Judges demand resignation of chief justice and better working conditions.
Juba, May 3,(Jonglei Times)-Judges in South Sudan have gone on strike
to demand the resignation of the country’s chief justice and better
working conditions, chairman of the judges and justice committee said on
Wednesday.
Khalid Abdalla Mohammed
said the strike, which began on Tuesday, is the latest action by state
employees in the nation blighted by civil war and worsening economic
crisis.
Courts across the country
ceased to operate after talks mediated by the government to end the
dispute between the judges and the chief justice failed, Mohammed told a
local newspaper in the capital, Juba.
The
demand includes the enactment of judicial laws, improved working
conditions, transport allowances and an increase in the number of
courtrooms to tackle overcrowding.
Mohammed
accused the government of playing politics over their demands, and
alleged the chief justice was incompetent and could not perform his
duties diligently.
“The judges
petitioned the president for chief justice to resign or sack him but
none of these demands has been fulfilled,” he said.
Presidential
Adviser on Legal Affairs Lawrence Korbandy acknowledged the
negotiations taking place with judges, but said they had defied a call
for a dialogue with the president.
“The
government has agreed to meet some of their demands during
negotiations, and it is very surprising that they went ahead with the
planned strikes,” Korbandy told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday in Juba.
Last year, judges across South Sudan staged a month-long strike citing the same complaints they made this year.
South
Sudanese economy has been hit hard by more than three years of civil
war that has left tens of thousands of people dead, slashed government
revenue and sent annual inflation soaring to almost 900 percent,
according to South Sudan’s National Bureau of Statistics.
The
cash-strapped transitional unity government hopes to increase oil
production in Unity and Upper Nile oil fields that was halted by the
civil conflict and drop in global oil prices.
The
country depends on oil exports to finance 98 percent of its fiscal
budget and still awaits a promised financial bailout from the
international community after it sent a high delegation to Washington
last month to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund and the
World Bank.
©2017
Jonglei Times Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of
governments to government publications and spokespersons and we allow public
opinions;
If you have opinion or comment please send it to jongleitimes@gmail.com
Publishers named above each report are responsible for their
own content, which Jonglei Times does not have the legal right to edit or
correct.
No comments:
Post a Comment