Why Don’t Our Leaders Use Public Commercial Flights?
By Kuol K. Alberto, Juba, South Sudan
February 16, 2016 (SSB) —- During the war of liberation for our country South Sudan, there were no commercial flights as the region was rocked by intense war which reduced the few existing structures to rubble and brought about serious suffering. Few flights could be witnessed here and there mainly for Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS). The rebel movement (SPLA) was able, on minimal occasions, to charter flights for significant missions.
In 2005 when Khartoum signed peace accord with the SPLA, we witnessed on numerous occurrences a change of events and leaders resorted to chartering flights even for insignificant event. This has tremendously increased. The irony is just like the presence of thousands of V-8 cars in this country and yet, 75% of our people are facing abject poverty. I understand many rich people have already bought their own planes. What a world! Two things usually happen when chartering this private planes: In the first place the owners of those private planes continue to become richer and richer as their assets are being put to use. The gap between the “haves and haves not” continues to get wider and farther. On the contrary our poor citizens continue to experience the brand of this economic hardship just because their taxes have been misappropriated by few individuals.
With that said, let us now turn to the commercial flights upon which the genesis for this article arose. One can envisage how some of these private airlines don’t have air conditions at the start of the flight. After an hour or so, it starts to become extremely cold. In fact, it begins to drizzle like a dew fall.
This of course has two effects, when it is hot and no air up there, you can imagine how life is horrible for the passengers. Some will begin to curse the hell out of the owners of these airlines and pray to arrive quickly to their destination never to use them again. The second thing which happens when it is cold is that, it begins to create weather in balance and may likely cause health issues. Remember South Sudan is not Norway, Russia or Poland which are very cold.
Furthermore, the booking process is so chaotic and obfuscating. One can be surprised in the last minute that one is not travelling. They reserve some places (tickets) for invisible customers. You can only be sure of traveling once you are in the plane. Now, how do you plan your trip with this unpredictable travel.
The time indicated in one’s booking ticket is not the exact time (or even closer) one leaves. One must/should be prepared for a disappointment. Indeed, there is no 100% guarantee in flights everywhere in the world, but at least, one is 98% sure to be leaving somewhere else. However, that is not the case with South Sudan. The probability of leaving for one’s intended trip in this country is always 30% when one is using commercial flights.
At times the plane is over crammed where people share seats. You wonder how the same people will share the same seat belt. Indeed they do.
Some of these airlines don’t have a lavatory and this is necessary for long distances like from Juba to Aweil or Raja. This is a journey of 2-3 hours depending on the type of plane one is using. How does one survive for such a long trip without a lavatory especially when one is pressed?
If one has a huge baggage, be prepared not to get it once you reach your final destination. You will be surprised by the fact that the company could not put your bag on board because of blab blab blab and that you have to wait for the next flight in a week or the following week. Now, if you had all your belonging there, coming home for the first time, where will you get a change of clothe?
Why is all these happening? It is because, top government officials prefer to use United Nations Humanitarians Air Services (UNHAS) or to charter private airlines. The commercial flights on the other hand are delivering poorly because highly profiled people don’t use them and as such they don’t care as nobody will force them to improve on their services. The poor public is coerced to continue using them as the only means to travel within the country now that it is dangerous to move by road to some states.
Our leaders ought to use commercial airlines so that they owners of those planes are forced to improve on their services. Our leaders should use commercial flights to avoid wasting resources of the nation and their own if indeed they pay from their pockets. Our leaders must use commercial flights to improve the security as no proper checking is done to the passengers boarding the plane.
By saying all these, I am not attacking the credibility of some of these airlines, but I am urging our service providers not to take for granted the crisis in this country and mistreat her people. The poorly you deliver your services the ugly face you create to your company among the citizens of this nation.
Future is not far, it is just at the door. If one company improves its services and people move there, your airline would be termed “former” as you would lack customers.
If a leader is fond of using charter flights, what happens when he gets out of the office? Lucky him who might have bought for himself a plane or amassed enough wealth to continue chartering. Using these airlines would be catastrophic for him and would curse the period he spent in the office without using these airlines and not pushing them to improve their services.
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