By William Madouk
A member of national assembly has expressed grave concerns over the country’s deteriorating economic situation, marked by a skyrocketing exchange rate and runaway inflation.
Legislator Natalina Amjima raised alarm over the failing economy, citing the fluctuating exchange rate that has weakened the value of the South Sudan Pound, against the US dollar.
“The rate of the dollar in the market has gone high SSP 410,000 yesterday but today I don’t know,” said Amjima.
Amjima suggested that economists should convene with the finance minister to advise on a way forward.
“My information is going to economists in South Sudan because whenever things are bad like this, the economists are supposed to sit with the minister of finance and discuss the way forward,” she said.
Amjima, who is worried about the looming threat of hunger as commodity prices continue to surge, called for the finance minister, Dr. Marial Dongrin, to appear before the parliament to explain his plans to address the crisis.
“I urge the August House to summon the minister of finance so that we have to discuss this looming hunger,” she noted.
In response, the speaker of the parliament, Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, affirmed that the finance minister would soon appear before the legislative body.
The economic woes come as civil servants in South Sudan have gone nearly 10 months without receiving their salaries.
Early this month, President Salva Kiir made changes to the leadership of the country’s customs and revenue authorities, in a bid to address the crisis.
During the swearing-in ceremony of the new finance minister, Kiir acknowledged that there are multiple government accounts where revenue is collected, but he failed to disclose the challenges in holding those responsible for the mismanagement of funds.
Kiir said the country has sufficient resources to meet its obligations, but he attributed the persistent delays in paying salaries to the meager revenue collection and poor management of funds.