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EDITORIAL

OPINION

hope for a unitary system of government the people. It is difficult to see how a participation of people in managing
in South Sudan in the year 2013. The decentralized system disunites people their own affairs and this may be likened
states are not empowered to collect taxes when the focus is to bring services to a decentralized system.
as expected in a decentralized system for for a high standard of living. What As a development practitioner I
development. Collection of taxes has really disunites people is high level of am baffled when people think of a
been centralized which is causing some corruption and deliberate inequitable decentralized system as divisive which
states, for example Central Equatoria, to sharing of power and wealth as a result means people are divided. This is flaw
suffer acutely from lack of revenue. of tribalism contrary to nationalism. thinking. A decentralized system of

Cabinet Ministers at a Council of Ministers meeting early in 2012. [Gurtong/file]

Decentralized system Theories of top-down and bottom-up government is one that divides the
Article 47(a, b) confirms a decentralized approaches may be helpful. A top-down powers of government between the
system of government in South Sudan. approach may represent a centralized national government and state, and local
It can be seen that the main objective system where unquestionable government. From this definition there
of a decentralized system is to bring compliance is expected. In contrast is nowhere shown that a decentralized
the government and services closer to a bottom-up approach offers a wider system divides the people. It should be

10 | Gurtong Focus Monthly February 2013