Parliament adjourns discussion on Kiir’s speech due to absentee ministers

The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TLNL) postponed Monday’s session to discuss the speech delivered by President Salva Kiir during the opening of the parliament last month to Tuesday after ministers failed to turn up in the House.

In April, the TNLA and Council of States committed Kiir’s speech to a committee for scrutiny after which it was to be tabled before parliamentarians for debate.

President Kiir’s speech touched on several issues ranging from the economic meltdown in the country, food insecurity, and youth unemployment among others, and urged citizens to prepare for the General Elections slated for December.

An SPLM Party member representing Northern Bah el Gazal State, Elizabeth Adut Lokmel, said it is not appropriate to discuss the president’s speech in the absence of policymakers, referring to the ministers. She demanded the sitting be postponed to Tuesday so that the ministers could be summoned.

“My point of procedure, Right Honorable Speaker, is about the importance of the speech of the president,” she said. “We are discussing the speech of the president but the ministers are not here. I suggest we postpone the sitting and wait for the ministers.”

Her sentiment was echoed and seconded by Gatwech Lam Puoch, the acting SPLM-IO Chief Whip also said parliament cannot go on discussing the speech when the people to be directed to implement it are absent.

“I think Elizabeth Adut is correct that when we discuss the president’s speech, it is all about the policy of the government,” he stated. “The implementers of the policy of the government are ministers so we cannot discuss the president’s address without our ministers because these are the people that are going to be directed by the house to implement the policy.”

Lam added: “I would concur with her (Adut) and move a motion that we adjourn this sitting and wait for them (ministers).”

For her part, Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba directed the parliamentary affairs minister to inform the other ministers to turn up for the session on Tuesday.

“When the president delivered the speech, all the ministers were here. So, as we discuss the speech, they must also be here to take note of what is in the report,” she said. “So, because of this, the speaker also agrees. We will move the motion and allow the minister of parliamentary affairs to inform all the ministers to be here during the discussion.”