National Assembly Building in Juba

The chairperson for information committee at the national parliament said there were no parliamentary sittings since last week because of the absence of support staff.

This is in reaction to a story broadcast by Eye Radio on Wednesday, suggesting that the national MPs had never held any parliamentary sitting since President Salva Kiir declared the august house open on Tuesday last week.

The speaker of the transitional national legislative assembly, in his speech that day, told the president that they would prioritize important matters, including the presidential speech, fiscal budget, and the amended transitional constitution.

MPs sit only three days a week – that is Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. However, since then, no sitting has been held.

Honorable Paul Yoane, the chairperson for information committee attributes this to lack of means of transport for the support staff.

“The sitting on Monday did not fail really because of heavy rain, is failed because our supporting staff, they are living in so many areas, and in that heavy rain, even the public transport offered to them, it is not a 4-wheel drive.”

“Majority of supporting staff could not come, and in the parliament, we have people like the hall attendance, we have those in the protocol who will be accompanying the speaker when he enters the chambers, and many others including the sergeant-at-arms,” he said.

Paul Yoane went on to say that the parliament will hold a session on Monday to deliberate the speech of the president.

“In the next sitting which is going to take place on Monday, the 27^th of May 2019.”

He called on all the honorable members to report to the parliament.

“I want to inform also my colleagues the honorable members that already we have the order of the day, it is already being circulated.”

“The speaker is going to allocate that time and it is up to the members to say what their President has said. What do they think? What the President has said should be analyzed, should be operationalized so that it becomes a policy,” he added.