Zico Bol Makuach Jok: The Victim of Bor Youth Wrestling Match in Australia

By Mamer Deng Jur, Australia

March 30, 2015 (SSB)  —   Many people in my community claimed to be everything or to know everything. But anyone has to understand that they are ‘jack – of – all trade wheels – dealers’. Whatever they want themselves to be.

But I do have a belief that a ‘worse human being of all is a coward human’. Coward human is the worse enemy of any functioning community in the world.

Coward persons are easily spotted among the majority.Because they are always less confident when they talk, and many of them like very much to gossip a lot. In addition, they are bunch of liars.

A ‘poor planned wrestling activity’ had cost one person dearly: a historic wrestling day in Australia became unlucky day for one participant, Zico Bol Makuach Jok.

On 2ndof March 2015, I received a phone call from Bol Makuach Jok. He curiously informed me that, ‘he was wondering if I would be able to accompany him to his scheduled appointment with a legal specialist’. Which was going to take place on 13thof March 2015.

I was very pleased. Even though, I was really busy with other automatic life scheduled activities. Nowadays, people are badly enslaved by living. First, money is controlling every single aspect of life, especially when you are living in highly developed Western countries. Secondly, being a new arrival in the country is not an easy thing.

That day, I had to abandon some things; I was supposed to do. I did it for Mr. Jok, because he is a good bloke. I would have been a bad dude if I had let him down that day by not turning up for his an appointment.

On the letter, it was stated that, Mr. Jok was highly welcomed to bring along a third party to that appointment, which was organised by a specialist who was hired by the insurance company called QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited ‘LTD’. The specialist was acting on behalf of the insurance ‘QBE’ to investigate, and to take facts statement from Mr. Jok regarding wrestling incident, where by Mr. Jok was a ‘victim’, to narrate his story in three dimensions. How he ended up with a fractured bone on his left hand, on 26th and 27th respectively.

The reason being that, the information, which was supplied/provided to the insurance (QBE) by Bor Youth Association Incorporation, was ‘insufficient’. The leadership/organisers claimed that Mr. Jok was ‘volunteering’ for Bor Youth Association ‘multicultural activities when he took part in the wrestling march on 26th December 2014. They should have expanded it; what were these activities?

Therefore, I will give a little introduction about Bor Youth Association in the following paragraphs.

Bor Youth Association Inc.in Australia

This association ‘above’ was formed in 2004 and is functioning until today in 2015. It was formed by a group of enthusiastic people from various clans within Bor County.

The idea itself to have an association came from a few individuals, and in particular our late brother Mac Achuak Mac who thought thoroughly that there was a need for a combined forum for youth from Bor County to discuss important issues yearly in what they called Annual General Meeting (AGM).

His colleagues supported the idea. Together they preached out this intellectual idea to all their brothers and sisters who were in various States and the Territories. This idea, ‘Bor County would have an association was first tabled in Adelaide, South Australia. All individuals from Bor County arrived into Adelaide in hundreds for the first time.

Constitution

Constitutions are very important documents, because we live in very complex societies where many people have differences in views, opinions and other complex issues, which are very delicate to deal with by anyone.

Bor Youth Association in Australia Incorporation “BYAA INC” constitution was born on 27th December 2004. Named as ‘Adelaide Conference’. All the members who had attended Adelaide convention that year were the drafters of the constitution. These members, whether dead or alive today were the founding fathers of Bor Youth Association’s constitution.

On that day, people were divided into groups, so that they could come up with certain objectives for the association. That day, many objectives were projected from each table, but only twelve objectives were founded to be more uniting, sensible and meaningful.

These twelve objectives were drafted into this single document of (BYAA INC). Since 2004 and until 2015 none of these twelve objectives has been achieved. This document was straightforward and truly written in a good legal sense and manner.

I do thank those people who put it together as such. The weakness was that many people (members) were very poor in legal sense (layperson in legal sense) to understand this legal document.

But this document along the years had become an exercise book for our elected youth representatives (President, they like to be referred to as ‘President’) who had no legal background in that sense. But they might be good in mathematics and other stuffs of their interests.

Some of our youth (reps) after Mawut Biar (first president of the association) started amending the constitution without even consulting their partners of the constitution (the States and the Territories), as if this document was an accounting recording exercise book.

I hope that one day some of the objectives will be achieved, if legal minded personnel are accepted to lead this association for God sake, for better change and future of the association to thrive.

Event (wrestling)

The wrestling took place on 26th December 2014, between the State of Victoria and the State of Queensland. The event (wrestling) was organised and sponsored by the ‘Bor Youth Association Incorporation’ of Australia and their partners (States and the Territories).

I heard that the turn – out was unbelievable. People turned up in hundreds if not thousands. On that day, spectators paid $15entry fees into the footy (Australian Football)ground where the wrestling would take place. I believed that, on the day, they had made a fortune out of the wrestling match.

Mr. Jok took part in this spectacular show, which hundreds of people watched (wrestling) on that the day of December. He was a Queenslander or among the ‘team’ of Queenslanders. His opponent was a Victorian or among the ‘team’ of Victorian. Mr. Jok told me that, ‘ during that time he was weighing 115 kilos and he reckon his opponent was weighing around 107 – 110 kilos’, as far as he could remember, ‘he thought that on the day he had wrestled very well against his opponent.

Mr. Jok said,‘he could remember that, he caught his opponent’s left hand’ tight and strong with his left hand, and then he aggressively pushed his right hand under his arm pit, and he then suddenly tipped him over to the ground. In those seconds, Mr. Jok defeated his opponent by forcing him aggressively to the ground.

Broken arm

But unfortunately, Mr. Jok landed on his left hand while still holding his opponent’s left arm, and then both wrestlers’ bodies’ weights sat on heavily on his left hand. That how Mr. Jok ended up with fractured bone on his left arm.

Mr. Jok informed the armies of organisers that his left arm was broken. They gave him first aid, and then after that the ambulance personnel arrived and Mr. Jok was driven to nearby hospital, and the wrestling continued as if it was a workplace.

Mr. Jok spent three hours in the hospital. And at last, the doctor showed him an X – ray of his left hand, and he was informed that he had a fractured bone. And for that reason, a plaster cast was applied on fractured arm in order to hold a broken arm in place, while the bone heals.

He was told that, the plaster cast would be on his arm for six weeks, and then after that he had to see his GP for further check ups. After these six weeks, Mr. Jok went and saw his GP. And he was referred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) for another further check up, because his GP was not crystal clear, why the bone was still not healing after six weeks.

The GP was blaming the first doctor who examined Mr. Jok when he was first taken to the hospital in Ringwood Victoria, after the incident. His GP argued that the doctor in Victoria had failed to recommend a quick surgery on the left arm.

On 23rdFebruary 2015, Mr. Jok had a surgery on his left arm, and then he was discharged on 24th February 2015. Mr. Jok is still in serious pain, but he is getting well. Such arm saga had affected him in many ways since from day one until today. He is a very strong young man; and he is stoic about this arm pain.

By the way, the question is, what was really insured by the chairperson and his armies of organisers? If that insurance was real but not fake, why is Mr. Jok struggling with his medical expenses, not to mention that he had lost enormous income.

He used to earn himself $1800 a week and now he had been away from work for four months, which was equivalent $28,800, if he was working. I do understand that, the leadership wanted to waive fraudulently that Mr. Zico Bol ’s accident had nothing to do with them at any cost.

Such dishonesty can be ascertained, on how the insurance form was filled out after Mr. Jok was in the hospital. On the form was it written that Mr. Jok was just ‘volunteering’ for Bor Youth ‘Multicultural activities.’ Because of this statement, the insurance thinks that they may not be held liable to compensate Mr. Zico Bol Makuach Jok.

Fraud case (misleading of participants to believe what was a bullshit lie)

I think Bor Youth Association both at Federal level and States level had failed badly, by mishandling Mr. Jok’s case. Prior to the wrestling, the participants were misled to believe that they were fully insured, and the event itself was also insured. So there was nothing to worry about.

This was Zico Bol had to say about the event and association, “I think it was a very poor organisation, (wrestling) and leadership and the armies of organisers were criminals, because they misled participants to believe their lies, that there was insurance. I wish we had a better leadership that was smart to tell the truth to the people even though such facts were not going to work for some reasons.

After my (Zico) incident, many States youth leaders stood up before the members of the association and claimed that they were going to help with insurance difficulties if there was any. But that was a bloody ‘empty promise. I thought we were a community-based association (non – for – profit) where we should be truly frank to one another for sake of our ‘objectives’, rather than lying to one another or members. In politic, many politicians lied to the voters so that they could vote for him/her”.

Conclusion

Thanks to Zico Bol for his honest story. His story will be a lesson to anyone who is thinking to wrestle in the near future. Youth leadership should have thought it out smarter, before they were blinded by pride, which led many people to make unwise decisions in many cases.

About Post Author

PaanLuel Wël

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PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.

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