By Bida Elly David
South Sudan’s Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) has summoned four ministers whose dockets are linked failure of economy, as the country grapples with crisis.
The concern came on the backdrop of the prevailing market situation that has been totally dominated by aliens, contributing economic, cultural and security threats, to South Sudan.
Four relevant institutions summoned consist of the national ministry of trade and industry, ministry of investment, ministry of finance and the ministry of Labor.
Parliament in its deliberation noted that the ministers of the aforementioned institutions must educate the house on detailed reasons to the current economic meltdown, in the country.
Lawmakers further stressed that the ministers should justify reasons behind domination of enterprises by foreigners.
Parliamentarians also claimed the relevant ministries have failed to switch off the strength of the foreign currency as $.1 clocked to 950 South Sudanese pounds in forex bureaus as of Wednesday, 10th May.
Aldo Ajou Deng Akwei, a lawmaker on the SPLM ticket, criticized the financial institutions over the continuous impact less auctioning of US dollars into foreign exchange markets, for economic reforms.
He said the continuous statement “to deal with black-market speculators” has become the daily song, sung with no implementation.
Ajou accused the heads of these public financial institutions of being the first black marketeers, spoiling the nation indirectly.
Meanwhile on job security for nationals, the lawmakers castigated the minister of labor for failing to prioritize employment of nationals in the private sectors.
Legislators said that aliens are using South Sudan as hunting ground of financial resources which at the end returns as crisis to the nationals who would have been the key beneficiaries of their own resources.
Furthermore, the lawmakers blasted the concerned ministers against issuance of trade and retail license to foreign merchants, impious to the third schedule of the investment promotion act, 2009.
The Investment Act permits only South Sudanese to own and operate retail business enterprises in the country.
According to the lawmakers, domestic industries have not been in a positive move due to the state of monopoly by foreign businesses (traders) that swept out nationals from competitive advantage.
Hon. Samuel Buhori Lotti said that Somalis, Ugandans, Ethiopians and Kenyans have taken lead in every institution across the Country, particularly, the private sectors and nongovernmental organizations.
He said that traders from these Countries operate under their national chambers of commerce and advocate for the rights their citizens, in South Sudan.
“These foreigners have accommodated themselves inside their business premises, refusing to rent houses. Some are involved in charcoal businesses, depleting forest cover,” he echoed.
However, the chairperson of the information committee, John Agany Deng said that the ministers will appear in the next sittings which he failed to clarify.