OPP protests appointment of eight state MPs

The Other Political Parties (OPP), a signatory to the peace agreement, protested the appointment of eight members to the state assemblies by the president on Monday.

They termed the appointment “not inclusive” of the parties of the OPP.

 “We call upon President Kiir to reconsider this appointment and allow the existing proposal for the distribution of the allocated eight seats in each state assembly of the ten states in the country to exist and agree to the final appointment,” the statement read in part.

On March 28, 2022, President Salva Kiir issued a number of Republican Decrees on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation, appointing either legislator.

But a statement issued by Kornelio Kon Ngu on behalf of OPP claimed that the appointments did not represent all the parties within the OPP.

“This entails serious intent of forgery of the parties’ wills and names to OPP,” he said. ”Most of the members announced are not members of the parties put against them. For example, National Alliance has not participated in the process and its name appeared against some members, which we do not know,” he added.

According to the OPP leaders, the ANC was mentioned in the Central Equatoria State Assembly, but it was not a part of the process, and the appointed member is unknown.

Kornelio said the OPP leadership did not agree and had not submitted a unified list for the appointment of their representatives in the state assemblies up to date.

He added that OPP leaders were still discussing the proposal of dividing the allocated eight seats in each state assembly among the six signatories of OPP. They are to be shared as follows: the National Alliance (two seats), Umbrella (two seats), while the ANC, USAP, UDSF and UDP should be having a seat each. However, this has not been exhausted by the parties within the OPP due to the rejection of the proposal by the Umbrella party.

Kornelia said the Other Political Parties will always submit their nominations to the revitalised peace agreement implementation mechanisms or institutions through the high-level committee headed by Tut Gatluak, the Presidential Advisor on National Security and the Secretary, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, the Minister for Cabinet Affairs, who will then present it to the President for an appointment.

“It is not clear to the OPP, who submitted the announced list to the President for an appointment at the time when the committee chair and the secretary were not in the country.”