Members of the transitional national legislature during a sitting in Juba. | Photo: Courtesy.

The spokesperson of the national legislature said the august house resumed deliberations this week despite renewed boycott by  SPLM-IO representatives.

John Agany, an SPLM-nominated lawmaker said the remaining members of parliament are unconcerned about the grievances of their colleagues, and that they have resumed sitting on Tuesday without IO members.

“There was a sitting and today we are going for another seating, we are doing our work nonstop,” he said to Eye Radio.

Last month, The main opposition party lawmakers boycotted sittings, after the legislative assembly enacted the Political Parties Act, 2012 Amendment Bill.

The issues of contention was the criteria for registering a political party.

According to the Political Parties Act of 2012, for a political party to be registered, it must have at least 500 members from each of the 10 states.

However, other peace parties proposed 300 members.

Another contentious matter was the way a budget could be allocated.

Lawmakers from the SPLM-IG reportedly preferred the allocation to be based on the outcome of a general election, while SPLM-IO and some other opposition MPs rejected the approach.

The protesting MPs demanded that the bill be discussed again, or otherwise they would stay out of the parliament.

Weeks later, Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba forwarded the issue to the President and his five deputies, who are still silent on the matter.

The opposition MPs have renewed their sitting boycott this week, claiming the amendment was passed without a consensus.

But Hon. John Agany said the national parliament remains unshaken by the opposition boycott.

“Yes only SPLM-IO members are missing in the house and their number is 128 and they will never affect any activities of the assembly, because SPLM/IG have 305 members and the other members of the house are already there including the OPP who was the Godfather of the quarrel,” he said.

“We don’t mind their presence, by the way when an MP boycott his work it has to be done by the conduct of the business, as for that matter they are not more MP, so defiantly the problem is we are R-TGONU and if one of us pulled out for any reason they have actually to use the consent.”

In response, Hon. Nhial Bol from the SPLM-IO told Eye Radio they will continue with the boycott until the matter is addressed.

“First of all we are not worried about what they are doing, what took us to the parliament is the agreement, and we cannot watch the violations of the agreement and stay in the parliament,” said Bol.

The opposition lawmaker also stated, they intend to extend the boycott to their members in the Council of States as well as opposition lawmakers in the states level.

“We wish them good luck to continue with the rest. With the situation even our members from the other part of the council of the states may even and we are still boycotting so that the SPLM/IG run it,” he told Eye Radio on Wednesday.

“We will decide and it will be very soon and if this can amount to our pulling out from all the other players of the government in the states and the counties. This agreement is the one that brought us to this government and we are not job seekers.”

The national parliament is composed of 332 SPLM-IG members, 128 SPLM-IO members, 50 SSOA members, 30 other political party members and 10 former detainee members.