Chagor suspends state finance minister indefinitely
The governor of Jonglei State, Denay Jock Chagor, has indefinitely suspended the state Minister for Finance, Planning, and Investment, Wiyual Gatkuoth Changath.
Changath was suspended in a gubernatorial decree No. 3, 2022 A.D, dated February 14, 2022. However, the governor did not cite the reason for the suspension as well as the duration of the suspension.
“I, Denay Jock Chagor, governor of Jonglei State, do hereby issue the gubernatorial decree for the suspension of Hon Wiyual Gatkuoth Changath, as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Investment in Jonglei State, with the effect from February 14, 2022 AD,” read the statement.
The decree came two days after the minister released a statement dated February 12, 2022, trying to respond to the reasons for the strike run by the Jonglei State Civil Servants. The minister accused unnamed media houses of reporting the demonstrations in the state wrongly.
“I want to make this clear to the people of Jonglei State and the people of South Sudan that, the purpose of the demonstration in Bor is not about the 100 per cent salary increase of the civil servants ordered by the President of the Republic,” Wiyual said.
“The demonstrators are demanding the new salary structure, which includes a new allowance called the Nature of Work Allowance. After being studied by the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Juba, it was found out to be more than 100 per cent pledged by the president, and this structure was put on hold as it increases the current (2020/2021) budget by more than 100 per cent.”
Controversial statement
The minister said the governor had reversed his pledge to pay the nature of work allowance to civil servants through local revenue as a result of the crisis in the state so that the allowance could be used to fund security as well as other government operations.
“The current crisis in Jonglei is the imposition of a new salary structure whose calculation does not match the 100 per cent increase, and that was put on hold by the above resolution.
“In December, civil servants were at a stalemate as they were confused by individuals who believed that the new salary structure that includes the nature of work allowance was their right,” Wiyual explained.
“They (government) ordered the governor of Jonglei to give them (civil servants) nature of work allowance from the local revenue.
“This part pledged by the governor is what the governor has reversed. This local revenue can not only be used for the security of the state but also for government functions, “he added.
The chairman of the Jonglei Civil Servants Network, who also serves as the Executive Director of Intrepid South Sudan (ISS), Bol Deng Bol, described the minister’s statement as downplaying the rights of civil servants.
“The minister’s statement was controversial. It was too political for him and more of a downplaying of the rights of civil servants,” Bol said.
Peaceful demonstrations
On Monday, the Secretary-General of Jonglei State Workers’ Trade Union said they had called off the demonstrations and were waiting for the state assembly to get back to them on how their issue could be addressed.
The civil servants in Jonglei State last week returned to the streets demanding their allowances, which they claimed were withdrawn by the state government at the expense of state security.
They said the government had resolved to channel the allowances for the funding of the security sector in the state.
After intense demonstrations in which some individuals were injured, the deputy governor, Antipas Nyok Kucha, pledged that their government would settle the impasse within two days.
Similar protests occurred in December of last year in demand of the same allowances and the President’s announced a 100 per cent salary increase. The state government agreed to pay the allowances from local revenue.
This resolution was made after a high-level committee visited the Jonglei State capital, Bor, to find out the cause of the demonstrations and why salaries were not paid, which led to the payment of 100 per cent salaries and the nature of work allowances to civil servants.
