Topic: Recommendations on South Sudans Government

By: Ishika Momin, United Nations Special Task Force on South Sudan
Overview
South Sudan has suffered politically, socially, and economically because of an ineffective leader
and poor decisions made by their government. Due to these conflicts, South Sudan has been
faced with many negative effects that include low education rates, high poverty percentages, and
many more critical issues. In order to aid South Sudan in choosing a more successful form of
government, we as the United Nations Special Task Force, must make recommendations based
on their past experiences and prevent similar problems from recurring.
______________________________________________________________________________
Constitution
A constitution is a framework of government that includes established principles for a state or
organization to follow. It is crucial that South Sudan establishes a written constitution in order
to prevent ethnic leaders from abusing their power. With a hard copy that includes the
governments laws and principles, there is a lower chance of leaders wrongfully using their
power to limit citizens freedom or pass ineffective laws. President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South
Sudan abused his power when he sacked his entire cabinet causing a Civil War.1 In order to
avoid more tyranny, South Sudan should create a written constitution with updated principles
that ensure consequences.
In addition to a written constitution, South Sudan should also have a confederation system. This
allows smaller states to voice their concerns to the central government. South Sudan can help
create laws that benefit the states as well because they are expressing their opinions to a central
body. If they choose to establish a confederation system, the states can vote on having President
Mayardit resign because of the negative effects his actions had on South Sudan.
Citizens can vote by creating and maintaining a presidential system. South Sudanese people can
choose an elected leader they see will best accommodate their needs. They can elect a leader
other than President Mayardit which they believe will not make the same error and cause another
civil war. Also, since presidents have a term they must serve, while prime ministers can resign at
any moment, this ensures that South Sudan will not be left without guidance from their president.
They need instruction as they transition into a new form of government.
BBC Monitoring, South

Sudan Country Profile, bbc.com, August 3, 2016,

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14069082
1

After a written constitution is established, it should protect the rights of minorities and
individuals by containing a bill of rights. South Sudan can refer back to written laws that must
be obeyed. Punishments and consequences will prevent people from limiting others individual
rights. A bill of rights guarantees civilian protection in many forms. These set of amendments
should include a freedom of speech, religion, and press. The citizens of South Sudan should be
able to openly speak or write about their views on their government and president. According to
the Washington Post, President Mayardit stated, The freedom of press does not mean that you
work against your country...And if anybody among them does not know this country has killed
people, we will demonstrate it one day on them. Journalists in South Sudan are threatened by
their president. Without representation, South Sudanese people are forced to accept the
consequences of their president's actions instead of being able to express their disagreement.
Since there is a low amount of media freedom in South Sudan, journalists are punished for
expressing their views on the ruling party. Establishing a bill of rights with freedom of press
helps South Sudan avoid remaining voiceless and adhering to an ineffective president.
Previously mentioned before, South Sudan has suffered with their president abusing his power.
In order to avoid this, an appointed official like a general should be in charge of the military.
This would prevent the president of South Sudan from having too much power and causing
tyranny while controlling the military. President Mayardit caused a civil war to ensue when he
dismissed his cabinet and former Vice President Riek Machar. Mayardit then replaced members
of the army and government.2 He also dismissed departments from the Sudan Peoples
Liberation Movement (SPLM) based on his personal beliefs. If citizens have the ability to select
an official by a legislature, there will be less bias. There is more of a fair choice when choosing
departments and making decisions within the military. We think that South Sudan should have
this feature because in the past, their president abused his power and made decisions that had a
negative effect on their military and country.
Another recommendation we have is to establish checks and balances. Checks and balances is a
system that allows each of the three branches of government to veto decisions made by another
branch. This allows a share of power and will avoid a branch from gaining too much authority.
Balancing will also assure better laws because of a more detailed process for South Sudan. Laws
will be more effective and will improve parts of South Sudan where it is most needed in areas
like education systems and child soldiers. All branches will review new laws and make sure they
are beneficial.
__________________________________________________________________________
Executive Power
Since this is the branch that enforces laws citizens must adhere to, we believe that the executive
should be chosen based on direct popular vote. Citizens will have more representation for their
country if they get to choose their president. Electing the president would accommodate all
ethnic backgrounds and a wide range of people. With direct popular vote, a large amount of
South Sudanese people can choose a leader they believe will benefit the country because they
experience and are affected by the choices that are made. We also believe that South Sudan
Ludovica Iaccino, South Sudan conflict: Five reasons why the civil war is happening, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk,
January 28, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/south-sudan-conflict-five-reasons-why-civil-war-happening-1540189
2

should vote for their executive because of growing tensions between ethnic groups Dinka and
Nuer. These groups fight on issues regarding different beliefs and views. With direct popular
vote, citizens from both groups can vote for a president and come to an agreement in an honest
election.
We also recommend that the president and a cabinet should carry our laws with approval of
the legislature. Laws will go through a process to ensure that they are beneficial and fair. The
legislative branch will check and review laws carried out by the executive. Also like checks and
balances, this would prevent the executive branch from gaining too much power. South Sudan
should have approval by a legislature because the president has abused his power in the past.
Another feature we recommend is creating a cabinet for health and human services. With the
addition of a cabinet for health and human services, the rate of deaths and disease would
decrease in South Sudan. As of 2015, 41.3% of South Sudans population has an unimproved
source of clean drinking water (Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: South
Sudan). This issue leads to disease and even death amongst the South Sudanese people. To avoid
the life expectancy of citizens from decreasing, this cabinet should be created. This cabinet can
work on establishing health centers, hospitals, and medicine. Citizens needs these resources
because their sanitary levels are low. South Sudan would benefit immensely from this cabinet
because they need better resources for their health.
______________________________________________________________________________
Legislative Power
We believe that South Sudans new government should include a bicameral legislature. South
Sudan would have more citizen representation from each state because a bicameral legislature is
comprised of a house of representatives and the senate. South Sudan would benefit from
representing individuals and minorities more efficiently. Instead of voting as a single group,
citizens have the power to represent themselves in smaller states as well as larger states.
We also believe that South Sudan should elect the members of the legislature through direct
popular vote. This will represent a majority of people who are voting. South Sudan can
recognize minority groups because more citizens will have the right to vote. South Sudanese
people will be able to voice their concerns. It will also prevent minorities from being ignored like
they have been in the past.
Another recommendation we have is establishing the ability to tax by the legislature.
Implementing taxes will earn money for the government which can be used to benefit the South
Sudanese people by creating organizations. For example, creating schools and education centers.
According to The World Factbook of South Sudan, Educational attainment is extremely poor
due to the lack of schools, qualified teachers, and materials. Less than a third of the population is
literate South Sudans citizens struggle with receiving a proper education and being taught
how to read and write. This then affects the amount of members involved in political affairs
because they are not literate. With taxing and gaining more money, the profit can be used to
build schools, improve literacy rates, and have more teachers educating the South Sudanese
people.
______________________________________________________________________________

Judicial Power
For the judicial branch, we recommend that supreme court members should be appointed by an
executive with legislative approval. A more detailed process like this allows multiple people to
select appropriate members. South Sudan can avoid bias because citizens other than supporters
of opposing parties (Dinkas and Nuers) can select members. One major issue within South Sudan
that increased tensions was the fact that the president and vice president were from different
ethnic groups. With the legislative branch reviewing supreme court decisions, there will be less
bias in interpreting laws.
We also believe that the Supreme Court should be independent and have the power of
judicial review. Judicial review will ensure effective laws that concern individual rights as well.
The judicial branch will choose laws that will provide a solution for growing conflicts in South
Sudan. One issue South Sudan is battling with is extreme hunger. Underweight prevalence for
children is at 30.3% in South Sudan (UNICEF in South Sudan). With judicial review, the
Supreme Court can pass laws that develop nutritional surveillance systems and national nutrition
policies. These new laws will benefit and protect the rights of South Sudanese people.
An additional feature we recommend is having the judicial branch oversee the court system.
This allows protection for individual rights because the judicial branch can check laws and
provide punishments when they are broken. Tensions between the Dinkas and Nuers have lead to
violence amongst citizens. After President Mayardit, a member of the ethnic group Dinka,
sacked Vice President Machar, a member of the ethnic group Nuer, fighting unfolded between
both groups. Hundreds of South Sudanese citizens have been killed because of rival
heavily-armed ethnic militias.3 If an individual is injured, the judicial branch can oversee the
court system and put them in jail. They can check laws that will instead protect the rights of
these civilians.
______________________________________________________________________________
Citizen Participation
We recommend that South Sudan establish a multiple-party system. This can avoid conflict
between citizens in a one-party system. Multiple parties allows the people of South Sudan to
recognize all different ethnic groups instead of only labeling one and causing tensions within it.
This will also allow more unity because citizens with different beliefs can have their voices
recognized instead of being forced to conform to one belief. Since there was an issue with the
president and vice president representing different ethnic backgrounds, this political system
would benefit all beliefs.
South Sudan should also hold elections yearly and have voting be voluntary. To avoid forced
votes that are made without care, voluntary votes will be more accurate and beneficial. Citizens
who want to see change in their society will vote. There will be more votes because South
BBC News, South Sudan evacuation aircraft fired on, US troops hurt, http://www.bbc.com/news, December 21,
2013, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-25476920
3

Sudanese people experience daily issues and want to solve them. Regular (yearly) votes will
ensure a better election for South Sudan based on present issues during each year. With each
year, there are different conflicts. Citizens can vote on issues that are most important during that
time.
One last feature we recommend is a strong middle class. Paying taxes and having a say in
government will ensure as a result of this. South Sudan should have a strong middle class for
better representation. More representation allows more beneficial suggestions made by middle
class citizens. Also, a strong middle class will help create jobs. When they buy products, this
allows more jobs to create them. The more that is consumed and purchased by the middle class,
the more opportunities for employment there are. South Sudan would benefit from more job
opportunities and representation.
______________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion
Since South Sudan has been victim to political, social, and economic issues, we feel that it is our
duty as the United Nations Special Task Force to make recommendations that will improve their
government. We believe that it is essential to assist them in making choices that will benefit their
citizens. We have provided South Sudan with suggestions that will improve issues like literacy
rates, poverty and media freedom. In order to prevent similar conflicts from reoccuring, we hope
South Sudan takes our advice on how to transition into a more successful government.

Works Cited
South Sudan The World Factbook. Central intelligence Agency, 2011. Web.
South Sudan Country Profile BBC, 2016. Web.
On Sunday, South Sudans president said critical journalists could be killed. Four days
later, one was Washington Post, 2015. Web.

South Sudan conflict: Five reasons why the civil war is happening IBtimes, 2016.
Web.

South Sudan evacuation aircraft fired on, US troops hurt BBC, 2013. Web.

UNICEF in South Sudan, UNICEF, 2010-2011. Web.

ROUGH DRAFT
Overview
South Sudan has suffered because of an ineffective leader and poor decisions made by their
government. Due to these conflicts, South Sudan has been faced with many negative effects that
include low education rates, high poverty percentages, and many more critical issues. In order to
aid South Sudan in choosing a more successful form of government we must make
recommendations based on their past experiences and prevent similar problems from recurring.
______________________________________________________________________________
Constitution
It is crucial that South Sudan establishes a written constitution in order to prevent ethnic leaders
from abusing their power. With a hard copy that includes the governments laws and principles,
there is a lower chance of leaders wrongfully using their power to limit citizens freedom or pass
ineffective laws. President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan abused his power when he
sacked his entire cabinet causing a Civil War.4 In order to avoid more tyranny, South Sudan
should create a written constitution with updated principles that ensure consequences.
In addition to a written constitution, South Sudan should also have a confederation system. This
allows smaller states to voice their concerns to the central government. If they choose to
establish a confederation system, the states can vote on having President Mayardit resign because
of the negative effects his actions had on South Sudan.
Citizens can vote by creating and maintaining a presidential system. South Sudanese people can
choose an elected leader they see will best accommodate their needs. They can elect a leader
other than President Mayardit which they believe will not make the same error and cause another
civil war. Also, since presidents have a term they must serve, while prime ministers can resign at
any moment, this ensures that South Sudan will not be left without guidance from their president.
They need instruction as they transition into a new form of government.
After a written constitution is established, it should protect the rights of minorities and
individuals by containing a bill of rights. South Sudan can refer back to written laws that must
be obeyed. Punishments and consequences will prevent people from limiting others individual
rights. A bill of rights guarantees civilian protection in many forms. These set of amendments
should include a freedom of speech, religion, and press. The citizens of South Sudan should be
able to openly speak or write about their views on their government and president. According to
the Washington Post, President Mayardit stated, The freedom of press does not mean that you
work against your country...And if anybody among them does not know this country has killed
people, we will demonstrate it one day on them. Without representation, South Sudanese people
are forced to accept the consequences of their president's actions instead of being able to express
their disagreement. Since there is a low amount of media freedom in South Sudan, journalists are
BBC Monitoring, South Sudan Country Profile, bbc.com, August 3, 2016,
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14069082
4

punished for expressing their views on the ruling party. Establishing a bill of rights with freedom
of press helps South Sudan avoid remaining voiceless and adhering to an ineffective president.
An appointed official like a general should be in charge of the military. This would prevent
the president of South Sudan from having too much power and causing tyranny while controlling
the military. President Mayardit caused a civil war to ensue when he dismissed his cabinet and
former Vice President Riek Machar. Mayardit then replaced members of the army and
government. He also dismissed departments from the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement
(SPLM) based on his personal beliefs. If citizens have the ability to select an official by a
legislature, there will be less bias. There is more of a fair choice when choosing departments and
making decisions within the military. We think that South Sudan should have this feature
because in the past, their president abused his power and made decisions that had a negative
effect on their military and country.
Another recommendation we have is to establish checks and balances. Checks and balances is a
system that allows each of the three branches of government to veto decisions made by another
branch. This allows a share of power and will avoid a branch from gaining too much authority.
Balancing will also assure better laws because of a more detailed process for South Sudan. Laws
will be more effective and will improve parts of South Sudan where it is most needed in areas
like education systems and child soldiers. All branches will review new laws and make sure they
are beneficial.

__________________________________________________________________________
Executive Power
We believe that the executive should be chosen based on direct popular vote. Citizens will have
more representation for their country if they get to choose their president. Electing the president
would benefit all ethnic backgrounds and a wide range of people. With direct popular vote, a
large amount of South Sudanese people can choose a leader they believe will benefit the country
because they experience and are affected by the choices that are made. We also believe that
South Sudan should vote for their executive because of growing tensions between ethnic groups
Dinka and Nuer. These groups fight on issues regarding different beliefs and views. (Add
concluding sentence.)
We also recommend that the president and a cabinet should carry our laws with approval of
the legislature. Laws will go through a process to ensure that they are beneficial and fair. The
legislative branch will check and review laws carried out by the executive. Also like checks and
balances, this would prevent the executive branch from gaining too much power. South Sudan
should have approval by a legislature because the president has abused his power in the past.
Another feature we recommend is creating a cabinet for health and human services. With the
addition of a cabinet for health and human services, the rate of deaths and disease would

decrease in South Sudan. As of 2015, 41.3% of South Sudans population has an unimproved
source of clean drinking water (Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: South
Sudan). This issue leads to disease and even death amongst the South Sudanese people. To avoid
the life expectancy of citizens from decreasing, this cabinet should be created. This cabinet can
work on establishing health centers, hospitals, and medicine. Citizens needs these resources
because their sanitary levels are low. South Sudan would benefit immensely from this cabinet
because they need better resources for their health.
______________________________________________________________________________
Legislative Power
We believe that South Sudans new government should include a bicameral legislature. South
Sudan would have more citizen representation from each state because a bicameral legislature is
comprised of a house of representatives and the senate. South Sudan would benefit from
representing individuals and minorities more efficiently. Instead of voting as a single group,
citizens have the power to represent themselves in smaller states as well as larger ones.
We also believe that South Sudan should elect the members of the legislature through direct
popular vote. This will represent a majority of people who are voting. South Sudan can
recognize minority groups because more citizens will have the right to vote. South Sudanese
people will be able to voice their concerns. It will also prevent minorities from being ignored like
they have been in the past.
Another recommendation we have is establishing the ability to tax by the legislature.
Implementing taxes will earn money for the government which can be used to benefit the South
Sudanese people by creating organizations. For example, creating schools and education centers.
According to The World Factbook of South Sudan, Educational attainment is extremely poor
due to the lack of schools, qualified teachers, and materials. Less than a third of the population is
literate South Sudans citizens struggle with receiving a proper education and being taught
how to read and write. This then affects the amount of members involved in political affairs
because they are not literate. With taxing and gaining more money, the profit can be used to
build schools, improve literacy rates, and have more teachers educating the South Sudanese
people.
______________________________________________________________________________
Judicial Power
For the judicial branch, we recommend that supreme court members should be appointed by an
executive with legislative approval. A more detailed process like this allows multiple people to
select appropriate members. South Sudan can avoid bias because citizens other than supporters
of opposing parties can select members. One major issue within South Sudan that increased
tensions was the fact that the president and vice president were from different ethnic groups.
With the legislative branch reviewing supreme court decisions, there will be less bias in
interpreting laws.

We also believe that the Supreme Court should be independent and have the power of
judicial review. Judicial review will ensure effective laws that concern individual rights as well.
The judicial branch will choose laws that will provide a solution for growing conflicts in South
Sudan.
An additional feature we recommend is having the judicial branch oversee the court system.
This allows protection for individual rights because the judicial branch can check laws and
provide punishments when they are broken. Tensions between the Dinkas and Nuers have lead to
violence amongst citizens. After President Mayardit, a member of the ethnic group Dinka,
sacked Vice President Machar, a member of the ethnic group Nuer, fighting unfolded between
both groups. Hundreds of South Sudanese citizens have been killed because of rival
heavily-armed ethnic militias.5 If an individual is injured, the judicial branch can oversee the
court system and put them in jail. They can check laws that will instead protect the rights of
these civilians.

______________________________________________________________________________
Citizen Participation
We recommend that South Sudan establish a multiple-party system. This can avoid conflict
between citizens in a one-party system. Multiple parties allows the people of South Sudan to
recognize all different ethnic groups instead of only labeling one and causing tensions within it.
This will also allow more unity because citizens with different beliefs can have their voices
recognized instead of being forced to conform to one belief.
South Sudan should also hold elections yearly and have voting be voluntary. To avoid forced
votes that are made without care, voluntary votes will be more accurate and beneficial. Citizens
who want to see change in their society will vote. There will be more votes because South
Sudanese people experience daily issues and want to solve them. Regular (yearly) votes will
ensure a better election for South Sudan based on present issues during each year. With each
year, there are different conflicts. Citizens can vote on issues that are most important during this
time.
One last feature we recommend is a strong middle class. Paying taxes and having a say in
government will ensure as a result of this. South Sudan should have a strong middle class for
better representation. More representation allows more beneficial suggestions made by middle
class citizens. Also, a strong middle class will help create jobs. When they buy products, this
allows more jobs to create them. The more that is consumed and purchased by the middle class,
the more opportunities for employment there are. South Sudan would benefit from more job
opportunities and representation.
BBC News, South Sudan evacuation aircraft fired on, US troops hurt, http://www.bbc.com/news, December 21,
2013, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-25476920
5

______________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion
Since South Sudan has been victim to political, social, and economic issues, we feel that it is our
duty to make recommendations that will improve their government. We believe that it is
essential to assist them in making choices that will benefit their citizens. We have provided
South Sudan with suggestions that will improve issues like literacy rates, poverty and media
freedom. In order to prevent similar conflicts from reoccuring, we hope South Sudan takes our
advice on how to transition into a more successful government.