Chiefs Form Groundbreaking Council
RUMBEK, Sudan, March 14 (Gurtong) – The first Traditional Leadership
Council in South Sudan got off the ground on Wednesday in the Lakes State capital
of Rumbek with the verbal consensus of over 40 chiefs from the area on a constitution.
The draft constitution was a result of several days work and dialogue between
the chiefs who represent all eight counties of Lakes State. The paper was discussed
at length on Wednesday afternoon by chiefs from all parts of the state together
with Chief Dut Malwal Arop, a high profile chief and community leader who is
also the focal point for the chiefs at the conference.
“I am hoping that everyone will sign the constitution tomorrow,”
said Chief Dut, “all the documents will be put together and then we will
all sign it”.
The draft constitution contains details on the basic guiding principles of
the council, its objectives, methods to achieve these objectives, membership
and participation, the duties of the members as well as how the council will
deal with its finances. The name of the council was decided as ‘The Council
of Traditional Leaders in Lakes State’. The location of its secretariat
is up for debate, if discussions go according to plan, before the conference
in Rumbek breaks up on Friday morning. The constitution makes way for the formation
of a secretariat, and the formation of by-laws for their election and dismissal.
‘The Council is to work on conflict prevention and peaceful conflict
resolution … all decisions shall be taken by consensus … the council
shall maintain its autonomy regardless of financial sources’ reads the
draft which also says that the council should meet three times a year.
The draft also makes clear that one of the council’s roles will be to
ensure that all state and central government laws are in line with customary
law. It also will check that provisions for communal land law in the Southern
Sudan and national interim constitutions are upheld, although how exactly this
legislation is to be implemented is still unclear according to analysts and
the Government of Southern Sudan Minister for Legal Affairs and Constitutional
Development, Michael Makuei Leuth.
The draft also makes provisions for women and youth to be consulted in its
decision making and mandates the formation of committees to ‘elect and
send representatives of women and youth’ to the council meetings. None
of the participants at the Rumbek conference currently ongoing are women and
during discussions only two of the chiefs have identified themselves as representing
youth as well as traditional leadership.
“Women and youth could not attend this conference because of a lack of
accommodation,” explained Dut, “but they are already in the recommendations,
the way is made.”
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