By
Benjamin Takpiny, JUBA South Sudan
South
Sudan’s lack of a budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year has led many of its
citizens to be worried about the collapse of the country’s economy.
The
previous fiscal year ended in June and the new one began in July, yet the
country has still not been informed of the new budget estimates.
The
government has been implementing a peace agreement signed in 2018 by the
warring parties -- Sudan People's Liberation Movement under President Salva
Kiir, Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition under then-former First
Vice President Riek Machar, other political parties, South Sudan Opposition
Alliance, and former detainees.
The deal
includes training unified forces, making a security arrangement, disbarment of
civilians -- the government of national unity -- as well as repatriation of
refugees and internal displaced people to their home towns.
According
to the peace deal, the Unity government has expanded from 20 ministries to 35
ministries, accommodating all opposition groups in the power sharing.
While the
parties are about to complete the formation of all institutions of the
government, including all national spending agencies, the parliament has failed
to appoint the members from the opposition groups.
Ter
Manyang Gatwech, a human rights activist and executive director of the Center
for Peace and Advocacy, said it is extremely worrying if a new budget has not
been presented for approval.
He added:
“The budget is an avenue to ensure the country's economic growth and aims to
accelerate it. If there is an inflation, the government will look at ways to
improve people's spending power”
The
budget is very important because it helps the government make provisions to
raise budgetary spending and promote savings, Gatwech noted.
“How will
the government prioritize the needs of South Sudanese citizens? If they don’t
have a financial year budget, it’s very worrying, and I don’t know how they are
going to manage the activities they are carrying out un-budgeted,” he told
Anadolu Agency in Juba.
South
Sudan financial fiscal year budget of 2019-20 is 208 billion South Sudanese
pounds ($1.6 billion).
James
Akech, a 29-year-old motorcycle taxi -- known as Boda Boda -- driver in Juba,
wondered how the government can begin a new fiscal year without any funds.
“The
budget must be in place, since much more funding is needed this year,” he said.
As the
government expands from two vice presidents to five, the number of national ministries
rises from 20 to 35, so does the number of troops in the army and other
organized forces also rises with additions from the opposition groups, and new
government officials require accommodation, all these need more funding, he
explained.
“There is
no reason for a delay because budget preparation is made months before the
financial year comes to an end.
“I cannot
understand whether the delay is intentional or due to the coronavirus,” he
added, stressing that all leaders would need funding for their departments to
operate.
Since
South Sudan has expanded all government institutions under the peace agreement
to accommodate all warring parties to be involved in the power sharing, the
spendings will also increase.
The
parliament is also supposed to be reconstituted, expanding from 330 MPs to 550,
including the opposition group members.
“Allowances
are supposed to be provided. There are forces in the cantonment sites [sites to
unite and accommodate all forces, including the opposition groups] and training
centers and possibly new recruits, if any. They may need their [own] budget,”
Akech also said, adding: “The delay shows a big mess in the handling of the
budget.”
His
sentiments were also echoed by Mohammed Abdallah, a businessman in Juba, who
argued that even the 2019-20 fiscal year budget was never implemented as
planned.
“If the
government never properly implemented last year’s budget, then how should a
country move forward?” Abdallah said, and added: “The country is supposed to
move forward, not backward.”
While the
leadership may recycle last fiscal year’s budget, its implementation would
effectively fail with the current expanded government, said Abraham Kuol Nyuon,
the dean of the School of Economic and Social Studies at the University of
Juba.
“The partial
formation of the government and the COVID-19 pandemic might have added up to
the excuses of the government," Nyuon said, referring to why the failure
of the government to present the new fiscal year budget on time.
“It could
be a shortcut for them saying the budget is here," he said, that the
government might anytime decide on the last year's financial fiscal year as
also the new one, instead of making a new fiscal year budget.
“There
are things that might affect it. Even the issue of inflation could be a factor
within the budgeting system. That makes it very difficult for them to adopt
last year’s budget,” Nyuon noted, saying that the government does not even
fully implement the annual budget plans.
“Because
people are still going on six or seven months without salaries, that means last
year’s budget was not implemented.
“Originally,
we could see that South Sudan does not follow a budgeting procedure," he
said, meaning that how much is going to be spent by the government for
developmental projects, including construction of roads, schools, hospitals
among others, are not well-planned.
“You can
be able to see that even last year’s budget had not been implemented 50%.”
The delay
in presenting the country’s budget has also caught the attention of civil
society organizations.
“The
issue of having national budget for the new financial year starting from July
2020 is critical for the political leadership to act,” said Edmund Yakani, a
civil society activist and executive director of the Community Empowerment for
Progress Organization.
The formation of new states governments as well as the smooth running of the peace process will depend on the budget, Yakani said. - Africa
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