Civil society activist Edmund Yakani has welcomed President Salva Kiir's directives to tackle South Sudan’s financial crisis, while calling on authorities to ensure they are properly implemented.
Kiir issued the directive during the swearing-in ceremony of
the new Bank of South Sudan Governor, Dr. Addis Ababa Othow, last Friday,
ordering the financial sector to address the ongoing cash shortage and saying
the “cash crunch must stop.”
Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for
Progress Organization (CEPO), said the directive was a positive step but
questioned whether officials would follow through with its implementation.
He noted that previous government orders on fighting
corruption and improving financial management had not been fully implemented.
“President needs to really put efforts on making sure his
subordinates in the economic and finance sector walk the talk,” Yakani said.
“We have had similar directives, including fighting
corruption, including commitment towards public finance management, but none of
them were being executed by the subordinate of the President.”
Last month, the Ministerial High-Level Committee on Economic
Reform directed commercial banks to pay government revenue to the Ministry of
Finance in cash while continuing digital collection through Crawford Capital
Pay.
The move aims to increase cash circulation and help ensure
public servants receive their salaries on time.
However, Yakani questioned the move, saying the main concern
is ensuring public funds are properly managed.
“Whether through cash or online, at the end of the day, the
revenue is not translated into the basket of the government for covering
salaries,” he stated.
He further called on authorities to investigate the
widespread circulation of South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) in the black market while
commercial banks continue to experience severe cash shortages.
He urged the government to hold a national discussion on
managing the South Sudanese Pound and addressing currency problems.
The executive director said the cash shortage was a national
security issue and called on authorities to investigate those keeping large
amounts of money outside the banking system.