Yiep Joseph
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Government Spokesperson Michael Makuei rebuked the SPLM-IO members of parliament for walking out of House during a budget debate last week, saying the lawmakers’ actions were mere political gimmicks.
Addressing the media on Tuesday in Juba, Makuei said the act was politically planned and not genuine for the people of South Sudan.
“The game being played and which led to the matching out of SPLM-IO is a clear game; they wanted to show the people that they are the only people who are caring for the citizens and all the rest do not mind about the people,” Makuei said.
He said the budget was passed by the cabinet including the SPLM-IO members of the ministers’ council before it was taken to the parliament and there was expected disagreement over it.
Makuei alleged that all the parties except SPLM-IO supported the 400 per cent salary increase for the short-run and 600 per cent increment in five months’ time.
“The SSOA took and stand with the minister of finance; the OPP had stood with the ministry of finance [too]. The SPLM also stood with the ministry of finance; only the IO objected,” he expressed.
According to Makuei, the decision of the SPLM-IO to move out of parliament during the budget deliberation was just a mere joke and not realistic.
“They are deceiving the people of South Sudan; they are not realistic in their approach to the issues of South Sudan, and as such, they should not have matched out,” he said.
He claimed that the SPLM, other parties, and the minister of finance care about the people of South Sudan more than what SPLM-IO would want to portray about them.
“So they (SPLM-IO) should not mislead people into believing that if they raise the salary structure to 600 per cent then they have won the confidence of the people,” he said.
Makuei argued that accepting the 600 per cent raise would have made the minister of finance a liar by accepting what he cannot deliver.
Makuie said all that has been happening where SPLM-IO has objected to what has been agreed upon by all the parties is just propaganda to smear other parties as bad people before the citizens.
He called on the SPLM-IO to fully support the implementation of the peace agreement, adding that it would be the only way to gain public trust.
“It is not through obstruction and deceit of the people of South Sudan that they will vote for you;
Last week, lawmakers representing the opposition party Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) walked out of parliament during the third reading of the 2023/2024 budget.
The move came after a disagreement over the amount of adjustments to the salaries and wages of civil servants and organized forces.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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