Action speaks louder than words: Where is the 1st vice president as the 2nd vice president was being sworn in on Friday?
6 min readBy David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
February 13, 2016, (SSB) —- What is happening in South Sudan politics is a serious question of concern in the global politics, and its need proper analysis of both internal and external approaches. I mean Nov 2015 has passed, December 2015 is over, and today in February 2016 of the New Year is about to go, but Dr. Riek Machar Teny is not seen or known where about!
And probably in many interviews in Africa and in September last year in America when Dr. Riek was interviewed by Western Journalists, he said he had no longer interested to return to Juba, and he described Juba as a “dead ground” or he could not come to be slaughtered like animal by Kiir”, so do you think he can come to the dead ground where he say tanks are standing in his former residential house?
His statement signified what had happened on Friday when the second vice President was sworn in alone in the office of the President where they would have took the oath together as one high executive of government. Why such thing was happening? What reason is the First Vice President not comes to take oath and become part of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) as designed by pro-parties last year? A simply answer is “no” trust among themselves. And where are they taking the whole nation to?
South Sudanese Politicians are always learning applied political ethics where politicians do wrong in order to do well or do good in order to do badly. One of the American prominent Politician Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who is a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of United States, in the 2016 said, “We have been conditioned to think that only politicians can solve our problems.
But at some point, maybe we will wake up and recognize that it was politicians who created our problems” Dr. Ben statement match hand in hand with our situation in South Sudan, where the nation want to take off two year ago in development but politician brought it back to zero level . Our much concern now is peace agreement and its implementations.
Citizens raise several questions and answers since the signing of peace agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in August 17th 2015, and later on 26th August 2015 in Juba, whether this peace agreement is really owned by South Sudanese? Or there are still appetites of war? Are people tired of war or some still believe fighting can offer to them what they want?
But if not, then what is the problem of Dr. Riek not coming to Juba for almost three months now? We citizens heard many times that the IO leader is coming to Juba in December last year until February 13, 2016.
Where is Dr. Riek Machar? We need him now that so the full implementation of peace agreement takes place. There is a big vacuum in peace implementation, a vacuum of doubt whether Dr. Riek will come or not. The 2nd Vice President James Wani Igga called upon Riek Machar in many occasions to come back to Juba. During the extraordinary SPLM Convention on 7th -9th January 2016, Vice president Wani, said the absent of Riek signify doubt, otherwise what is Riek doing then when he is the first person signed the peace agreement?
And he offered the request to IO chief negotiator Taban Deng Gai to pass the information to him. Days were passing bye and we don’t know whether Taban has passed the information or not. Yesterday on Friday 12 February 2016, H.E 2nd Vice President call upon Dr. Riek Machar for the firth times, so that the 1st Vice president of the Republic of South Sudan should immediately come to Juba so that peace take its cost very fast and quickly.
If you are carefully watching! Who is doing the right thing to the people of South Sudan in this conflict? Who is much concern about the lives and the current affairs of the nation? How could you judge personal action toward the gain of the nation back to its normal dignity, respect, and sovereignty? I think James Wani is very much concern for the lives of people than Riek Machar! Judge it yourself.
H.E. James Wani leaves the chair of vice President for the sake of peace and lives of the people, and development of the country. How much and what do you think Igga deserves? He deserves many things but first able Junubian offer him sincere respect wherever he goes.
I raise these questions because I was bit disappointed with slight mistake made by SPLM-IO when they uttered on Sudan tribune, “said the Thursday’s appointment of their chairman as South Sudanese First Vice President has come as a “surprise” but “welcomed”. How can a negotiated, designated position, which is stimulated in peace agreement, be a surprise?
Why is IO pretended what they know into negative, and why do they send advanced team if they know they are still interested in negative games?
For Sure if Dr. Machar doesn’t want to come to Juba, though you reinstated him ten times, he will not come and what he is doing now is a delaying tactics. Are people not learnt from simple lesson of Pagan Amum when he came for stealing, killing, robbing ideas and reinstated and run away?
Jesus said, “ if your brother/sister wrong against you, forgive him/her, or go to him, if he/she accept your offer, fine but if he/she doesn’t want to listen to you, call your friends two or three, and talk him/her, if he/she doesn’t want to listen, call the church to be witness your stand for forgiveness, and if he/she refuse, leave him/her as a foreigner.
Your Excellency James Wani Igga, call them again, if they don’t want to listen to you, call IGAD, TROIKA, UN Security Council, or whoever they call themselves but as they insist, call the whole South Sudan and we will see them as foreigners, because their plan is as a mouth with toothless.
The author is a co-founder of National Mental Health Care Organization, he holds Bachelor degree in Social work and social Administration from SSCUST, Bachelor degree in Theology from Christian Life Teaching Bible College from Montana, USA. He can be reach at tonggaid551@yahoo.com/davidmatiopgai@gmail.com.
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