Some residents of Aweil town have expressed gratitude towards their area member of parliament for reportedly donating his medical allowance to the flood-affected population.
This week, Honorable Deng Tong Kuol who represents Aweil North County in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly in Juba said he has offered $15,000 to his community.
This is money given to him as medical allowance by the national Ministry of Finance and Planning.
The 650 lawmakers from the upper and lower houses were given the cash early last week.
“I donated 3 million South Sudanese Pounds to support people who are affected by the flood in my community of Aweil North County. I also donated $8,000 to my community here in Juba to buy the community land plot,” Hon. Tong disclosed.
Torrential rains and flash floods have continued to devastate most parts of greater Bahr el Ghazal region.
There have been reports of schools getting temporarily closed down, children drowning and thousands of families getting displaced – and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
The news of the donation has been received with excitement and gratitude by some members of his constituency.
“I appreciate Honorable Deng Tong for the great support to his peoples. We hope other MPs who also received medical allowed will do the same because he is not the only MP who received such amount,” Ngoren Mawien, a resident of Aweil town said.
Malong Athiengdit said:
“When legislators give support to their peoples in such a situation, it can build trust between the community and members whether in the national or state legislature. This is because people have lost hope in they elected, they don’t come back to share the challenges facing people in their constituencies.”
Honorable Deng Tong said he donated 800,000 SSP to his party, the SPLM party in Aweil North to facilitate grass-root mobilization efforts.
He insisted that his gesture was an act of responsibility and not self-gratification.
“If there is something small we get, then the priority must be to those who voted for us. I am not an appointed MP but elected in 2010 to represent constituency Number One in Aweil North County of Northern Bahr El Ghazal state.”
Last week, Hon. John Agany Deng, the Chairperson of Information, Communication, Technology, and Postal Services in the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative confirmed to Eye Radio each of the MPs was supposed to get $50,000 of the yearly medical allowance. But the amount has been reduced to $30,000 per year after the Parliament and Council of States was expanded through the revitalized peace deal.