By Taban Gabriel
Speaking at the 8th Governor’s Forum in Juba on Friday, Minister of Federal Affairs Lasuba L. Wango dismissed concerns that adopting a federal system of governance in South Sudan could lead to the secession of certain regions. The Minister acknowledged receiving feedback from citizens expressing reservations, including fears that federalism might fragment some states within the country.
“And from the report that was generated, there were reservations that were highly underlined and were brought to the attention of the ministry as we prepare the country from the decentralization system to a federal system,” Lasuba said
“One of the reservations that we got was, number one, that there is some fear from the public and some groups that say there will be inequality due to uneven distribution of resources, number two, there is also fear that once we go federal, and then there will be a disintegration of South Sudan and this I have to point out because the emphasis has been that if we go federal and then Equatoria Region will opt to secede,” he continued
The Minister, however, disputed the views and reinforced his Ministry’s call to have a federal system of Governance in South Sudan “to promote national unity”
Minister Lasuba said establishing a federal system of governance, “Will foster peace, unity, and good governance in the country.” The Minister said
“The Ministry has developed key strategic goals, and for this matter, there are three which I wanted to highlight. Strategic goal number one states that the ministry has to introduce federalism in order to ensure peace, stability, and development for the people of South Sudan.”
The Minister, in his remark, further maintained that federalism will bolster transparency and accountability in the public sector
“Finally, the element of transparency and accountability in the use of public resources is key as far as the federal system and good governance are concerned. Still, the purpose we are saying is that the federal system will bring effective and efficient service delivery to the entire population through the self-governance model number five, equitable resource redistribution and development”
Minister Lasuba made the remarks during a presentation at the ongoing 8th Governor’s Forum in Juba.