By Akot Marial, Juba South Sudan
Speaking to Members of the National Legislative Assembly on Monday, January 16, 2024, Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba raised critical concerns about the status of the Transitional Process in the country and made a clarion call on the Members of Parliament to engage the Executive to collaborate and reach a consensus on outstanding issues while putting in place prerequisites to hold elections towards the end of the Transitional Period without any further delays.
Hon. Kumba reiterated that It’s incumbent upon the Political Parties in the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGONU) to understand that the Transitional Period has taken more time than necessary and therefore, the need for all the people of South Sudan and all parties to the agreement to join the President and other voices calling for timely elections to conduct the elections in December 2024 in order to secure new mandate from the people as this is what is expected by R-ARCSS.
Rt Hon. Kumba said that, as a member of the ruling Party – SPLM, their main candidate is the incumbent President H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit because he is a unifying factor, symbol of unity, a liberator, an experienced politician and a Father of Nation who played a key role in the liberation and independence as well as in the 2018 agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) which culminated into the formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) which is expiring in December 2024.
With the above calls from one of our national leaders, it is important for the parties to the agreement and more especially those in the executive to get ready and participate in the upcoming elections as this is the only way South Sudanese can be able to address the challenges facing the country including socio-economic, political, unemployment among the youth, lack of expansion of the tourism sector, lack of basic necessities such as housing, clean drinking water, absence of Infrastructural development, poor health and education facilities, lack of connectivity and overall lack of sustainable development in the Country, drugs use and gangs’ extremisms among others.
In agreement with the Rt. Hon. Speaker Kumba, timely elections are the only way forward as the new government with a new mandate will have the opportunity to strategize towards improving the livelihoods of the people of South Sudan.
It is equally our responsibility as citizens of South Sudan to support leaders like President Kiir, Rt. Hon. Speaker, any other leaders and all the South Sudanese Citizens that calls for timely elections such that we can end the transition and starts a new democratic dispensation for our lovely country – South Sudan!