Governor Philip Aguer Panyang: Focused on the Greater Happiness of the Greater Number of People in Jonglei State
9 min readBy Peter Ngor Atem, Nairobi, Kenya
January 20, 2016 (SSB) —- I intend to be neutral as I pen down this article . I haven’t taken cognizance of impracticality,immaturity and untimeliness of the Establishment Order No. 36 of 2015( EO#36). Assume that president Gen. Kiir were a tyrant- alpha and omega-,who would say no YES to his NO? Not even president Obama of powerful US of George Washington nor the sworn noise-maker: Donald Trump of Republican Party, would negate. I have kept constant the intensive debate attracted by the establishment Order.
All said and done ,I want to take this early opportunity to congratulate H.E Col. Aguer Panyang on his appointment as governor of Jonglei. Though belated, congratulations on your appointment to the new sumptuous status. I also want to extend ,with the same vigor , my sincere ‘thank you note’ to his H.E Gen. Kiir Mayardit for hearing the voices of people especially the delegates of Twic East County.
It wasn’t a mere walk in the park to elbow out such great sons of Twic East as Brig. Gen. Hon. Deng Dau , Gen. Dr. Dau Daleer Abit, Gen. Dut Achuek de Lual, Mr. Ateng de Amos Agok and Maj. Gen. Manyok Barach Atem. The win was indeed born out of smart, hard work .
Col. Philip Aguer, it is noteworthy to reaffirm that people of Jonglei know you as a man of lofty attributes: humility ,hard work,astuteness, resilience et cetera. They’re also alive to the fact that your consolidated military,academic and intellectual capabilities are beyond reproach. You are an embodiment of their moral authority and pride . They respect you .With many other Bor sons and daughters , you are indeed on top echelon of our society.
Without fear of contradiction, your great performances in previous assignments gave birth to today’s new status in your career. Jonglei people aspire to colonize and manipulate your outstanding virtues to retrieve their nose-diving dreams and aspirations. And that explains why there were earth-scorching celebrations and jubilation in Bor land upon your appointment as governor.
Accompanied by venerable elders of our community, Hon. Makuei and Hon. Kuol, your grant homecoming is historically unprecedented. Again ,the pomp,color and glamour associated with grant welcoming in Bor town can’t be gainsaid or brushed aside . It is reminiscent of biblical Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is Magnificently telling.
One ,it shows that Jonglei people hold you in high esteem .Two ,you’re a Christmas gift as well as a new year gift to them. They have a high hope in you ,due to the benefit of the hindsight, that you are the one to revert their resources to them from the people eating the country with big spoons.
Three, they want to say that it is the pig which doesn’t have the choice of food but people do. In that regard ,their jubilation was elicited by the president’s wise decision to uphold their popular choice.
Over and above all ,they have high expectations in your leadership. By treating you to such V.I.P reception,they were politely submitting their ‘To-Do-List’ to your able office . Chief among issues radically and promptly needed addressed can be presumed as below:
Unity of Bor people:
It is an undeniable fact that our people are badly divided by the recently ceased civil war in our country . The Bor people have solely owned the ‘SPLM war of seats’. Irritatingly,they have been calling themselves names . It is high time you come and set up your cyber crime team to surveil and bring to book the young war warmongers on social media.
On top of that ,engage the whole community in meaningful discussions to uproot any suspicion,mistrust and hatred among communities . In the word of Prof. Chinua Achebe ,the home is falling apart because the centre has become so bloated and mutilated that it cannot hold . Engage the wise elders drawn from the three counties to teach the furious youths on the importance of togetherness and sense of cohesive interactions.
Resettlement to original homes:
I want to bring it to your attention that the mother of this small writer and my colleagues’ mothers have not yet settled in their villagers . They fear two big enemies:Murle and flood. I didn’t mention the white army because H.E Taban Deng,the 2nd in Command of White Army forces, has returned to Juba . His grant return to Juba with his Advance Team is a clear indication that there is NO white army which may ,once again , mindlessly inflict unprovoked harm on our people . Col. Philip, persuade,influence,win the hearts and facilitate the resettlement of Jonglei people to their villages. Tell them that farming is their main economic practice . Tell them that their enemy has permanently vanished in thin air and there’s nothing to fear.
Infrastructural development:
For the jonglei people to effectively engage in income-generating activities ,such as trade among others ,there must be a paved murram ( feeder road ) from the state captial Town to the headquarters of Duk county . The availability of paved road would potentially ease the mobility of people from one point to the other within the state. The movement of commodities will be eased as well .
Insecurity:
Well informed by excellent military career and ceaseless contact with local communities,you deeply understand our biggest source of insecurity.
Just to jog your memory ,our big enemy is one: Murle. They’ve been a pricking thorn in our flesh since time immemorial.
Our land has been made a theatre of rituals by Devil Yau Yau since he decided to pick up arms against government for best reasons known to him. Instead of fighting his own people who stood in his way of becoming a commissioner ,he incessantly directs his miscalculated anger on innocent and peaceable people of Bor, whose DNA embodies South Sudanese national cohesion.
For lack of better words,the Murle are disturbing the solitary mind holding together the breaking national bond . From the word go,you are duty-bound to negotiate alternative dispute settlements with Murle local leaders in order to foster a good neighbourliness. If that effort bears no fruit,tell president Salva Kiirdit to tell the ‘Lt. Gen. , and his roving goons, to stay off Bor soil. He should remain within the confines of their newly created Boma state. No more beastly attacks on Bor position. No more kidnapping of our children. No more raiding of cattle-livelihood of our people .
Flood:
The perennial flooding across Bor soil is corrosively eating deep into the indomitable spirit of Bor people . The effects of wrecking floods have been unabated across Bor land.
It is not too long ago when the flood destroyed the homes and property of Twic East people especially Kongor Payam . Practically,the local youths could not build lasting dykes to control the water outburst because they were so insufficient in requisite resources needed.
Make it a government priority to build water-enduring dykes in flood-prone areas. It is doable!
The local leaders do practically nothing about it. They would quickly curse it away in speeches-farfetched lectures- laced with tactical escapism and personal white washing.
And a poor mother from Pawel would whisper to my ear ,’my son, where does ,our Hon. MP, invest our CDF fund? My definite answer to Mama Apajokdit is, ‘I don’t know’.
In a nutshell ,the aforementioned challenges ,and many others such as lack of schools, lack of equipped health facilities, have devoured the very soul of our community fabric. The perennial subjection of Bor people to sustained atrocities,sufferings and deprivation of basic services have badly shaken their indomitable spirit and unrivalled resilience. Due to the severity of the pains,there’s a dire need for a quick response thereto.
Best moment is now when you must burn the midnight oil envisioning and drawing feasible mechanisms to nip their sufferings at the buds .
A good climatologist would, therefore, say that a sign of a sunny day shows at the break of the dawn. In your case ,the need-assessment tours you’re conducting across the 15 Payams of Borland are a good indicator that you’re willing and capable to diligently and prudently serve your constituents.
Your tremendous display of vigour and enthusiasm reignites the shattered hopes in Jonglei people. They are saying in low tones,’the black saviour of Bor people is finally here’. They have no any iota of doubt in their minds that in a foreseeable future, your performance rating will top nationally if you keep replicating this undying zeal and vigour in service delivery.
However, due to perceived budget constraint occasioned by the runaway economic meltdown in the country,your government -just like the other 27 state governments-will be bedeviled by financial shortages hence crippling the smooth running of your government. But all is not lost.
An administrator and resource-mobiliser you were in previous assignments,devising and enhancing other sources of funding is not as difficult as rocket science. Make use of our sons and daughters in Diaspora. Persuade them into investing their hard-earned dollars in bettering the lives of the suffering population back home. Again,enable the environment for the investors to come and invest their resources in Jonglei.
Most importantly,on a separate note,it is commonplace that the enemies of progress will be trying to lie hurdles on your path. They will be tempted to repeat a story of a cursed people who released Barabbas and unjustifiably convicted Jesus by crucifixion.
They will entrap your saintly name in corruption allegations-and other ills. They will accuse you of redundancy in service delivery. Subsequently, they will try you in a court of popular public opinion. The tag of a laughingstock-blatant failure- will be put around your neck.
Determined and fortified, they will work hard to see you taking Jonglei people back to Pharaoh. They will ,of course ,be delighted in doing that because your failure is a political bonus on their side. Those moves are normal in real politics. They’re employed as a tool of political resurrection.
It is incumbent upon you to hit back appropriately by employing the power of silence. Pay zero attention to the would-be political naysayers and their red-hot brigade of propaganda and misrepresentation. Develop a thick skin that will ward off the godfathers of mischief from distracting you in your spirited quest.
Last but not least- as I avoid giving you pension before doing actual work- I beckon you to firmly take the baton of leadership and direct Jonglei to a right path. A path of progressive and tangible development, of peaceful co-existence among ourselves and others ,of love and unity.
Make our state a modern hub of investment,of innovation,of vibrant economic engagements. We want you to be a John Pombe Magulify of Jonglei State. Don’t take a backseat when making decisions. Don’t delay. Lead in front. ‘Magulify’ (wipe) all messes off Bor soil.
Peter Ngor Atem is a student of Law, University of Nairobi, Kenya, and can be reached via his email contact: ngorpeters@gmail.com
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