RJMEC: Parliamentary reconstitution sign of good things but…

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) praised the recent move by President Salva Kiir to reconstitute the parliament, terming it a positive step towards implementation of the peace deal.

‘‘This is a welcome development, as it has long been seen as a vital step in implementing Chapter 1 of the R-ARCSS,’’ stated the RJMEC Interim Chairperson, Maj Gen Charles Gituai,  during the 17th monthly meeting by the commission.

However, the commission’s boss said there was need for the president to now focus on other structural duties for the administration such as reconstitution council of states, legislative assemblies and state commissions. He however cautioned that the restructuring should only be done in accordance with the requirements of the Revitalised Agreement on Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

 ‘‘I urge the RTGoNU to complete the reconstitution of the Council of States, and the state legislative assemblies, and the restructuring and reconstitution of institutions and commissions at the national level, while adhering to the 35 per cent level of women’s representation and giving due attention to representation of the youth,’’ he stated.

He further called on the ‘‘reconstituted TNLA to enact the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 8 into the TCRSS 2011 (as amended)’’ to operationalise other security laws.

‘‘I urge the RTGoNU to adequately fund the Transitional Security Arrangements, to expedite and complete the unification of forces, and ensure well-coordinated DDR in conjunction with the required government ministries and agencies,’’ Gituai remarked.

Not yet ironed out

President Salva Kiir dissolved the parliament in mid-May and ordered the reconstitution of the house in compliance with the requirements of the 2018 peace deal. Signatory parties to the RTGoNU gave out names of the nominees to the legislature although the maximum number of 550 was not met at the time, making a determination of whether the 35 per cent gender inclusion principle was strictly followed.

RJMEC maintained that the lists sounded provisional and that the commission would give a detailed report on whether the parties to the agreement were compliant to the requirement.

‘‘We are still analysing the detailed lists of TNLA appointments to assess whether the 35% level of women’s representation was met. We are also keen to understand the extent to which the youth are represented in these appointments, as per article 1.4.5,’’ Gituai said.

The commission said the government had agreed to extend the term of  National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) which expired in February 2021, and that this will allow the committee to complete its pending duties.

‘‘This is a welcome development, because much work awaits the NCAC, including the review of the National Elections Act 2012, the Non-Governmental Organisation Act 2016, the Bank of South Sudan Act 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, the National Audit Chambers Act 2011, and the National Petroleum Act 2012.’’  

The commission gave a negative review on the Transitional Security Arrangements (TSAs), where it lamented the stalled unification of the army and the lack of progress in the phase one deployment of the forces.