Policy Suggestions to Jonglei New Governor, Hon. Philip Aguer Panyang
By Deng Ajak Jongkuch, Michigan, USA
December 30, 2015 (SSB) — Here are my suggestions to Jonglei New Governor:
1. Roads: Upgrade a road from Bor town to Duk County. I am not taking about paving this road, but make it accessible by clearing the potholes, bushes, and raise it above the current level.
2. State Employees: Downsizing the current state employees by eliminating unnecessary positions, commissions, directorates, ministries, advisers, and parliament
(I) The first target should be current Jonglei Parliament. We only need two people to represent each county, making a total of 6 representatives.
(II) The next cut should come from Ministries. Some ministries need to be eliminated at this critical time. We only need ministries of Agriculture, Health, Education, Finance, and Local government. The other ministries need to be shelved until the economy improved.
(III) Eliminate some directorates within ministries of agriculture, health, finance, education, and local government.
(IV) All commissions must be shelved until the situation improves. Commission such as HIV/AIDS must be put under ministry of health.
(V) Advisors are just waste of funding needed for critical services. The current advisers must be told go back home and start growing food.
3. Non-military armed institutions such as police, fire brigades, Traffic police, Wildlife, and Prison Department gets their salary directly from the Juba. Jonglei Governor has limited authority to supervisor their works. They are sources of many problems in Bor Town.
(a) Jonglei State Governor needs to negotiate transfer of these groups to State level. So that he can monitor their works and trim them to manageable size.
(b) Transfer 90% of these groups to Payam level so that they provide security to level population. A huge number of police is not needed in Bor town; police need to go to payam where they can provide security.
(c) Eliminate Fire brigade, wildlife, and downsize the prison department and traffic police. You only need about 15 traffic police in the capital.
4. Institute Community Police at Payam Level: Each Payam must provide volunteers to provide protections at their payam and Bumas. Each Payam must feed and provide accommodations to those who volunteer a community police.
5. Agriculture: The governor must encourage local people to farm so that they feed themselves. Youth who are wondering around in Bor Town must be asked to go back to their payam to farm. Some kind of “carrots and sticks” must be used to force these people grow their own food. There is also a need to ban World Food Program Food distributions in at all payam. WFP is encouraging dependence and this is dangerous. Ban selling of Uganda or Kenya fresh agriculture produce such as onion, cabbages, tomatoes, maize flour, and sorghum, anything that can be produced locally.
6. Reform local Governments: the ministry of local government is a critical ministry in decentralization system. Commissioners are allowed to run the counties without proper clear policies. Payam Administrators are not doing anything because they do not have really power or lack experience and skills to manage their payams.
(a) Dissolve the current commissioners/payam administrators and call for local government general elections. Give people opportunity to elect their commissioners and payam administrators.
(b) Each county must present their Strategic County Road Map for the next three years. The Strategic County Road Map must clearly define achievable goals in specific areas of Agriculture, Education, Health, and Security.
(c) Ministers and MPs should be authorize to monitor and evaluate the work of county commissioners to make sure they are doing things right?
7. Major Reform in Health and Education:
(a) Major reform in education start by hiring qualified teachers and give them good pay so that they stay in rural areas. The current salary is unsustainable and no qualified teacher will accept to staying in rural area with given salary. Pay raise and accommodations must be instituted to allow teacher to stay in rural areas
(b) Major reform in health delivery system must start with hiring qualified nurses, midwives, and clinical officers. Again, increase salary and provision of accommodations in rural areas.
(c) County Commissioners and Payam Administrators must lead if these reforms are to be effective.
8. Resources Mobilizations: Jonglei is probably the wealthiest states in South Sudan. The people of Jonglei State are businessperson as well as livestock keepers. Jonglei State has huge Diasporas in the USA, Canada, and Australia that can significantly financially contribute to the development of Jonglei State. The governor and his team must find a way to energize the Diasporas so that they invest in business and their counties’ development. Introduce Citizenship Tax to everybody who considered him/herself Jonglei Citizen regardless where these individuals reside. Anybody who is from Jonglei by birth or default must pay Good Citizens Fee once entered into the State.
9. Make Bor town less livable: Discourage movement of people into Bor Town by introducing property taxes, Fee for school, and fee healthcare services. Any who live in Bor town must pay for healthcare services at Bor Civil Hospital. Referral from County must be exempted. Give loan to individuals who want to start business in rural areas. Increase taxes for business in Bor town. Stop land distribution in Bor Town.
10. Strategies to bring people back from Refugee camps, IDP Camps, around Juba, and cattle camps. People are more likely to come back when there is security, good schools, and clinics.
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