Official Reply to “A call for Reform in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan”
By Ambassador Mawien Makol Ariik
The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan
May 7, 2015 (SSB) — On April 26, 2015 in the commentary featured articles (https://paanluelwel.com/2015/04/26/a-call-for-reform-in-the-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-of-south-sudan/) PaanLuel Wël Website posted an article titled “A call for Reform in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan.” The same article was published in Juba Monitor on Monday, May 4, 2015, Vol.5 Issue No 380 on page 5.
The article has no author apart from a provided e-mail (diplo4reform@yahoo.com) at the end of it. The e-mail is purported to be belonging to some anonymous persons calling themselves “Diplomats for Reform in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation @Juba South Sudan.”
The objective for which the article was purportedly written is to “dig up the files of financial and administrative corruption in the ministry and its embassies abroad, highlights the entire gang and reveal hidden files through internet or local newspapers.” The aim was to put facts before eyes of the public and the country’s leadership so as to achieve correction and reform jointly in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Missions of the Republic of South Sudan abroad. Also the anonymous diplomats call for open dialogue or deliberative conference to discuss the issues of the Ministry.
The modality of achieving the objective of the article will be by calling upon the anonymous diplomats’ colleagues in the Ministry’s headquarters and the missions abroad to communicate via the provided e-mail address the necessary information about abuses or misconduct while taking into consideration confidentiality (use of aliases).
Undoubtedly, the published article is a negative campaign against the current serving Minister and Undersecretary but the entire top leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan. However, the article itself and the medium of its publicity pose some grave weaknesses and concerns. These are mainly:
1) Lack of Professionalism and Act of Irresponsibility:
Taking government administrative issues to the media is unprofessional way of doing things. It portrays a serious misconduct. If the anonymous diplomats claim to be working for correction and reform in the Ministry of Foreign affairs and International Cooperation and the missions of the Republic of South Sudan abroad, then why are they acting against the very objective by not proving to be professional and disciplined?
Even so, the so-called diplomats should have been courageous enough to disclose their names and face head-on the issues they claimed to have raised. How can “open dialogue or deliberative conference” be conducted by the leadership of the Ministry with fictitious diplomats who are not physically known or identifiable? Any cowardice attitude is always an irresponsible act. Reform can’t be made by irresponsible people. This is a big joke!
2) Unsubstantiated Claims and Appeal to Fallacious Generalities:
The so-called diplomats for reform did not provide facts but unsubstantiated generalities about the maladministration and corruption they allege to savage and put out to public consumption and to the attention of Country’s leadership. Apart from a mention of above US$ 40,000 running cost that they claim to have seen being divided equally by Ambassadors in the missions of the Republic of South Sudan abroad, the diplomats couldn’t disclose anything specific and particular. Even a mere mention of that amount doesn’t hold water for a fact-statement because the costs of running the missions differ from one country to another (depending on the living standard of the host country). How do you claim to know an issue but at the same time call upon others to provide you with information about it?
Notwithstanding, the so-called reformist diplomats failed to mention by names those they perceive to be involved in financial embezzlement and maladministration in the Ministry, both the wrong-doers and the beneficiaries. How can they be taken seriously?
This shows that the fictitious diplomats for reforms are not for anything constructive but tarnishing of the image of the Minister, the Undersecretary, the Head of Missions and the whole leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. But if they are truly diplomats who are serving in the Ministry why would they want to tarnish the image of the very government institution they are employed in?
Reminder of the Consequence:
The Administration of PaanLuel Wël Website and the Juba Monitor Daily Newspaper are hereby reminded that publication of false information against a government institution can constitute a liability prosecutable under penal codes on crimes against the state as stipulated in the Laws of South Sudan.
The leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and the Missions of the Republic of South Sudan abroad, herewith, requests a publishable apology from Administration of PaanLuel Wël Website and the Juba Monitor Daily Newspaper for having spread false information against an important sovereign government institution. The apology should contain a regret clause and commitment of not publishing again any defamatory information of such cowardice kind of attitude that lacks patriotism.
Particularly, the Chief Editor of Juba Monitor Daily Newspaper is highly advised to conduct the publicity of his newspaper professionally. It is unethical journalistically to publish unverified critical information, especially when the editors have all the open doors to seek for the right counsel from the concerned end.
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Ambassador Mawien Makol Ariik
The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan
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