By Emmanuel Mandella

A storm is brewing up in the Western Equatoria Transitional Legislative Assembly following complaints by lawmakers over government disregard of their welfare and basic entitlements.

In a bold and comprehensive presentation to the state Assembly, Lina Adiki Mario, the Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Service and Members Affairs, pointed out the omissions in the government’s policy statement, ranging from unpaid arrears to the lack of essential allowances and operational needs.

“The government policy statement is completely silent on fundamental concerns of the honorable members. It doesn’t mention recess allowances, medical support, car loans, or even office renovations,” Lina told the Assembly while delivering the report on Tuesday.

The committee’s scrutiny revealed critical gaps in provisions for lawmakers, sparking concerns about the sustainability of public service under these constraints.

Among the key observations were the absence of recess allowances, which has affected lawmakers’ mobility to their constituencies.

Medical and treatment allowances, settlement of 2024 arrears owed to both lawmakers and civil servants, Car loans and outfit allowances, and Renovation of key legislative offices we re also identified as key issues.

The committee urged the state government to immediately address these concerns by increasing and disbursing recess allowances, providing health and outfit support to members, settling pending arrears, budgeting for car loans and office infrastructure, and ensuring annual entitlements for all constitutional post holders are respected.

Supporting the report, Rt. Hon. Deputy Speaker Simon Peter Bandukuwe emphasized that the legislature is grappling with operational paralysis.

“We are struggling with mobility. We lack basic stationery, and electricity in our offices is inconsistent. This is no way to run a government institution expected to guide policy and oversight,” Bandukuwe lamented.

The revelations in Yambio mirror the national outcry in Juba, where lawmakers in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) recently blasted the Central Bank and Finance Ministry for a liquidity crisis that has frozen access to salaries for over a month.

“All South Sudanese working in government institutions, including the organized forces, cannot withdraw their money, many of us are sick and cannot even afford treatment, who is fooling us the central bank or the finance ministry?” lawmaker Michael Ruot Koryom said in Monday’s heated TNLA session.

With the government yet to issue a response, pressure is mounting on both state and national levels to restore trust, pay what is owed, and end the cycle of policy silence that threatens to paralyze governance.

Public eyes now turn to Juba and Yambio with a renewed focus on accountability.