President Kiir and the Princelings of his Comrades
By PaanLuel Wel, Juba
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With the removal of Madam Rebecca Nyandeng from the gov’t, it has come to pass that the families of John Garang, Kerubino Kuanyin, William Nyuon, Arok Thon, Martin Majier, Joseph Oduho, Abel Alier, Akuot Atem, Ghai Tut, Abdallah Chuol, Marko Rume, Gordon Mourtat, Aggrey Jaden, Saturnino Lohure, etc have cease to have any prominent presence in the gov’t of President Kiir.
This is very unusual in the post-colonial Africa where princelings and their extended families wield considerable amount of power in any subsequent gov’t.
Think of Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta or the newly elected president of Malawi. Even rich, developed countries such as the US (Clinton’s, Bush’s, Kennedy’s, etc) have this disease/blessing.
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One good thing about this unique scenario is that South Sudan is unlikely to see the mushrooming of dynastic families in the near future. The downside is that most of the current crops surrounding the president have no political “balls,” all are beholden to the president for their political and economic survival rendering them nothing more than political prostitutes.
Little wonder that a democratically elected president is ruling a democratic country (with a democratically elected national assembly and governors) with political and military decrees.
A son/daughter of Kerubino or Garang or Nyuon or Arok or Oduho or Majier or Abel Alier etc won’t be a mere a sycophants but a political heavy weight by his/her own right and would therefore be more willing, able and ready to be independent-minded, which, presumably, would reduce the rate of political sycophancy and prostitution which is the norm in President Kiir’s administration.
It remains to be seen if the family of President Kiir would join the rest in the political wilderness after his terms are over. Or will it be the exception to the rule? You bet.
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