A section of the bump-less Juba-Nimule highway | Credit | Eye Radio

National MPs have criticized the decision to have the office of the president supervise the road construction.

In March, South Sudan and Shandong High-Speed group of companies signed a 700-million-dollar deal to be paid gradually through the lifting of 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day to cover the cost of the road works.

This project, according to the deal, will be monitored by the so-called China desk at the Office of the President.

Reacting to the matter, some members of parliament criticized the move saying they need more details of the deal.

Some of them say the executive should have first consulted them as the representatives of the people.

Others wonder why the construction of the roads is only focusing on one region.

“I want to ask the importance of the China desk under the presidency, and even the oil that they have spilled down they have never cleaned it. So, my question is, does our president have time to supervise the Chinese desk?”

Some MPs say that parliament was not included in the signing of the agreement with the Chinese company.

“The role of parliament has not been included in this signing of the contract agreement between the Chinese company and the government, because up to now we don’t know how much in kind or in cash is available?.”

Another asked why some roads are not constructed in some areas.

“The areas of Ruweng where 90 percent of oil is produced in the region, the areas of Bentiu and even going far to areas of Aweil, why are the roads not reaching there?”

In response, the press secretary in the office of the president – Ateny Wek Ateny – argues that the supervision of the road construction is under the presidency for transparency reasons.

“It is the president himself who pleaded with the president of China Xi Jinping to construct roads in return for the crude oil, so in order for this to be transparent, the president took it upon himself to supervise the issue or roads directly. So he cannot supervise them if they are not under his office.”

He further said that the president will allocate time to supervise the project himself.

‘The president has a time to manage the whole country, it is a very small docket, like the road is what they [MPs] think that the president cannot do and the president is managing the country, why would this small thing be difficult.”

The construction of the national highway from Nadapal through Torit to Juba, and up to Rumbek and to Wau, has begun with the pilot phase from Juba.

Last month, the government completed the shipment of the first cargo of the crude oil meant to fund the construction of the roads.