A Member of Parliament at the National Assembly questioned the whereabouts of the money which is being deducted from civil servants’ salaries as a savings fund for pension.
William Otong, who represents Upper Nile’s Panyikang County on an SSOA ticket, alleged that civil servants are actively contributing to the pension fund yet no single person has received a pension in the country.
“When Sudan was one before the separation or the independence of South Sudan, when you went for the pension, you would get all your rights but after independence up to now, we don’t know whether there is the pension,” he argued the deliberation on the South Sudan Insurance Bill on Tuesday.
According to the lawmaker, only those who served as the police and in the army of Sudan were able to receive the money but that was until the conflict of 2013.
“My question goes to the minister (of labor), we are talking about pensions and it is the rights of those who become overage to give a space to the young generation to take over,” he said.
“Up to now, people are deducted amounts from their salaries. Where does this money go and why are people not getting their rights?” he questioned.
According to him, the ageing workforce has grown frustrated and stick around keeping adjusting their ages to avoid retirement because they are sure that they will not get their benefits.
“Up to now, nothing is clear because you know if he asks for the pension, he will not get his rights. That is why some of the people go back and renew their age. So, instead of saying that he is 60, he will say he is 40 or something like that to be young.”
On Monday this week, minister of interior, Angelina Teny said the government is facing an uphill task in replenishing the ageing workforce in the organized forces, who are rather unwilling to exit the service.
Angelina lamented that the country is willing to rejuvenate its force by employing fresh blood but this would have to come at the expense of retiring the elderly ones.
“In order for the country to employ young blood, the work of the organized forces needs young people. If you do not exit, it becomes difficult for you to continue to recruit and will bring problems that may cause the organized forces to be a top headache,” she lamented.
According to Angelina, the problem is not unique to her new docket only. When she served as the minister of defence and veterans affairs, she remembered how there were laws on retiring personnel and putting them up on pension but implementing them was a toll order.
Last month, South Sudan Pension Fund General Manager, Jacob Mayendit, faulted the ministry of finance and planning and some state administrations for the meager collections which he said stood at 2.9 per cent instead of 16 per cent.
“Ministry of Finance is supposed to do a calculation of 16 per cent, which is 11 per cent share of employee’s contribution and 5 percent of the individual’s reduction,” he said, adding, “The states are not even remitting, [they] are getting contributions and the politicians are misusing that fund.”
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