By William Madouk
National legislature on Friday, formed an ad hoc committee to study President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s inaugural speech during opening session of the August House.
The 23-member committee, led by Hon. Deng Tiel Ayuel, who is also the chairperson of Legislation and Legal Affairs of the Assembly, is to scrutinize the statement and table it before the House for approval.
The session was presided over by Speaker of the National Legislative Assembly, Jemma Nunu Kumba.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mary Nawai, while moving the motion, said Kiir’s speech touched on all aspects of life, such as socio-economics, security, and the political environment.
“The speech of the president declared and encouraged the citizens of this country to embark on agriculture because agriculture is the backbone of this country,” Nawai said.
She added, “The speech of the president talks about elections that we should prepare for.”
“With these few remarks, I move that the speech of the president be discussed in accordance with Regulation 15 Number 5,” she submitted to the House.
The lawmakers also approved a motion for a vote of thanks on the president’s speech that was submitted to the House for consideration by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
It is customary for the national legislature to send the president’s speech to a select committee for discussion on the subjects he raised.
The speech of the president was tabled during an extraordinary sitting on Friday, and the Rt. Speaker, Jemma Nunu Kumba, committed it to the newly formed TNLA ad hoc committee to discuss, scrutinize, and revert to the house within 14 working days.
John Agany, the spokesperson for the National Assembly, said once the president’s speech is approved, it will become the policy framework that will be used by the government.
The speech covers a wide range of issues, especially the security sector and food security, and the president mentioned clearly that they should prioritize agriculture as the backbone of the economy.
Lawmaker Agany emphasized that the parliament will ensure the president’s speech is a workable framework for the government.
“We will tell all the sectors and government institutions that we must be following exactly what the president has voiced,” he stated. “We need peace in the country; we need to be in harmony; and we also need to put food on the table.”
According to Agany, the select committee will work on the document for the next 7 to 14 days and then report to the National Legislature for further deliberation and passing to make it a full document for the government to operationalize.