{{South Sudan’s national legislative assembly has backed down on one of its major provisions on the conduct of business, citing intimidation by president Salva Kiir, who recently warned he would unilaterally dismiss elected lawmakers unless they supported his actions.}}
Kiir appointed the former speaker of parliament, James Wani Igga, as the new vice-president on 23 August, exactly 30 days after he sacked his former deputy, Riek Machar, and dissolved the entire cabinet.
At a meeting with the caucus a day after the announcement, Kiir urged members to endorse Igga’s appointment or risk being removed from their positions.
On the same day lawmakers unanimously endorsed Igga’s appointment, without adhering to the house’s conduct of business or any further debate on his credentials.
In accordance with the parliamentary conduct of business, the speaker should have officially resigned his position in parliament and a new speaker elected before lawmakers vet the appointment.
“No business shall be transacted in the assembly, other than the election of the speaker, when the office of the speaker is vacant”, reads article 5 (3) of the conduct of business of the assembly.
However, during the endorsement of Igga as the new vice-president the reverse had occurred, reportedly due to pressure exerted by the president on the parliament.
Presided over by deputy speaker Daniel Awet Akot, the national legislative assembly on Monday continued to table before parliament new motions for deliberation, again ignoring procedural requirement for the election of a new speaker.
Richard K. Mulla, an MP representing Mundri West county in Western Equatoria state, criticised the violation of the conduct of business, saying he suspected the executive leadership of interfering in the affairs of the assembly with the aim to impose a hand-picked speaker.
“The sitting of yesterday [Monday] was illegal and invalid”, he said, arguing that a new speaker should have been elected first before any further parliamentary sittings.
Mulla, who is a senior lawyer by profession, said from Monday he was boycotting parliamentary sittings until the appointment of a new speaker.
Another member of parliament, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that the parliament was successfully intimidated and bullied to the point that it forgot its constitutional obligations.
He said non-adherence to the conduct of business came as a direct result of the president’s threats to dissolve the parliament or dismiss individual MPs.
“The parliament, which was last week applauded by the people it represents for seriously vetting and rejecting the appointment of Telar Ring Deng as justice minister, is now back to its disgusted role as a rubber stamp for the president or the executive”, he said, adding that the president would likely continue to use threats and intimidation to silence it.
{Sudantribune}
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