By Bida Elly David
Another parliamentary row is in the making at the national assembly as opposition lawmakers especially from the SPLM-IO were accused of being behind the recent impeachment trigger against the speaker of R-TNLA over corruption and mismanagement.
The descending voice countering speaker Nunu’s impeachment stance came during yesterday’s sitting of the august house to listen to presentation of three bills presented by the minister of justice for house scrutiny.
It should however be recalled that in early June 2022, SPLM-IO lawmakers at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly declared boycott of house sitting after the parliament passed the political parties bill amendment Bill 2022 that they alleged was passed in the favour of the SPLM-IG majority in parliament.
The opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary businesses for about two months including sittings of official functions and business of committees in parliament. Of which the issue was brought to rest by the two principals.
Briefing journalists shortly after yesterday’s sitting, John Agany Deng, an SPLM MP and chairperson of the information committee at the R-TNLA who is the parliamentary spokesperson said lawmakers from the SPLM-IO were key people behind the accusation against the speaker agitating for her impeachment.
Agany meanwhile warned the opposition legislator of legal challenge saying they face the law to justify their statements.
“The members who are beating all these drums are the indiscipline members of the SPLM-IO and I condemn them in the strongest terms possible that they should not bring the way they behave to us. Some of them do not know parliamentary procedures,” he slammed.
Mr. Agany said that some of the opposition lawmakers are social activists who are not supposed to be listened to by the august house as far as their critics are not genuine.
“Nonsense of that type can never be executed without us the SPLM members to approve it. SPLM-IO members are 128. Can they impeach the speaker if they agree all. South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) are 50 which I think they don’t have problem with anybody,”
Agany said that opposition MPs have in several occasions been the subjects of creating unconducive environment in the August house through critics of whatever ways terming them to be ignorant.
“Let me remind those ignorant MPs who are ignorant of the law. In some parts of the world, South Sudan does not exist and it is we to sell South Sudan and said that it exists. How will South Sudan be known if we don’t go around through the speaker of the parliament and tell people,” he said.
Assembly spokesperson further stated that their struggle to impeach the parliamentary speaker would not be successful without clear evidence that will prove her guilty of the scandal saying that it is impossible for a speaker to use finances meant to delivery services.
“Why should only be our speaker to be impeached on money corruption because she has gone to sell the Country’s image around. I believe that these MPs making these dramas around are uninformed and do not know their duties. The speaker cannot use any money without regulatory finances which is wrong according to the law,”
Agany noted that all financial subsidies meant for parliamentary services are being recorded, budgeted and audited according to the nature of activities required to be executed through the concerned body stating that no South Sudanese with a right mind will complain when his or her speaker travel abroad to sell the Country for good image.
“The law will never forgive those MPs; it will never forgive them because as a human being you have no right to tarnish the image of somebody innocently without any concrete idea. If they have the substantial material, let them put it in writing and present it in the house as a motion,” he lastly told the dissatisfied MPs. The SPLM-IO in their jurisdiction is however yet to comment on the matter.