Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A South Sudanese lawmaker has challenged the finance minister’s claims about the government’s inability to fund a 400% salary increase for civil servants and armed forces, citing concerns over financial management and accountability.
The minister of finance on Friday said in statements to the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) that the government is struggling to pay the civil servants’ salaries based on the 400-percent increment directed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Juol Nhomngek Daniel, an SPLM-IO politician representing Cueibet County in the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (TNLA), criticized the minister’s recent remarks in an email sent to Sudans Post on Sunday night.
“If we account for the way we manage public funds, we can discover that there is a lot of money in this country,” Daniel wrote, arguing that proper management could finance even a higher salary increase.
He questioned the lack of audits on government accounts since independence in 2011 and expressed concerns about the use of public funds for “political tools” and projects undertaken without proper procurement procedures.
“Most construction projects are not being conducted in accordance with procurement rules,” Daniel wrote, alleging their use as “conduits for stealing government money.”
The lawmaker’s claims echo concerns regarding transparency and accountability within the South Sudanese government, heavily reliant on oil revenues.
While some welcomed the proposed salary increase, others remain skeptical about its impact on inflation and the high cost of living.
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