By William Madouk
First Vice President and Minister of Justice got enraged over the low turnout of key government officials at a consultation on the review of the Land Act and Local Government Act event.
The two-day consultation meetings to review the Land Act (2009), and Local Government Act (2009), and enacting a settlement and registration law, witnessed a low turnout by key government officials.
First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, some government officials, and members of the diplomatic corps were present.
National Minister of Land Housing and Urban Development, the state Ministers of Land and Housing, and other key land stakeholders who were expected to attend the event failed to turn up.
This irked the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and the Minister of Justice Ruben Madol.
“I am likewise disappointed like the Minister [Ruben Madol], there are many stakeholders who should be attending this workshop,” Dr. Machar said while addressing the gathering.
“Starting from Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, at the national and state levels other uses of land, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. I hope that here, I will try to meet them and make them come to this workshop. And Minister of Environment, the Judiciary,” he added.
Also, Ruben Madol, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Justice said the purpose of the workshop was to bring together stakeholders to brainstorm on how the laws can be adjusted to suit the current situation.
“Your Excellency, the First Vice President, I’m rather disappointed about the turnout here, because I had hoped this would be a very important workshop for all the stakeholders,” Madol said.
“But the way I’m looking at the hall, I only hope some more will come. I only hope those very few who are present here will make the right decisions that will guide the process,” he added.
He added that the Local Government Act and Land Act were enacted before the independence of South Sudan and thus it is important to review them to conform to the 2018 peace agreement.
The consultation meeting was organized by the International Organization for Immigration (IOM) with funding from the European Union.