*Spokesman blames it on lack of funds, protracted Sudan war
From Adia Jildo, in Juba
The members of parliament in South Sudan have received one month’s salary only, after eleven months of work without pay in the outgoing year of 2024.
The spokesperson of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, Oliver Mori Benjamin said some members have started receiving a one month’s salary on the 24th of December.
“Some members of the Parliament came here to receive their salary from the bank here, Nile Commercial Bank,” he confirmed.
Oliver refuted the claims that some members of parliament were disgruntled leading to the breaking of the statue, supposedly of the speaker.
“We made it clear to all the mass media houses that the parliamentarians have not been paid recess allowance, and they have not been paid their medical allowance too. And they have not been paid even, like any other civil servant, for one year’s salary. It was just recently, this December, that they were paid one month’s salary,” he said.
The parliamentarians, like any other civil servant, still have 11 months salary pending, he said.
According to the parliament spokesperson, the reasons for the delay in the payment of salaries were due to the financial difficulties and the effect of war in Sudan.
The parliament on the 19th December announced it was going for a four month recess without recess allowance and medical allowance in what they termed as economic challenges the country is facing, escalated by Sudan’s war.
