By staff writer
President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Monday signed into law the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year Budget.
Speaker of the National Assembly Jemma Nunu Kumba presented the Appropriation and Financial Bill 2023 to the President for endorsement.
The 2.1 trillion budget was passed on Friday with a 400 percent increment in salaries and wages for civil servants, the Army, and other organized forces.
Speaking to reporters, Speaker Nunu said the Minister of Finance would table a supplementary budget for the increment of salaries of civil servants by 600 percent in the next five months.
However, Members of Parliament from the SPLM-IO walked out during the passing of the budget.
The opposition legislators protested the proposed 400 percent salary increment adopted by the majority SPLM party lawmakers, which they consider low.
A controversy arose after Minister of Finance; Dr. Bak Barnaba Chol considered 400 percent increment for civil servants over a proposal of 600 percent, previously adopted by lawmakers.
However, as soon as the House conceded to the minister’s appeal, then members of the SPLM-IO and other opposition parties rejected it and boycotted the sitting.
The extraordinary sitting went on and the August House passed the budget to the tune of SSP 1.8 trillion with a deficit of SSP 200 billion, despite the SPLM-IO protest over the adopted 400 percent civil servant salary hike.