By Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol
Public funds reveal a nation’s priorities. A recent payment of $5,000 each to 550 members of parliament and 100 members of the Council of States, totalling 650 MPs, received $3.25 million. Perhaps this raises a simple but urgent question. Why are generous allowances for lawmakers prioritised while many communities still lack roads, clean water, schools, and functioning health facilities?
That $3.25 million could have paid for months of salaries for public servants, covered army payroll shortfalls, or funded the construction of a standard hospital to serve soldiers, civil servants, MPs, and the public. Instead, the payment deepens a perception that public resources are directed toward the comforts of a few rather than the basic services that sustain many.
The problem is not only the size of the payout but also the accountability that surrounds it. Some parliamentary seats lack clearly defined constituencies, which weakens the link between representatives and the people they are meant to serve.
When lawmakers cannot point to concrete communities, it becomes harder for citizens to hold them responsible for local needs. The result is a governance gap: decisions are made far from the daily realities of those who lack roads, schools, and hospitals.
Redirecting even part of this sum toward infrastructure would deliver tangible benefits and restore trust in public stewardship. A modest reallocation could repair rural roads that connect farmers to markets, equip hospitals with essential medicines, or provide clean water systems that prevent disease. These are investments with immediate, measurable returns in health, education, and economic activity.
A public discussion on spending priorities is overdue. Citizens deserve budgets that reflect their needs, not comforts for the few in Parliament that don’t have constituencies in the payams and counties and who are not sick.
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