Qiyada rasheeda – Wise leadership (Part 2)
6 min readBy Joseph Lino Wuor Abyei, Cairo – Egypt
November 9, 2015 (SSB) —- Mou’min, the large size peripatetic Egyptian businessman emphasized to this writer in a Cairo hotel foyer that, “you have no ‘qiyada rasheeda.’” Then he immediately grabbed his bag and left for the airport and off he went to another country.
This writer was left to think over the statement that South Sudan lacks “qiyada rasheeda.” Most probably that is why, since 2005, people are still waiting for the basic “fruits and vegetables of independence” to be delivered.
That is why, probably some “jobless foreign people” attempted to meddle in local semi tribal squabbles here. And probably that is why South Sudan is going through “instability.”
Qiyada rasheeda is an up to bottom and a bottom up exercise of wisdom and courage in taking decisions, and then following up implementation of the decisions taken. It is an exercise of protecting the society from internal and external danger.
This means that practically everyone is a “qaiyd” in his/her respective position no matter how simple it may. What is required is honesty, seriousness, conscientiousness, consistency when dispensing one’s duties.
Loopholes in “al qiyada”
The following day. Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Hassan Al Jinjari, a Sudanese Arab peripatetic businessman who was in Juba, told this writer in the same hotel foyer in Cairo that the type of Whisky people consume in Juba is “madhruuba” i.e. is fake, and it causes blindness. And he concluded that all the consumable goods in South Sudan are “madhdruuba,” and that South Sudan is a dumping ground for fake goods.
In this context, Mohamed Al Jinjari was trying to tell this writer that a certain “qaiyd” must have failed to prevent importation of these fake liquors that pose danger to the lives of some sectors of the population in South Sudan.
Mohamed Al Jinjari told this writer that “some officials of a “compensation commission” underestimated their rights, “Why did they do so, a house and a shop are evaluated at (—) USD, why? Ya akhi estimate it at this much value and take your share and give us the rest, the money shall be paid by the UN why do you do that huh?” Al Jinjari protested.
Omer Mahjoub, a journalist in Khartoum, still remembers his childhood days in Nasir village with nostalgia, “I am a son of a jallaba,” he confessed. “I grew up in Nasir, I still remember those good days, ai wallahi.” Then he went into some emotional political statements, like “Garang was a unionist. Did you see how Northerners received him, he was going to win the election ai wallaaahi, but some people who did not want that …. him.”
Omer Mahjoud told this writer in the same hotel foyer in Cairo that they are still waiting for their compensations on their properties, “We have shops in Nasir, wallahi I don’t know when they are going to pay us….”
This writer assured him that “In spite of some ‘faudha’ in certain areas, all your properties are intact, no one has ever touched any of your properties, can you believe that?” the writer assured him. This writer told Omer Mahjoub that “in fact your property has obstructed development inside the towns of South Sudan.”
The point is that all the properties of the jallaba in all the big towns and small villages of South Sudan have been lying in abeyance since 2005 when the jallaba anticipated the results of the referendum. Today all these properties have become obsolete and have become an obstacle to development in all the towns and villages of South Sudan including Juba. This means that a “qaiyd” should try to put an end to this issue.
Another example; apart from the appalling condition of Juba Airport which was discussed in a previous article, look at the vehicles which have been brought in driven with their driving wheels to the right in utter violation of the traffic law; where on earth is such a condition be tolerated and who is that “qaiyd” who allowed entry of such vehicles that pose constant danger because this country’s traffic rule says “keep right.”
Checking the “mistake” of importing cars with driving wheels on the right side is very simple, only it requires a “qaiyd” to stop import of cars with the wrong driving wheels immediately and decisively and make the people of this country to look rational for once because driving these wrong vehicles makes us look irrational in the eyes of the world. Who can respect us if we look and behave irrationally?
This is an indication that there are loopholes in the practice of “qiyada” in this country, in the sense that there are people in positions of “qiyada” and may not know.
The issue of “qiyada rasheeda” is rather an open ended academic matter. Because if it was so obvious and simple as discussed here, everyone would be a very successful leader, and every country would be prosperous. Lack of a “qiyada rasheeda” makes the difference between a developed society and the backward one.
History abounds with examples of “qiyada rasheeda,” leaders who have left large good traces to be seen. And there are examples of bad “qiyada” who are not “rasheeda” who have left large tragic traces to be seen. And there are “qiyadat” who did not leave a single trace to be seen.
A trace can be a “grand abstract idea” like going to Mars. Or a “grand crazy but practical idea,” like the Great China Wall.
Sometimes this writer would look at “qiyada” whether “rasheeda” or not as a curse rather than a blessing. It is a curse when the “qiyada” fail to deliver, and there is no development and there is no peace. It is a blessing when there is consistent delivery of the fruits and vegetables and there is development and there is peace. This is what a simple man like this writer is sincerely looking for.
A “qaiyd” should be a person with a crazy idea which he/she thinks is useful to the country and is executable, like the pyramids for example. Or forcing the country to be food self sufficient can be a very good crazy idea; stop import of any food stuff that can be locally cultivated or locally produced, and let us see.
Before becoming crazy with these big ideas, provide the means and the resources, and then think of the consequences. If you fail and there is discontent, the UN, the US, the UK, Norway and any other interested “jobless” body who was watching may jump in, and you are almost doomed.
If you succeed in the crazy idea to make your country food sufficient, other big crazy ideas may appear and so on and so on. You are on the road of success. You will discover that the UN, the US, the UK, Norway and any other jobless body will respect you and will come in to assist you. It is said that God helps those who help themselves.
Forward development does not stop. Also falling back does not stop.
South Sudan is a very very backward country but rich in potentials. Somebody should bring this county out from the bottle neck of poverty through crazy ideas.
Then this writer shall tell Mou’min, the large size Egyptian peripatetic businessman that, “You know, our new International Airport is taking time to complete, it is the size of (…….) International Airport, and this and that…” Mou’min shall assure this writer that “Don’t worry, everything shall be okay, you have a “qiyada rasheeda.”
You can reach the author via his email: josephabyei@yahoo.com
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