From sudaneseonline.com
Citizen kept at Bay as to why Undersecretaries are denied entry by Some Ministers. By Akot Marial
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Sep 13, 2009 - 11:02:07 AM
Citizen kept at Bay as to why Undersecretaries are denied entry by Some Ministers.
By Akot Marial
Based on the prerogatives and powers conferred on him by the Southern Sudan Constitution as President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) President Kiir issued a decree last month reshuffling Undersecretaries of the Ministries of Education, Constitutional Development, Ministry of Labor, and Regional Cooperation to mentioned just a few. All seemed to have augur well with some Ministers who adhered to changes and allow their Undersecretaries to take up their new positions.
But the growing concern is that, there is arrogance of trying to block Presidential decree in the two Ministries of Constitutional Development and Energy and Mining where the Ministers are still dragging their feet to accept and implement the Reshuffled to the letter.
Nevertheless, The Minister of Constitutional Development Mr.Michael Makuei Lueth has made his position clear that “it's not in his interest to dishonored Presidential decree and that he is only waiting for his Undersecretary to be sworn in hitherto taking on his duties”.
But More aggressively, The Minister in the Ministry of Energy & Mining Mr. John Luke Jok can not come to terms with the reshuffled decreed at the highest level of government.
The Minister is seen to have written to Undersecretary Ustaz William Ater Maciek to stay away from the Ministry for the period not limited to one month which is rather a humiliations to both President Kiir and the new Undersecretary. On the pretext that his former Ministry of Education is under Parliamentary investigations over alleged Misappropriations of funds and that Mr.Ater is an Educationists which will make him unsuitable for Energy and Industry docket. Moreover, it's obvious that Mr. Ater used to be entrusted with the tasked of being the progenitor working hard to keep the candle of education burning in Southern Sudan right from 1988 when he founded Friend of African Children in Education (FACE) to cater for unaccompanied minors of Sudan in Panyido.
And again during the SPLM 1st National Convention held at Chukudum in 1994 he was appointed Education Chief Coordinator of New Sudan Secretariat of Education which gave birth to the current Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
Since the inception of MoEST-GOSS Mr.William has been the Undersecretary of both Higher & General Education and he seemed to have discharged his duties having Southern Sudan Masses at heart and no single case of malpractice was heard until recently when Prof.Job Dhoruai the Minister of Education, Science and Technology on the National Congress Party ( NCP) ticket decided to create two parallel Undersecretaries where William remained the Undersecretary of General Education while Ms. Josephine Lagu occupies Higher Education seat. apparently, Madam Josephine was accused of embezzlement of USD323,000.00 intended for Students in East Africa which prompted President Kiir to have directed August House SSLA (Parliament) to form a committee of imminent persons led by Hon.Nartisio Loluke the Chairperson of the Education committee to investigate alleged irregularities in the Ministry of Education.
Instead of the committee investigating issues surrounding Josephine's saga Mr.Loluke made it a political maneuver by involving the Minister and the former Undersecretary Mr. Ater who was dealing with general Education and can't be implicated in corruption allegations attached to Higher education since he is not a party to it, of which the right people to face investigations are Josephine Lagu the Undersecretary of Higher Education and The Minister who approve and was a signatory for money to Uganda. If it's the matter of hundred schools Project then why Hon.Loluke table it during this crucial time when it wasn't raise previously in SSLA (Parliament)?
Now Mr.John Luke is using this pending investigation of the Undersecretary (Mr.William) as a cover up to fuse and dodge Presidential decree hoping that President Kiir might give in to his claims of appointing right people at the right places. Not knowing that, It has been the policy of GOSS to appoint its Constitutional post holders at will and not putting into consideration their field of Specializations why is William Ater;s reshuffled being so politicized? And why is it used as a tool of testing President Kiir intelligence? .
This particular episode is causing uncertainty in the general public questioning President Kiir credibility as to why his decrees are now being blocked by some cliques of the executives. If President Kiir is misled by John Luke claims to reverse his decree of William Ater as Undersecretary of Ministry of Energy and Mining, However, it will remain a culture of violating his future decrees.
The public opinion is that Mr.John Luke should know that Presidential decrees are final and are not subject to reversal. Stick to your decision Mr.Mayardit and never be misguided by politicians who are serving their selfish interests.
Akot Marial, is a concerned Citizen and can be reach on [email protected]
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