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

Activist Edmund Yakani is calling on the executive and legislative bodies of the government to make compromise on the draft budget to allocate better salary for civil servants, and members of the organized forces.

On Thursday, Cabinet Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lumoro disclosed that the dispute between the executive and the parliament has delayed the passing of the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget.

Dr. Lumoro said lawmakers mainly from SPLM-In Opposition and South Sudan Opposition Alliance demanded a 1,000 percent increment of civil servants’ salaries.

Dr. Lumoro said the suggested increment by the SPLM-IO and SSOA MPs is contrary to the 400% the executive recommended.

Reacting to the impasse, Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, said the cabinet and parliament must agree on the need to increase the salary of the civil servants.

“Whatever argument the cabinet and parliament have it have to be centered on an increment of the salary scale of the civil servants, soldiers and members of law enforcement agencies at a sound level,” he said in a statement.

Yakani argues that the current prices in the market have caused mental torture and pain to civil servants, soldiers and law enforcement agents.

“The market price in Juba and across the country are very expensive that the current salary scale of our civil servants, whenever they receive the salaries and go to the market, they face a mental torture and pain and that mental pain and torture.”

“This mental torture and pain they face in the markets is not faced by some cabinet and parliamentarians because of the salary scale you have at the cabinet level.”

The activist further calls on the government bodies to work for the welfare of the common people, whom he says have equal rights with government officials.

“I want to urge the members of the cabinet and parliament to compromise for increasing the salary scales to a sound level that can make them reduce the mental torture they face over market prices or services and the cost of other social services they need.”

“They have families and responsibilities they are human beings like us the difference between cabinet, parliament, civil servnats, soldiers and members of law enforcement agencies.”

“But those privileges are not shared equally they do not have equal privileges as the cabinet and the parliament it is easy to release money for the benefit of cabinet and parliament, but it is very hard to get money for the benefit of our civil servnats, soldiers and members of law enforcement agencies.”