PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd – South Sudan

"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.

Are government failures mistakes or well-intended moves?

By Mading Abraham Majur, Kampala, Uganda

From rags to riches: the amazing transition of the South Sudanese Minister
From rags to riches: the amazing transition of the South Sudanese Minister

October 14, 2015 (SSB)  —  One day there was a question on whether women in South Sudan should be allowed to work or not was randomly put out to correspondents on the street. Several men had mixed feelings where there was a, eyes, but, would follow.

One of the men was very clear in his opposition; he said women should not be allowed to work or even owns anything. His reason was that when women are self sufficient and capable of providing for themselves, they were bound to become big headed and very disobedient, they could also leave their husbands following a slight disagreement to this we shall return shortly.

We have been many time treated with an allegations attributed to President Salva Kiir. It is said the president blamed failures in government on his counterpart (the SPLM), some people said it is then president to blame for appointing failures ministers and other have blamed the weak parliament.

One of the things I have noticed about state and government of South Sudan and Africa in general is that most of us interrogate this matter an informed but very rational angle.

Many of us view our leaders as well intentioned men and women who try their levels best to get things right but make mistakes along the way, they appointed a wrong person who messes up the public funds and they innocently adapt a bad policy and all the tax payers money is lost along the way etc. well at times this is the case, mistakes happen and things do not work right in South Sudan government but it is time we also thought about deliberately messed up to help those in power to disempowered their charges and perpetuate themselves.

We need to ask if South Sudan leaders do not have a mindset of the man who think that successful people tend to be big headed, trouble is that because people who own something can afford food and take their children to school and hospital without begging are not easy to patronizes and manipulate. These sorts of people are more often unworthy for mismanaging public funds that perpetuating those in power.

If good policies and serious efforts to implement them are likely to lead to a successful population, it creates a challenge for leaders no one will accept their kilo of salt or bar of soap for a vote.

Self reliant people will easily turn away from a politician or demand for better and higher standards of delivering of public goods for example, of roads, schools, hospital and many more other things, they may even support his challenger in which some of the politician are always deserted to Dr. Machar movement, For nothing and for instances the SPLM, party for many years of bush war has not benefited South Sudanese countrywide.

Since 2005 when the CPA was signed many things have gone on collapsing gradually, after the death of founder of South Sudan late Dr. John Garang, there is no private sectors, agriculture is not taking place this has eventually disorganized the system of education, many of the parents are not affording school fees for their children.

So you have hordes of energetic young people of South Sudanese graduates are hugging hawking, sport betting and others are soon will be riding Boda-boda (motor cycles) in Juba that is how the game of power can be played at times? You need to weaken those who you intend to lead so as to make leadership easier, you need to keep them dependent and ensure that they are not self reliant, this keeps you relevant and useful to them that is what they power.

We must start asking ourselves if some of the mistakes and failures that we see are not intended, we should be able to determine if they are not designed with perpetuation and subjugation in mind.

The author is the student from Kyambogo University, faculty of arts and social sciences Department of history political science and he can be reached on majur20155@gmail.com

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