Strategic Schools for the Protection of New Jonglei State
By Deng Kur Deng, Pennsylvania, USA
January 27, 2016 (SSB) — It is obvious that we the people of Jonglei have uttered enough complaints for something that we would fight for at any cost. It seems that South Sudan has been liberated, but Jonglei has yet to be liberated from the enemy within. Therefore, it is now our obligation to use the right hammer on the right nails, and we are hoping that comrade Aguer is overwhelmingly seen as the right man for this job.
For far too long, we have shown faithfulness to our neighbors, but now, these more languorous approaches are not working. Therefore, we must adopt better language to get our messages across. Governor’s actions may be looked at or considered as a regional war if it takes such turn, but if the intent is to maintain security in the state, then such actions are the only way to contain these many problems in Jonglei.
However, my worry would only truly kick in if Governor Aguer Panyang were to fear criticism and repercussions as he tackles this social problem. A soft leader would take advantage of our people’s vulnerability; therefore, the governor must be ready to deal with all of these problems at a harsh level. I wouldn’t change my position on the issue now that the plan is put into motion. My unwavering support to address security issues remains steady.
I am aware that our people haven’t stopped criticizing our leaders, but they have yet to participate in the conversation or equally address or eradicate security concerns in the state. Let them participate in productive work. Many people may feel troubled, regardless of how seriously Governor Aguer stands on security problems in the state. Often, our leaders give lengthy and confusing messages to their people, but from my own personal analysis, Governor Aguer seems to be an action-oriented individual, and that is why I have aligned my hope with him as a leader and as a person.
Again, Governor, your true potential remains unknown until you takes one step or multiple steps, and then we can reconsider our individual positions about his qualifications as a leader. This might sound childish, but I felt that my complaints again are well-justified, given what has been going on for so many years. The enemy of peace has decimated an uncalculated number of people across the Bor community, and that loss has debilitated the community at large. Security problems have been haunting our people for so long, but as of yet, there has not been a strategic plan put in place to address the problem. And so, it is time to share with our newly appointed Governor Aguer Panyang. Sharing some opinions or suggestions about the concerns facing Jonglei on a daily basis may help us fight the enemy within.
Whether you believe it or not, it is not a time for perfection, but rather, the simple protection of lives. The lives of our people are very vital, like in every state. As we are looking for long term solutions, there are a number of options available, which need to be carefully reviewed by sound-minded individuals who care about the wellbeing of the people. Security is a major concern in South Sudan, but unimproved security is the enemy to every single house in Jonglei. Without proper security, this insurgent force is a threat to our existence; therefore, we must confront the sources of these threats, otherwise we will not prosper and develop like every other state in the country.
There is nothing secret in regards to this social problem in Jonglei, and that is why some of us have high expectations about who is willing to do the best job confronting these threats. Personally, I am not in that category of those who have high expectations, because I don’t know what the Governor Aguer Panyang can do about security concern. But I do know that we cannot reach our next milestone without exhausting the solutions to Jonglei’s security problem. That is why I would like to see Governor Aguer Panyang prioritize security above all else, in order to restore a valuable right to the individuals and general population of Jonglei.
With that being said, mismanagement of resources must be equally addressed to avoid what has been nonsensically and repeatedly characterized as a lack of resources—when in fact, very few resources have been taken from the people. In fact, if Governor Aguer becomes mealy-mouthed on these issues, then nothing will be addressed at all. People will turn to their usual uproar due to a lack of commitment on the part of the leadership. We know that corruption is a distraction to any solution that has been well-formulated, so we must be vigilant in eliminating that corruption.
We must weed the system to eliminate employees who have no tasks in their position and instead use their salaries to build schools that are intended to protect the Jonglei state. These schools will attract students who have no financial capability to study in foreign countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and other East African countries. By cutting down on corruption, we can build a new, wonderful opportunity for our future generations.
Let us say at this time, the security problem is our concern, so there is no way of avoiding it at this stage. But this point brings us to those students who are sent out of the country after completing primary, which I believe must be carefully manipulated to participate and protect innocence lives if we are ever to put our security concern to rest once and for all.
As you already know, many of the Lost Boys are predominantly from Jonglei; therefore, we will do our share to better security in our backyard. However, the number of students who are sent out of the country by Lost Boys to study are an even greater number. There must be ways of reducing the number of young students flocking to different countries. In fact, there is no comparable statistics available in other state, but the fact remains that we are driving away an able population of our people.
On the other hand, this security plan will provide a means of investing in the welfare of the youth at large in various sectors such as agriculture, education as a whole, and roads. The execution of a strategic schools plan will rescue those who are living under the shadow of constant death in Jonglei. For the security concern to be contain, I proposed the following strategies to help the Jonglei overcome their problem; by using schools as an instrument, the results will guide young men to protect more innocent lives.
Strategic plan mainly for security reasons:
- Three or six strategic state owned high schools must be built to serve purpose of security.
- In order to address security issues, you must promote laws that allow every young man who have graduated from primary school to serve within the security organization for one or two years.
- Or if the idea of state laws is not earned from the federal government, free schools will attract students on it own given that it would be available once they are enlisted in the program.
- Once a young man is enlisted in the program and completed it for one or two years, he must be given a chance to attend state owned high school for free.
Agriculture Productive:
- Among this very group, state can also use them in Agriculture to grow crops to feed these three or six schools.
In the meantime, security must be assigned as an obligation carry out by each Boma:
- Men who are sitting frivolously in Bortown, must be deserted to their bomas or payams in order to protect their own village.
- Each village must deploy their men to ensure security is restore.
Thanks and Congratulations Beny Aguer. Make our state a safe place and a great example for South Sudan at large. Good luck.
This article was written by Deng Kur Deng, AKA, Raanmangar. You can reach him at: pananyangajak@gmail.com
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