Jonglei Watch: Countdown to Re-division of the Country
By Malith Alier, Juba, South Sudan
October 7, 2015 (SSB) — They say that a week in politics is a month. The peace agreement between the rebels and government of the Republic of South Sudan was signed on 17 and 26 August in Addis Ababa and Juba respectively by the belligerent parties. Never has anybody imagine that one month after the peace agreement, major political events will override the pre-interim period.
On October 2nd, the President of the Republic, Salva Mayardit unexpectedly announced the creation of 28 federal States in South Sudan. Many analysts read this as a response to expected changes incorporated in to the CPA such as federal dispensation and power sharing clause which granted rebels control of two oil rich states. The creation is baptised as further decentralisation and devolution of power to the grass roots also known as taking towns to people of late Dr. Garang.
Taken at the face value, further decentralisation was a demand by the people of South Sudan since 1947 of the Rajaf conference. It was the call whose time matured but political and economic considerations hindered it right after 2011 independence.
Now the impulsive politics had made it happened, leaving the tongues wagging. Notwithstanding the popular call for federalism, critics claim that it is not the right time to subdivide the country into as many states as they now stand. Of course, they cite the just signed Compromise Peace Agreement CPA between the rebels and government of South Sudan GRSS.
This author estimates that about 95 per cent supporters of the government welcome the presidential order number 36/2015 creating the 28 states in the republic. Nothing generates a hundred per cent support on this earth. Here and there some people will have various unmet claims. Even the referendum of 2011 had 1.17 per cent of the population against separation.
In the countdown to re-division of the states, Jonglei, the largest state is the one to watch. About 2 days after the order, people in Bor the Headquarters of Jonglei went to the streets to celebrate their new found freedom. To them, the republican order is like emancipation proclamation of old Abraham Lincoln to the American blacks in January 1 1863. In contrast, the people in charge in Bor banned the state media (South Sudan TV and Radio) from covering the event (This Day newspaper October 6 2015 page 2).
The reaction of the authorities who are little more than colonisers showed that they’re sure losers in the event of everyone going back to their states as directed. Bor has nothing to lose and everything to gain as demonstrated by jubilation match. When people of Bor mourn John Koang and his group are jubilant but when people of Bor are jubilant John and his group mourn. What disparity and asymmetry!
Anyway this is no time to settle scores but rather to look forward to what it really means to have your own state, county and Boma. The slogan that says power to the people is now a reality. Everyone is now a winner because you’re your own master in your own locality.
The right to self rule comes with many opportunities and obligations. The President stated it clearly that everyone in South Sudan is entitled to self government and development. This means that those people who were waiting for manna to fall from heaven must change their mentality. There is more pain in self rule than in centralised one. The many layers of governance will require imposition of more taxes to sustain them.
The governor, County Commissioner, Payam Administrator and the Boma Head will not rest in revenue collection. Perhaps it is time for the many layers of administration to see to it that resources and utilised to maximum. Environmental protection matters more to the government than at this time.
It is the responsibility of the authority which issued the order to see to it that the decentralisation holds. The SPLM-IO, the European Union, the Troika and a handful of the population would like to see that the order is reversed because of flimsy reasons like violation of CPA.
On that note the President envisaged that the creation of more states is a popular demand but it may create potential problems particularly border disputes. He has therefore, created a border dispute resolution to that effect. What he has forgotten is the decentralisation and devolution mechanism just like border dispute resolution mechanism. A devolution Commission has many functions to carry out.
One is how much power the federal government is willing to render to state governments and going down the line to Bomas and villages. Second is how resources from the centre are going to be reallocated to the states and further down. It is not late for the President to consider the creation of Decentralisation and Devolution Commission.
The just announced decentralisation and devolution was overdue. A majority of citizens welcomes it and celebrations are had across the nation. A handful people opposed will not have impact on this historic development. It will neither have impact on peace agreement with rebels since the percentages remain the same. People just need to thing on how to make their new states viable.
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