South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Rt. Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba, has called on Finance Minister Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater to urgently table the long-awaited budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026 before the assembly.
Rt.Hon.Nunu made this call following her meeting with President Salva Kiir Mayardit at the state house in Juba on Thursday.
“We expect the Minister of Finance to present the budget to Parliament as soon as possible,” Rt.Hon. Nunu told SSBC on Thursday.
She stated that the assembly is ready to receive the budget, which she described as a very ‘important bill’ for the country.
“We have assured him that as a Parliament, we will do our best to deliver within our mandate, especially regarding the remaining outstanding issues related to the implementation of the Peace Agreement.”
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), expressed concern over the delay in tabling the budget.
“We hope that this budget will be service-centred, and we want to see compliance with the previous budget for 2024-2025,” Yakani said.
Yakani emphasised the need for the Ministry of Finance to present a quarterly report detailing expenses from the previous budget for 2024-2025 to ensure transparency and accountability.
“The budget must be credible, and that is why we, as civil society, are demanding that the National Parliament ensure that quarterly reports of the previous budget are made public. We hope that the Ministry of Finance can also publish that quarterly report.”
An outspoken activist has called on government agencies to demonstrate compliance with financial standards and procedures to ensure transparency in financial dealings.
