South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater has promised to pay in three -month installments the outstanding salary arrears of civil servants and members of the organized forces.
Civil servants and members of the security forces have not been paid for 9 months.
Dongrin confirmed on Monday while appearing before lawmakers in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA).
The minister was summoned together with other ten ministers of the economic cluster including the Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority in a closed-door hearing to provide answers on deteriorating economic and hunger situation in the country.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Information and Communication, Oliver Mori Benjamin said that Dongrin promised to pay the outstanding arrears in three installments each month.
“It was suggested that for these nine months, let them be divided into three installments of each three months to be paid, and it was agreed by the economic cluster that depending on the resources available for them, this one will be put into consideration,” Mori told journalists on Tuesday after the parliamentary session in Juba.
Mori said the Minister of Finance promised to end accumulation of unpaid salary arrears for civil servants and organized forces, adding that he also vowed to release the first installment of salary arrears very soon.
“Today is about ten days towards the end of this month; he will also make sure that salaries will be released to the working force. In summary, he doesn’t want more accumulation of salary areas as he moves forward,” Mori said.
The parliament spokesperson also stated that the summonses also focused mainly on the general economic situation in the country such as the availability of services to the people, and the rise in the dollar exchange rate.
Mori said that Dongrin assured them that current economic situation largely depends on the budget envelope, adding that MPs urged the minister to speed up the process of tabling the pending 2024/25 fiscal budget.
This year’s budget was supposed to have been presented on 30th June, 2024 before the lawmakers for deliberation and passing.
