Kupera County Commissioner in Yei River State Emmanuel Khamis Richard Luka is urging Members of Parliament or MPs to visit their constituencies to interact with communities and disseminate the revitalized peace agreement and its importance.
It is unfortunate that most of the state and national MPs are not visiting their populations, he regrets, Radio Easter reported.
The commissioner calls on the MPs to work and coordinate with the commissioners and chiefs to reach the grassroots citizens.
‘I would like to take this opportunity, to urge our MPs. It’s very unfortunate and I want to make it very clearly that most of our MPs, both our national and the state Members of Parliament are not visiting their constituencies in order to go there to interact with the people and enlighten our people about the peace agreement and its importance and this is very unfortunate. These MPs should be going to their constituencies. They must come to the counties to join us as commissioners, join the chiefs and let us move together to disseminate the peace agreement’, Khamis urges.
The commissioner cites representation of the people in the constituencies as the sole responsibility of MPs.
He disagrees with some of their excuses of insecurity.
‘Their most important role is to represent their constituencies. So it is very unfortunate that most of our MPs have been cut off from their constituencies. For too long they have not been going to their constituencies and some of the excuses they are giving are not true. Take an example, the security in most of our counties is stable and are accessible. Is a matter of them coordinating with us the commissioners then we see how we can facilitate them. Go to your constituencies. We are ready to provide the necessary security that they need. An MP who is just here in Yei still fears to go to Kupera on claims of insecurity. Which insecurity?’ Khamis asks.
Meanwhile, MP Robert Isaiah Lomude representing Lainya South constituency says some MPs are able to visit their constituencies in the company of the governor’s visit to their counties.
He cites maximum security guarantee only when there is convoy of the governor travelling to different areas of the state.
‘Some of us have been able to visit those constituencies in the company of his Excellency the Governor. When the Governor arranges for a visit, there is a maximum security which is guaranteed. For example, I’m representing Lainya and I have so far visited my constituency about three times and this has been possible in the company of the Governor and whenever the Governor visits, normally the area MP is given an opportunity to say something to his or her people’, says MP Isaiah.
Robert says he is optimistic that the parliamentarians will have a lot of privileges to visit their constituencies when the transitional government of national unity is formed in February.