation and beneficial to individuals,” he said.
He said that the lump sum money approved for the parliamentarians would have served to improve medical services for the entire citizens.
“If that money could be invested in the health sector of the Country, it could have improved the sector to benefit everybody, the members of the parliament themselves, including the common citizens”
“The members of the parliament could have taken responsibility because they are lawmakers. If lawmakers can have better access to income than the common citizens, it is something disappointing and not acceptable,” the activist echoed.
He further applauded the citizens who blasted the government and the legislators for having failed to work for the nation but for individual benefits.
“When the civil servants say they are disappointed, they have the right to say so because we wish everyone to see the best for the nation but not only best for the individuals.”
“Civil servants have got full rights to complain about the lump sum money given to the parliamentarians as medical allowances while the nation is facing medical turmoil,” he said.
Yakani stressed that the parliamentarians would have fought a fight for the civil financial services rather than fighting for themselves.
At the same note, he pointed out concerns over the on-going clashes at Fashoda resulting to continuous displacement of many people leaving thousand souls vanished in the land.
He said that the conflicting parties of Kitgwang and Agwelek should prepare for accountability for having made many lives lost in Fashoda.
He said that the violence between the duo was a sponsored war by individuals in power
“The clashes between Gatwich and Olony are a clear sponsored war. That violence is not a violence to meet political objective but the matter of individual fighting over the control of resources and political influence. And that is being sponsored by individuals who are actually in power in Juba,” he measured.
However, he suggested that the president of the republic should take this as a personal responsibility to ensure that the two conflicting parties commit themselves to total cease fire.