By William Madouk
Former minister of finance and economic planning, Dier Tong Ngor bids farewell after Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol Bak formally took over.
Speaking at the event to welcome Minister Bak, former minister Dier, who was sacked on August 3, 2023, pledged to always stand by the latter in his pursuit of reforms.
“My minister, I want to give you my sincere pledge. I know the magnitude of the challenges you will go through as a minister of finance, and I pledge you will not see me backbiting you,” said Dier.
Mr. Dier highlighted some encounters that the new minister should tackle if he is to transform the finance docket.
“I know that there are some challenges that are internal and under your direct responsibility as a minister of finance, and I have no doubt that you will be able to address them,” he encouraged.
Mr. Dier also noted challenges within the government that are beyond the capacity and responsibility of the Ministry of Finance, but he voiced his happiness when the president pledged to support Bak on the reform path.
He urged Minister Bak to engage with developmental partners and donors both regionally and globally.
“The third challenge is to maintain the support of our developmental partners. I expect that you will continue to engage because South Sudan is not an island. We cannot survive without the region and the rest of the world, as we now live in a global village.”
The ex-minister praised the employees of the Ministry of Finance, citing that he enjoyed working with them, and further advised them to extend the same support to the upcoming minister.
“You have given me all the support, and you have complied with all the policies we have initiated. You are professional and technical people,” Dier applauds.
“I want you to extend the same support to the new minister. After all, you are not politicians, and you must keep your mandate of being technical and professional people, supporting whoever minister takes over the responsibility.”
It’s worth noting that the former minister recently presented a budget proposal totaling 2.1 trillion SSP for the upcoming fiscal year 2023-2024.
Dier Tong Ngor had assumed the role of Finance Minister precisely one year ago, prior to his recent replacement.