In Jonglei state, all counties are equal but some are more equal than others (Part 4)
By Kon Joseph Leek, Juba, South Sudan
March 23, 2016 (SSB) —- Jonglei is disunited today because of the inability of its leaders to rise to their responsibilities; they are simply being members of their communities! I just ask myself that, “Why do the good among us seem so helpless while the worse are full of vile energy?”
On 19th, March this month. Gen. Kuol Manyang at his capacity as the SPLM’s chairperson of Jonglei State called the representatives of the three counties of Duk, Twic East and Bor to meet him in one of the hotels in Juba.
Kuoldit had earlier gone to Jonglei State and took away the 21 MP seats that had become a bone of contention. His intervention as a chairperson was to prevent any strife and enmity that would have aroused due to egotistical distribution of the seats
Disagreement had evolved due to scrambling over MP seats that saw Bor running away with 12, Twic six and Duk with 3. The claim of Bor giving themselves 12 was based on population which claim is baseless (read part 3 of this piece)
Twic East County, whether it is because they have no one to complain the remaining one for them or because they are only ready to deliberately give away their seat to Bor County became too satisfied with their six seats.
Duk County, a county bordering two Nuer states of Bie East and West and Boma state as well, a county whom its inhabitants have been for long branded Nuer by its neighboring two Dinka counties of Twic East and Bor because of the six initiation lines/scars on the forehead synonymous to that one of Agaar and Padaang or because of its neighborhood to Nuer was given three seats.
Duk raised a complaint that they demanded equal share of seats of 7:7:7 because of so many reasons in part 3 of this article.
Twic East were just grinning wide like a cat, watching with their arms akimbo. To them, Duk’s struggle is theirs alone. They are not attentive that what Bor County wants is to have their representation higher than that of Duk and Twic all combined and thereafter puts in place whatever hurts the two in their favor. Aguer’s impeachment as well as removal of the speaker (who all comes from Twic) cannot be ruled out in this scenario
But still Twic East is completely challenged to spot this big brown-horned-goat during day which I doubt them if they would be able to see it during night!
To them, they are Bor County’s great friends because they have been spared in the eating spree than Duk.
There is a say that, ‘when a lion eat a bad person and it’s not killed, then it will eat a good person tomorrow’. Duk is bad today because of not being compromised in the eating, and Twic is good for being compromised! If so, then let’s wait for tomorrow.
That tomorrow when you will be left in your state (Twic and Bor) if you will not divorce un-ceremonial divorce before nightfall!
For us are very fit to be ourselves or join Yirol State, Bie (s), or Pibor, then we leave you the two intimate friends alone!
We would of course send you appreciations if your marriage becomes long lasting of which I am too pessimistic about
I am saying all these because of what I have seen with my two own eyes and heard with these two ears of mind. It is what I have seen Twic East representatives doing in the meeting I have mentioned above and what I heard them saying.
When all have come into the meeting hall, a very small room which they call a hall – it contained 23 chairs or so. One main rule was that only those contacted should attend the meeting, Makuei Lueth defied that, he had hired his own people without chairperson’s knowledge
On the high table was Gen. Kuol, the chairman, from Bor County, Makuei Lueth, a chairman of non-existing Greater Bor Community also from Bor, Antipas Nyok Kucha from Bor as well, Gabriel Alak from Twic and the incumbent governor Aguer Panyang from Twic.
Looking on to the high table, you just know that Duk was between the devil and the deep sea – how can you tell a culprit/offender to solve your case? Itukum dagas inak!
Aguer is the accused of favoring Bor County too much, according to Twic East position paper which was written by certain cowardice community who did not mention themselves believes that Aguer is favoring Bor because his mother comes from there and his sister is married there to an influential politician, I don’t know who, and so they believed that he has been overwhelmed by their influence
Reason for the meeting was resolution on Duk’s complain that their seats have been deliberately given away to Bor county by Aguer, the claim Bor County and Aguer denies and instead put the distribution on population, which population’s claim Duk disputes to not holds water because the decree behind the creation of 28 states did not mention population unless Aguer and Bor County are against the decree.
This was why Kuoldit intervened. So, on the high table were two Bor county members under different tickets and three Twic East members as well.
There were also members (all from Bor) hired by Makuei without being invited, not was the chairman of the meeting aware. There were intruders in the meeting! The chairman was confused but could not help anything
Kuoldit stood up to introduce the agenda, which was usual. The meeting started without prayers despite the present of pastors-turned-politicians Antipas Nyok Kucha and Elijah Mochnom Wuor and the two pretended to have not noticed that prayers, which according to contemporary religious Dinka Bor culture is a norm, has not been conducted. They all ignored interrupting the GENERAL in order to give prayers
That alone was an enough omen that the future of that very specific meeting would not be desirable.
To be continued……
The next article will focus on what transpired in the meeting and how the resolution was reached
You can reach the author via his email: j.konleek@gmail.com
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