Lawyer: South Sudan’s weak institutions pose a problem for the new cabinet

A constitutional lawyer says that the newly appointed cabinet will not be able to create change in the next government, due to South Sudan’s lack of strong institutions.

Dong Samuel told Eye Radio this morning that weak institutions are not able to be held accountable, and they hinder a country’s progress.

“No matter what individual comes into the government, the biggest problem is that these individuals will never work if there are no institutions in place,” he said. “If the institutions of government are weak, you know these people have no magic stick like the one of Moses for them to do everything and change everything. I have a feeling and this is my humble opinion that this cabinet will not deliver because there is no institution in place.”

Mr. Dong said that in the country’s interim constitution the power is vested in only one person – the president.

He criticized the new cabinet appointments, as he said they fell short of appointing a person with a disability to the cabinet.