Constituency Development Fund: Crooked theft by GoSS MPs
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- Created on Monday, 21 September 2009 14:41
- Written by Jennifer Wanichan
The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was created in Southern Sudan in 2008 through an act of parliament of SSLAÂ (South Sudan Legislative Assembly) to accelerate the rehabilitation process and fight extreme poverty at the grassroots level through the implementation of community based projects which have long term effects of improving the peoples' economic well being and or to relieve the newly formed government from the heavy criticism and demands of fund-raising for projects which ought to be financed through the 50% oil revenues.
This fund was by large a test of the MPs' as accountable and transparent leaders - They have failed to demonstrate the positive.
The legal provision of the establishment and operation of the Act suggested that the fund is essentially a model for supporting South Sudan decentralization of development plan and implementation as entrenched in the CPA. Furthermore, the organization and operation of the fund lies squarely within the domain of local people through their popular representatives and administrative offices at the very local levels - the County and below.
When the CDF Act was operationalized in the 2008 financial year, the government of Southern Sudan allocated funds to all counties. First, the Act is very clear on the kind of structures and measures to be undertaken prior to the disbursement of local CDF including the formation of local CDF committee and financial management system.
Initially, the MPs were required to facilitate the formation of local CDF committee which according to the Act is supposed to be composed of representatives of relevant officers at the level of County; Commissioner, County finance officer, special interest and special groups representatives and other opinion leaders from all payams. The function of the local CDF committee in any given county is to receive and keep in safe custody the funds from CDF kitty; consult with the local constituents of respective payams and identify and prioritize projects to be implemented; disburse the funds and oversee their efficient utilization, by preparing and presenting of reports and returns from the constituencies to the CDF parliamentary committee which can later be submitted to the Clerk of the Assembly for Auditing.
Despite the clear legislation guiding the CDF kitty, our MPs have violated the very law they passed to help the poor suffering people they ought to have represented. For instance, when the MPs were asked to move to their counties and form local committees, a majority of them at the onset chose to retreat to the riverside hotels, draft and present lists of false names as members of their committees. The CDF Committee of SSLA and the Clerk deliberately did not bother or lacked the ability and interest to authenticate the lists of committees. I said this because they could have consulted with Commissioners to verify the lists. In this case, the Clerk's office is an accomplice in this conspiracy to rob Southerners through parliament. This was the start of fraud that has dodged the fund to its knees.
In rare cases where committee members exist, they act as rubberstamps because decision making is dominated by the MP and thus undermine the essence of community engagement, the hallowed element of popular participation.
From the time CDF was disbursed in May 2008, majority of MPs have not visited their Counties yet all the CDF bank accounts where funds were kept have run dry. It is evident that the US$ 400,000 funds allocated per constituency have been used by the MPs to buy big cars, construct or buy their personal residence in Juba and foreign countries. Others are said to be grinding their teeth having spent the whole money in luxuries endeavors such as prostitution and drinking besides adding the number of wives.
No wonder, MPs never bothered to put any penalty for any misappropriation of the funds in the Act, but that is not a scapegoat to swindle the tax payers' money. I am not surprised that the same MPs and seniors officials are the same people who "own" local NGOs which they have now sublet to their wives and relatives.
One obsession that is perplexing Southerners and foreigners who have assisted us for years during difficult times is the impunity upon which our leaders conduct themselves. Our MPs and government officials alike behave like vultures which take long to brood the chicks only to swallow them immediately after hatching. They have instantly become so insensitive to the people's problems, socially and politically immoral and corrupt. These people are aware that they will not get back into parliament through fair elections and are now looting the country dry within the short remaining period.
One will also wonder the silence of the media and Anti-corruption commission which are supposed to be the people's watchdogs in this grave matter. The office of the Clerk of the national Assembly should have put a mechanism in place to monitor the implementation of CDF project. By doing this, may be some part of the fund could have been saved from looting by the MPs.
MPs and the government officials must understand that Southerners suffered and did their best to reach where we are. It is also good for them to know that they are there because some people lost their lives. The suffering that our people underwent makes them to be called honorables today while yesterday they were useless in the eyes of the northern oppressors. The course of the struggle has been hanged on the cross and now it is "one for him/herself, God for us All" attitude.
Our country has become a laughing stock soon after we ended our struggle and preparing to enjoy the fruits of the struggle. Unfortunately, the capitalists, opportunities and blunderers have taken over messing the country while the real people who suffered are confined to the periphery.
We are suddenly finding that all their dreams, which have accompanied them during their years of struggle, are totally being destroyed, due to the lack of transparency and accountability as well as grabbing and ethnicity.
The government is then to blame for not stopping rampant corruption. No roads, hospitals, schools are being built, all we can see is the prosperity of the construction work of new villas, high tower buildings, which are being built overnight; and who do they belong to?
I will end up my article by this question which I am sure that each and every noble citizen in south would have an answer to that.
Wanichan Jennifer- Student, Juba University, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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