Civil society activists have called on President Salva Kiir to immediately direct state governors to reopen their parliaments, warning that the continued shutdown of state legislative assemblies is fueling mismanagement and diversion of public revenues.
The Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmond Yakani, Thursday, raised serious concerns about what he described as a “paralysis of checks and balances” in states where governors have kept parliaments non-functional.
Yakani said some governors are deliberately avoiding legislative scrutiny to conceal irregularities in governance, particularly in the management of state revenues.
“Some states are only functioning with one organ of government – the executive – without a functional parliament. This has paralyzed checks and balances and the oversight role of lawmakers who represent the people,” Yakani said.
Some governors are allegedly directly controlling state revenues with little or no accountability. These revenues include personal income taxes from NGO workers, government employees, and businesses.
“We are aware that in some states, governors and ministers of finance are running with this revenue as if it is their personal property,” Yakani said “This undermines transparency and accountability, especially at a time when the country is facing an economic crisis.”
However, some governors equated delay in reopening of Parliament to lack of funds.
