The Philanthropic acts of the South Sudanese Businessman, Makiir Gai
3 min readBy Malith Alier, Juba, South Sudan
February 5, 2016 (SSB) —- The above businessman, we are told, came to fore went he donated a cool one million (SSP 1,000,000) South Sudanese Pounds to the victims of Maridi fuel tank fire late last year when the whole country showed solidarity to those victims or agitators who failed to support the owners/drivers of the overturned fuel tankers near place called Mambe. Whichever the case, it was a tragedy which left some families wiped out.
In the face it, people like Makiir Gai couldn’t stand by and watch fellow countrymen suffer on hospitals beds while they had amassed fortunes in the country. Prior to this tragedy, Makiir Gai has been doing low level philanthropic deeds among the incarcerated folks in various states particularly in his home area of greater Bahr El Ghazel. Some of prisoners he helped freed are grateful for his generous and open hearted deeds which rekindle hope that this country values freedom and liberty.
Makiir has done it again this week when he helped free seventeen (17) inmates in former Warrap prison. We understand that one of those freed confessed that he killed somebody and warned others not to commit crimes of any kind. This guy knows too well that the consequences of committing crimes are harshly unforgiving.
This could also be a lesson to the unknown gunmen roaming the alleys of our shanty towns. Most of the unknown gunmen have so far evaded the law enforcement radar to date. This is why they are baptised unknown gunmen because they strike and go using guns under the cover of darkness.
Makiir Gai is a typical philanthropist among his peers. Most of the business people in South Sudan got their wealth from the government through contracts such as durra saga. However, majority of them do not give back to the community as a form of appreciation. If someone acts like Makiir, this is what the business community called corporate social responsibility. So many business people in this country have neglected this one thing and their riches are rotting in foreign banks abroad.
This also is true of some government officials who have squandered the country’s petrodollars and hid it in Switzerland and other tax havens around the world and therefore, earning the tag of “violent kleptocracy.” It is disheartening to meet the so-called rich list of this country in the ministry of Finance to receive from the government.
What they have come to know is receiving only. Giving like Makiirdit is off their vocabulary. A true wealth does not mean marrying many wives and having dozens of off springs. A little philanthropic act like the one of Makiir could replace Bill Gates’ in the future.
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