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New Southern Sudan Cabinet Boasts Senior Figures of the Ruling Party

   The secretary general of the Sudan Peoplesā Liberation Movement, Pagan
   Amum, is named to head the Ministry of Peace and CPA Implementation

   William Eagle 25 June 2010

   This  week,  the  president of the Government of Southern Sudan, Salva
   Kiir,  named  a new 32-member cabinet. Observers say itās a mixture of
   old and new. Among the officials who have been replaced is Dor. Joseph
   Minytuil  Wiejang,  former  Minister of Health, and former minister of
   Housing and Physical Planning, Martin Okerrok.

AFP Photo

   Pagan Amum now heads the Ministry of Peace and CPA Implementation

   Seven  of the ministers are women, and the National Congress Party has
   two  posts  -  the  ministries  of  wildlife  and  tourism, and of the
   environment.

   Ā

   Ā

   A focus on the future

   In the most publicized move, the secretary general of the ruling Sudan
   Peopleās  Liberation  Movement,  Pagan  Amum,  was  named  to head the
   Ministry of Peace and CPA Implementation. In the post, heāll negotiate
   with  officials of the central government in Khartoum over issues that
   must   be   settled  before  a  planned  referendum  in  January  over
   independence for the south.

   Sudan  analyst  Hussein Solomon of the Institute of Islamic Studies in
   Pretoria,  South  Africa,  said he has some concerns about the cabinet
   move.

   ā[Amum]  is  a  bit  of  a hot head, and you donāt need someone to add
   further   fuel   to   the   fire,  and  heāll  be  liaising  with  his
   counterpart[s] up north.

   āBut  I  understand why Kiir appointed him: Given his position [in the
   SPLM],  the  party and the Government of Southern Sudan wanted to keep
   [the  implementation  of  the  comprehensive  peace  agreement and the
   referendum]  as  very  important  issues.  So making use of the [SPLM]
   secretary general in that [new cabinet] position does make sense.

   Inroads for women

   Another  well-known  official  named  to the cabinet is Anne Itto, the
   SPLM  deputy  secretary  general  for  the southern sector. Sheās been
   named  to  head  the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, a
   post that Solomon says āis important in that you have a [major problem
   in  south  Sudan]  in  terms  of  food  security.  She  is  a bit of a
   technocrat, which is good; and does not seem to be ideological. She is
   one  of  seven  cabinet  ministers who are female, but I donāt know to
   what  extent  she  is regarded as a heavy hitter for such an important
   post.ā

   President  Salva  Kiir's  new cabinet will help prepare southern Sudan
   for next year's referendum on independence

   The  Sudan  analyst  says Kiir is keeping with his campaign promise to
   have  women  make  up  almost  30% of his cabinet. The move is also in
   keeping  with  the  comprehensive  peace  agreement signed between the
   north  and  south,  which suggested that women should make up at least
   25% of government.

   āItās  going  to  be  a  process,ā says Solomon. āItās not enough, but
   given  the  patriarchal  culture  heās  operating in, [Kiir] should be
   commended.ā

   Bigger...or better ?
   
   Some  complain  that the cabinet is too big, and could be cut in half.
   Salva  Kiirās  challenger in the recent presidential election, Dr. Lam
   Akol  Ajawin,  calls  it bloated, and some positions redundant. Others
   say  the  staffing  is  based  on political considerations, instead of
   providing service to constituents.

   Cabinet ministries will be expected to improve the delivery of health,
   transport and other services

   Analyst  Hussein  Solomon says āthere are some who say it is unwieldy,
   but  it  was a fine balancing act. Kiir did succeed in retaining those
   with  sets of skills who were performing well in the previous cabinet,
   and  getting  rid  of  dead  wood  like  the former Minister of Health
   [Joseph  Minytuil  Wiejang] if you consider the strikes in the medical
   sector.  There  was  also  geographic  representation,  though to what
   extent it represents adequately an ethnic representation, Iām not sure
   of that.

   āBut what I find most interesting,ā he explains, āis that the southern
   Sudan  Legislative  Assembly  did  endorse all of Kiirās cabinet posts
   ā¦After  the  elections,  Kiir took two months to assemble the cabinet
   [which]  is  broadly  representative  of all the major factions in the
   SPLM  and  other  political  parties.  [That]  suggests he has finally
   gotten control and established his authority.

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