Mamer Abraham
Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The vice chancellor of at the University of Juba, Prof. John Akec said none of the proposed salary raise for civil servants and organised forces would meet market demands.
Akec argued in a comment he made of X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that the increment of salaries either by 400 percent, 600 per cent or 1000 percent would make no significant impact given the country’s level of inflation.
“What is the fight all about among our political parties over the budget? Is on whether a traffic policeman’s salary should be increased from SSP 3,000 to SSP 15,000 (400%), or SSP 21,000 (600%), or SSP 33,000 (1000%),” he said, as he argued that none of the salary proposals would improve the living standards of civil servants, especially those who receive SSP 3000 or less.
“None of the above will make any real difference to living standards,” Akec said.
On Friday, the National Parliament was divided on whether to increase the salaries by 400 percent or 600 percent in the fiscal year budget. Consequently, the House settled on a 400 percent increase that was backed by Dr Bak Barnaba Chol, the new minister for finance.
Bak requested that the parliament allow him time to increase salaries by 600 percent after five months of preparing the supplementary budget.
Apart from Prof. Akec, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, also blamed a section of the lawmakers for preventing a decent salary increase for government workers.
Yakani said there was a lack of political will to improve the living standards of civil servants that made the salary increment remain at 400 percent only.
“There is money; only politicians lack the political commitment to ensure that civil servants and soldiers have better salaries,” he said.
Source: The City Review South Sudan
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