The Unsettled Government in Jonglei State
By Malith Alier, Juba, South Sudan
September 11, 2015 (SSB) — Yesterday evening the new government of Central Equatoria, CES, under acting Governor Juma Ali Malou reshuffled the Cabinet and County Commissioners in a ground breaking move to bring new faces to tired ten year ruled of Wani Koanga.
This may be an overstatement though. The ten-year-old government of Wani Koanga from 2005 to 2015, was not a bad government at all. In fact it performed better than other sister state governments in the country. The development we see today in CES is unmatched by neighbouring states.
It is only in CES where Anti-corruption crusade is on. Many occasions, present and former government officials are obligated to return misappropriated assets. Constituency Development Fund, CDF, achieves optimum objective. Many classrooms are built per County unlike elsewhere. The facts are there to speak for themselves.
The situation in Jonglei is a far cry from the CES one. Jonglei has never experienced peace even after advent of CPA. Homocides, property theft and child abduction are some of the unpalatable issues in existence even today.
Another peace is signed but no one is sure that it will bring anything to the people there. Most of the past and present problems are a direct result of poor leadership at various times since 2005. The state has seen a good turnover of Governors without real change on the ground. Three governors in ten years is the worst thing that has happened to the state. The state is even divided as a result of conflicts.
Greater Pibor is now a state of its own. Some people still have an illusion that Jonglei shall one day reunite. This bunch of people is fooling themselves. David Yauyau’s Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) is there to stay. It is just waiting federal constitutional blessing to declare a state of its own like many of us.
The federal arrangement is one of the good things the new CPA brings. The Murle, Anyuak, Kachipo and Jie are gone. It is the turn of Nuer and Jieng to go their separate states.
The other good arrangement the new CPA brings is the power sharing clause. The government of John Koang Nyuon will now move many inches from it entrenched position. May be John Koang himself will give way to a young and energetic being to move things a bit. Governor John has been too lazy on the job. He has allowed entrenched corruption to prevail over good governance.
Examples of corruption can be seen over the use of reconstruction funds which were misappropriated by his government after the devastating 2013 conflict. Bor had exchanged hands two times on either side of the conflict. The central government allocated a huge sum for reconstruction which ended up in corrupt hands in the state. It was not enough to remove two ministers without reshuffle the whole government. In fact it is a constitutional requirement to reshuffle ministers from time to time.
The sacred cows that are also remnants of GPAA in Jonglei should have been home long time ago. They are just warming the seats in Bor for no good reason a part from mere accommodation. And why are they accommodated in Bor where there is nothing in common with GPAA? It is appropriate for the government to bring them to Juba which is the centre for all. Keeping them in Jonglei is in disregard to the local sentiments.
Recently the unholy government of Governor John was accused by traders of misappropriating over twenty million US Dollars meant for traders to purchase goods for the state markets. Everybody who listens to radio heard reports that the sacred cows in position of ministers instead allocated/shared millions as they believed that they had companies to bring goods from neighbouring markets.
John’s government has so far managed to silence everyone in the State. The state Assembly is like a wraith in town. Some of us understand that the MPs are simply bankrolled by the state and can’t speak. The civil society is dormant to articulate issues of concern. The real seat of Jonglei government is in Juba.
Save what remains of old Jonglei by appointing a new governor.
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