Lobbying for the Gubernatorial Post: Who will Rule Jonglei State?
By Philip Thon Aleu, Juba, South Sudan
October 4, 2015 (SSB) — With the order establishing 28 states in our country, another huge task just started. Who will rule each state? Here, I am asking myself; who will rule Jonglei state? (FYI Jonglei state is now comprised of Bor, Twic East and Duk counties). The former ‘Jonglei’ is no more.
Over last few months, underground lobbying by interested candidates for Jonglei state has been ongoing. These various groups had wanted to replace John Kong Nyuon but their luck never knocked. It is now real that one son or daughter of Bor, Twic East and Duk counties will be the governor.
All the names I have heard as favorites for governorship are Honourable Members of Parliament. This is a misery! This is terribly bad because I am proud of the MPs fro Bor, Twic East and Duk in parliament. Taking one of them home will be disservice; first to the constituency that elected him/her and second to the nation.
I am always very proud to tell my fellow reporters during the National Legislature Assembly (NLA) session that Hon. Michael Makuei Lueth is my MP; that Hon. Dengtiel Ayuen Kur also comes from Bor county. Hon. Deng Dau is from Twic East county – neighboring Bor county. We are just one divided for administrative reason. Hon. Philip Thon Leek is my former governor and MP from Duk county.
Hon. Philip Thon Leek was the brain behind the establishment of Dr. John Garang University of Science and Technology in Bor. Hon. Ann Lino Abyei from Duk, Hon. Nyanchiek Nhial, Hon. Maker Thiong Maal and Hon. Malek Alier. These are great people, I would say. This is how I brag of MPs in parliament.
I can’t imagine that one of them would wise to leave this NLA for a gubernatorial seat if the intention is to serve the people. I am of the opinion that our MPs drop any quest for governorship. Honestly, you are already doing a great job.
Unfortunately, we can’t over work you Hon. MPs. We still need you in Juba now till 2018. Any decision after will be a personal choice.
What do Jonglei state needs?
For a very long time, Twic East, Bor and Duk counties have been ruled by sons (no woman have been a commissioner) who have not implemented any developmental project. This is a bitter truth. Apart from John Garang university – which was built by Moldovans, a county office in Mareng (Duk county) and few other failed attempts, there is no significant project that I can quickly remember.
The health sector is struggling. Children continue to learn under trees in the county headquarters, villages and the few schools built in Bor town through donations are congested. Bor ‘A’ and ‘B’ primary schools had more than 5,000 pupils before the war forced the people to flee. There are no roads. I don’t want to mention security and lack of permanently built government offices.
One chief jokingly asked the leaders in Panyagor in January 2012 that ‘if the English men did not build the offices (in 1940) you are using now, where would you be sitting?’ That was a million question.
We simply need someone who will deliver. We don’t need these talkative politicians to be boomeranging. From being an MP to governorship, then back as a minister and tomorrow a commissioner. We don’t want a leader whose number one priority is land allotment.
We have already surveyed enough plots, collected millions of pounds but there is no single project implemented using that money.
Public source of funds
This takes me to the source of funds. I have already mentioned land allotment. Now, count taxes from the markets, hotels, migration (though is a very complex source of revenue) etc. Then add counties grants from the national government, Constituency Development Fund (CDF) – (CDF has been a deficit for the last two years).
When we sum up these sources of funds, there are millions of pound that a state receives per month. Unfortunately, the unsuspecting citizens are always made to believe that is no budget. Come on! What is a budget?
If there is a son or daughter of Jonglei state who want to manage this wealth, he or she must declare how exactly he/she will do that? If there we continue to cherish those leaders – whose primary intention is covertly to accumulate personal riches from public offices, then the good intention of creating more states – taking development to the people, will be a myth.
Don’t make mistake to propose an individual whose public service record is a complete failure. We must drop this notion of rallying behind our sons or daughters simply because they come from our villages. No. That is not true. History has shown that individual don’t equally share stolen pubic money among their village mate.
We have had commissioners from almost every section of Bor but extreme poverty persists. What we want is a leader who will motivate each household to work harder, in a secure environment, to increase its income.
Government doesn’t distribute wealth. A rich government is a result of healthy, secure and educated people. Let us propose names to the president with one intention: service delivery.
© Philip Thon Aleu 2015
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