Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) and the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly traded barbs over the lack of quarterly updates on the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement to the House.
The matter arose when Charles Tai Gituai, the chairman of the R-JMEC, tabled a report in parliament for the first time since the parliament was formed in 2021, last Wednesday, on the process of implementing the peace agreement from January to March 2023.
But Gituai’s effort was met by fierce criticism from either side of the floor, with a majority of the lawmakers taking issue with the lack of timely updates from the peace monitors.
Farok Gatkouth, the Chief Whip, questioned why RJMEC took so long to inform the House of the progress being made in implementing the peace deal.
“You are the referee, you have a red card in your pocket, and yet it took you all this time to come today,” said the Opposition Chief Whip.
Joseph Malueth questioned why it took the R-JMEC so long to inform the Assembly of the status of the peace agreement while several occurrences took place in the span of the interim period.
“The South Sudanese look towards them as mediators (sic) of this conflict. If there are crises as there have been and your voices are not clearly heard, then people will begin to be suspicious of what is going on,” Malueth noted.
James Kok questioned why the report was presented after the peace monitoring body accepted the roadmap.
“What are we going to talk about, and the Roadmap is already set?”Why do they bring this report, have they accepted the roadmap, and do they know there are problems that have not been resolved”?
In a rejoinder, Gituai blamed the House for not inviting the R-JMEC, saying he would not present the report without an invitation from Parliament.
“If you don’t invite us, we don’t come,” Gituai stressed.
He added that RJMEC is ready to provide a brief when called upon.
Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba, directed R-JMEC to submit quarterly presentations to the House for the remainder of the time of the roadmap in order to hold the executive branch accountable.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
