Peace monitor urges government to clear unpaid arrears of NCAC staff
The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) on Thursday called on the government to clear all outstanding arrears of the National Constitution Amendment Committee (NCAC) staff.
Maj. Gen Charles Tai Gituai, Interim Chairman of RJMEC appealed to the government to avail funds for the striking national members of NCAC.
NCAC is the the body mandated under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement to incorporate the revitalized agreement into the transitional constitution and review security, political parties, and election laws among other things.
“I have written to the RTGoNU urging payment of allowances to the national members of the NCAC,” Gituai said during RJMEC plenary meeting held in Juba.
He said the boycott by the NCAC members is a “matter of very serious concern” because the NCAC mandate is expected to end in May 2023.
“In addition to the NGO Act and Investment Promotion Act, the NCAC still has four other bills to be worked on, including the Mining, Transport, Pension Fund, and Telecommunication Acts,” he said.
Gituai said lack of support for the NCAC will impede the implementation of the judicial reforms.
“Some progress had been made by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee (NCAC) in the reviews, amendments, and drafting of the NGO Act and the Investment Promotion Act before its national members boycotted participation due to non-payment of their allowances,” he said.
For his part, Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General said lack of funding had limited operations of transitional mechanism, in addition to slowing down their progress and momentum.
“Therefore, we call upon the transitional government to make the necessary budgetary allocations to the mechanisms to ensure they achieve their critical and time-bound functions,” Guang said.
The NCAC national members who are on the payroll of the government recently laid down their tools demanding to be paid outstanding arrears of 10 months.
NCAC is composed of 15 members, two are non-nationals and 13 are nationals representing the Parties to the Agreement and stake-holders.
The two non-nationals are supported by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the other 13 nationals are supposed to be facilitated by the government.
