Jonglei State Legislative Assembly in Bor Town. [Gurtong/ Gabriel Mayom]
By Gabriel Mayom
JUBA, 01 June 2012 (Gurtong) –The lawmakers have accused the speaker of intimidating MPs, administrative incompetence and financial malpractice among other allegations.
Two rival groups are locked in a tussle, which Speaker Wal has termed “a political ploy to undermine him”.
Bor Town MP Philip Thon Nyok who spoke on behalf of members pushing for the Speaker’s resignation said Wal has not been proactively engaging the law makers and the state ministers in running the state’s affairs.
“He has not been efficient in bringing non-performing ministers for grilling by parliament. Our people on the ground are demanding explanations on the ministers’ performance from us regularly yet we do not have any feedback to give them”, said Nyok.
Speaker Wal, however, vowed to stay in office, saying the call by the MPS was un-procedural.
“I cannot resign as the state constitution clearly spells out procedures for such a process. As per the constitution of Assembly six people cannot ask the Speaker to resign. He can only be impeached by a two thirds majority”, he said.
Early last month, a group of six lawmakers wrote to the Jonglei state
Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk calling for the resignation of the Speaker.
The letter signed by the six invoked 13 clauses of the state constitution they claimed the Speaker had violated.