CEPO Director Edmund Yakani | Photo: Awan Moses/Eye Radio.

Civil Society Activist Edmond Yakani calls on the transitional government to develop a formula for timely payment of civil servants’ salaries while urging an end to what he termed “Panadol” payment.

The activist made the remarks after members of the organized forces received a one-month salary for October 2023 as announced by security officials – with five more months pending.

Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, said it would be of great help to the government workforce if salaries are paid on monthly basis.

He called on the ministries of Finance and Public Service to take serious consideration of the issue of salary delays.

“There should be a formula of how to clear the arrears of the civil servants on regular basis, if they can pay them on weekly or monthly basis, it will be really of great help to the civil servants,” he said.

“But clearing one month and again after another six months, you are adding up the arrears. The ease of the arrears of the civil servants should be taken seriously by the new Minister of Finance.”

According to him, the government should not administer salaries to the civil servants like “Panadol” but rather on regular basis.

“Let the government take a responsibility of not treating salary as a Panadol to the civil servants. We wish that the salaries should at a regular basis with this economic crisis.”

“One-month salary out of a delayed period of either 6,8 or 7 months means nothing, because out of that 6, 7 or 8 months already all of them are consumed.”

“This is a loan in advance clearing of the civil servants, so it makes no difference. I wish they pay the arrears once and for all.”

South Sudan’s pound currency drastically weakened against the United States dollar between February and March, triggering a sharp increase in commodity prices across the country.

The situation is blamed on dwindling revenue due to barriers on the country’s precious oil export caused by the war in Sudan and the indiscriminate attacks on ships at Red Sea by Houthi rebels.

This has induced economic hardships that leave the government struggling to pay civil servants salaries, as the public workforce goes for seven months without its dues.