Agany: Lawmakers should come to their senses, return to parliament

Sudan | The Black Examiner – The legislators representing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) should come back to their senses and return to the National Legislative Assembly, John Agany Deng, the assembly’s spokesperson has said.

A disagreement over the increment of civil servants’ salaries sparked intense debate in the parliament on Friday during the third reading of the 2023/2024 budget resulting in the SPLM-IO parliamentarians walking out and boycotting the sitting.

Speaking after the passage of the budget on Friday, Agany, urged SPLM-IO lawmakers to return to the assembly.

“We hope the single party which has walked out, the SPLM-IO, will come to their senses and they return to the house when we tabled the other bills other than the financial bill which we have now passed,” he said.

In June 2022, the SPLM-IO lawmakers boycotted parliamentary sittings to protest the passage of the Political Parties Act, saying there was no consensus.

The opposition also accused the SPLM party of tampering with the language in the law.

Aganysaid he hoped that the SPLM-IO lawmakers will soon return to resume their duties.

“It is also to be recorded that during the scrutiny of the Political Parties Bill about six months ago, the same party agitated the other parties to walk out. They did not learn from that lesson,” he said. “They stayed away for a few months and after they came to their senses, they came back to the National Legislative Assembly and continued their practices.”

“They are getting another break and we hope that they will return to carry out their normal duties,” Agany added.

The assembly’s spokesperson said parliamentarians have the right to deliberate, scrutinize and discuss issues within the plenary and that walking out is uncalled for and disorderly.

For his part, First Deputy Speaker Nathaniel Oyet who belongs to the SPLM-IO said they are ready to resume work in the next parliamentary sitting.

“We have walked out, let them do what they want but we are ready to resume the parliament in the next sitting,” he said.

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