Bida Elly David
Jonglei state governor, Denay Chagor is facing severe criticism from lawmakers who accuse him and his leaders of duty negligence.
This comes amid ongoing insecurity issues like killings, child abduction, and cattle raids in the state while the governor is said to be always absent from office.
First Deputy Speaker Parliament Nathaniel Oyet, criticized Chagor for not running duties in Juba, leaving his people to suffer.
He said the state’s leadership, particularly the governor, frequently travels between Juba, Nairobi, and Washington, among other countries.
“We understand from credible sources that some of the authorities especially the leaders in Jonglei don’t stay in their stations but rather in Juba,” Nathaniel noted.
“That is why there is this criminal privilege going on in the state and they are not being attended to.”
Hon. Oyet stated that the level of insecurity in Jonglei has been and continues to be high due to the absence of effective leadership.
“The situation in Jonglei is of nature. It is a state where there is no government. You kill as you want and loot as you want, it is the situation we have in Jonglei,” Oyet said.
“We also learned that the government of Jonglei runs without a budget. What happened to the salaries of the organized forces and civil servants that means people are reluctant or do business for themselves.”
The lawmaker reiterated the need for all state leaders to be based in their locations to address the issues affecting citizens.
John Agany, the spokesperson of the parliament in his argument conquered with the first deputy speaker over the concern.
He said Jonglei is a state with the greatest statistics of population that needs complete services but the leadership has failed it.
“If our people are to be governed in the hotels of Juba again something serious has to take place here. Jonglei state administration has failed drastically,” Agany said.
He suggested that the governor should be relieved due to the urgent concerns of the state’s desperate citizens.
“Jonglei state has been left to the hands of wolves. There has been something that was relinquished at the presidency that SSOA and then three positions have to be compensated to them which our system has rejected,” Agany added.
In response, Governor Chagor refuted the allegations.
“I was expecting to come and discuss issues that are affecting our people rather than personalities,” Denay said
Denay said claims about his absence in the State were untrue, noting that he has been conducting meetings and dialogues with the GPAA over matters.
He urged parliament to work towards addressing the ongoing abduction and cattle raids.
Meanwhile, Jemma Nunu Kumba the speaker of the assembly noted the concerns of the lawmakers but warned them against the brutal approach to the governor.
“We are not here to attack the governor but we are here to address issues and see how we can collectively find solutions. They also have challenges to be considered,” Nunu said.