A surge in attendance at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) is being seen as a sign of renewed hope among lawmakers, but also a growing test for the institution’s new leadership.
After months of low turnout, the House has recently witnessed an unusually high number of legislators attending sittings. Oliver Mori Benjamin, spokesperson of the TNLA, on Monday told reporters that the shift reflects both optimism and pressure on the new leadership to address longstanding concerns.
“Normally, when changes happen, people are enthusiastic, expecting the best to happen from the previous period. So, that is the signal the members have demonstrated,” he said. “So, while it is an encouragement for the Right Honorable Speaker, it is also a big challenge. The hopes of the members are very high.”
According to Mori, apart from those on leave, there were 310 parliamentarians present during Monday’s sitting, a sharp increase from previous sittings that had attendance of between 200 and 250.
For long, legislators have complained about the leadership’s failure to pay their salaries, sitting and medical allowances, and other emoluments. They said the figures appear on their bank accounts, but that there is no actual cash.
Mori revealed that many legislators have gone nearly a year without receiving cash salaries, with bank withdrawals severely limited.
“Salaries are reported to have been sent to the banks, and when you go to the bank, you are only allowed to withdraw SSP 20,000 or 50,000. This is what adds to the difficulties of the Honorable Members,” he explained. “For about four years, they have not received even the outfit allowance. Never got the medication, never got the outfit, never got the recess allowance, and so many other things.”
The spokesperson further highlighted concerns over the welfare of parliamentarians, including what he described as a high death rate within the assembly.
“One of the issues is the death rate in parliament, which went to over 115 MPs who died just within a very short period,” he noted.
These challenges, he said, explain why lawmakers are now looking to the new leadership for solutions.
“So, this is the hope of the Members of Parliament… how he (Speaker) can come to be an aid or a helper to the Honorable Members,” Mori said.
Peter Lomude Francis, a lawmaker from the National Democratic Movement (NDM), told this publication via phone that while parliamentarians are eagerly waiting for their salary arrears, they expect an audit of the previous leadership under former Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba, especially in the areas of finance, compliance with the law, and human resources in the TNLA.
“This is not the first time a speaker has been removed and accused of corruption. And to prove her right of wrong, it is important that as parliamentarians, we want to see that the new leadership should sanction an audit of her tenure in office,” he said.
Lomude stressed that members are yearning to see transparency in staff recruitment, especially in the finance department.
For his part, TNLA Speaker Joseph Ngere Pasico, on Monday, urged lawmakers to maintain the new momentum and demonstrate commitment to their legislative duties, saying his duty is to protect the rights of every member to express themselves.
“Before I proceed, I wish to record the excellent attendance today,” he stated. “The clerk informed us that we have 310 members present. That is more than the normal quorum.’
Besides the regular members and parliamentary staff, the speaker said he also invited the public to attend the sitting, referring to it as a “citizen frank parliament.”
As parliament awaits the return of the finance minister, who is currently attending meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in America, legislators hope their concerns will finally be addressed. For now, the packed chambers reflect a rare moment of unity and expectation in South Sudan’s legislature. However, whether this renewed engagement will translate into tangible reforms remains to be seen.
and then