Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan will seek technical assistance from Australia in transitioning from the decentralised to the federal system of governance.
Minister of Federal Affairs, Lasuba Wongo, and Australia’s Federal Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tim Watts, met on Friday to discuss plans to establish federal structures in the world’s youngest country.
In his short speech to the media, Wongo thanked the Australian government for its hospitality and generosity in supporting South Sudan in her dream of federalism.
The meeting mainly focused on how South Sudan can benefit from the Australian government, particularly in establishing a suitable federal system for the country.
“Our discussion basically focused on critical issues related to federalism, such as gaining experience and learning from the Australian federal system of government and exchanging technical expertise in support of the Republic of South Sudan’s establishment of a federal system,” he said.
Last month, the council of ministers approved the long-awaited federal policy and strategic plan document after years of work.
Following the council of ministers’ endorsement, the ministry described the approval of the policy and strategic framework as a significant achievement for the ministry’s policies.
“A significant step forward in the implementation of the R-ARCSS and a strong signal of political will in responding to the people of South Sudan’s long-held desire to live under a democratic federal constitution,” Clement Philemon Baime, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Federal Affairs, told The City Review last month.
According to him, the policy was tabled by the ministry since mid-year 2022, but it had never given the opportunity because it was deemed not urgent.
“The cabinet’s approval of the document has given us the green light; now our work will be within legal bounds, and we will conduct ourselves in accordance with the law.”
He said the ministry will now be able to embark on building a democratic federal constitution.
South Sudan has been planning to establish a federal structure in the country, but many people are still confused about the concept, which many see as a source of conflict among citizens.
But in a real sense, federalism is all about the equal distribution of resources across all levels of government, not what people think.
This means that the central government shares powers with autonomous states or provinces via their independent legislative assemblies.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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