The Return of “Rak Ke Ayen”: A Bor/Twic Story of Jonglei State People
By Anyuon-magedem, Nairobi, Kenya
March 1, 2016 (SSB) — In his speech on the First visit of His Excellency Philip Aguer Panyang, the newly appointed governor of Jonglei state to the state capital, Bor Town. Dr. Dau Aleer, a chairman of Twic east community said that he actually came to remind Philip Aguer of his “Adeet” which he caution not to let go his Adeet (leadership) to Makeer Chol Adol.
Briefly, the mythical story of “Rak Ke Ayen” is known to the people of greater Bor including Duk County. It is a story used by Bor county people to bully Twic East people while Twic people also have others of retaliations. One good thing with the two communities is the joke part of their life.
The story happened upon a Twic (TWI) man who went to the market to sale his cow. After selling and he received it in cash, he put his money in his “Adeet”. Because of the sponginess of the Adeet or the cypress tree as others may call it. It was commonly used by old men to keep anything valuable for them like tobacco, money and so on. The today’s generation may call it little mobile bank for old men or the M-pesa if it is Kenya maybe.
Adeet was also used by young men as shell during wars and in dancing as a bragging shell. People who don’t brag with it well were said not to be good with carrying adeet.
And so after putting his money in his adeet, he now set for the journey back home. By coincident he met the Bor community man of the present Bor County on the way. The Bor man knew very well that Twic man’s adeets are not just a walking shells but small mobile savers. He then tried to trick a man whether he can brag with his adeet well having seen the good shaved adeet. The twic man said yes he was and he tried to show him how best he could but the Bor man said no, you are not like me. He requested him to try and shown him his best.
Fortunately, those believed to be the best one at bragging were those who can run while singing personal songs, so the Bor man took the adeet and he started running with it singing “RAK KE AYEN, RAK KE AYEN” while headed to the bushes. The Twic man looked at that and he starting calling the man by the song he was singing saying, “Rak ke Ayen, the adeet has a cow (money) inside” while the man was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe to cut the long story short, the Philip Aguer’s government which was formed a week ago is a repeat of “rak ke ayen story” between Philip Aguer and the Bor County people to the people of Twic East County. Upon the selection of ministerial positions and advisers, majority of the selections rotates in the five payams of Bor County.
Actually, the current Jonglei state is comprised of 15 payams. In his selection, Aguer identified himself with the people of Bor County as man of the people by making sure all the five payams of Bor County are accommodated in his government. He called it an inclusive government which to Twic east may be a snatching of government (adeet). Duk people may not also be contended but they must now look for their own term.
The ratio used by H.E. Philip Aguer is less of an equation balancing but then inclusivity must be driven from democratic formulae. One may call it counties representation.
The general Government;
Bor County
- Peter Wal Athieu – D/governor
- Agot Alier Leek – advisor on political affairs
- Ayom Mach Jok – minister for finance and economic planning
- James Akech Yen -minister for physical infrastructure
- Susan Lith Aluong Kang – minister for education and gender
- Angok Gordon Kuol – minister for health
- Rachel Amour Pach – revenue authority commission
Maybe in the list to make number 8 (eight) in the near days to come, a town mayor is pending and that make the counting odd. The even is better for the mayor position has been known to be for people of Bor County. Wondering if metropolitancy is exclupolitancy.
Twi East
- Dut Achuek Lual – minister for local government
- Diing Akol – advisor on economics affairs
- Amour Kuol – advisor on technical land survey
Duk County
- Yath Awan Yath – minister for information, youth, sport and cultural heritage
- Mayen Ngor – minister for Agriculture
In short, there was a lot of hope that the government by the people and for the people was to be seen in Philip’s government. The youths in their quest and indeed who were the pillars behind the governor have started losing hope. Others said the youth of greater Bor will only benefit from the government headed by youth only and not in the veteran’s phase.
When the people of greater Bor received the News of Philip Aguer Panyang as their new appointed governor, they recalled their Aguer of the 1990s who used to distribute the humanitarians assistance grains for them. Others would now want to wonder why the distribution of government is different from that of the UN’s ratio.
Aguer is being a man of people enough to a point that his reliance on people will befall him. The too many consultations, which gave every man and woman in every village a right to demand his/her interest was the cause of governor’s confusion. He could not betray any of his folks who stood by him.
Because people must lobby to befriend the governor for support, the governor may loss old friends from the line of bringing in new friends.
It should be known to the people of Bor that good governance is not about the distribution of positions but rather the performances by the ones appointed to such positions. Our new cabinet should also know that they did not come from counties but from the people of Jonglei state whom they represent.
I decried SPLM-IO for not having taken up the deputy Governor’s position but I hope they understand that there is no SPLM-IO county in Jonglei state as said by many.
You can reach Magedem by sending an e-mail to degombaarok@gmail.com or degombaarok@yahoo.com
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