In Jonglei state, all counties are equal but some are more equal than others (Part 5)
By Kon Joseph Leek, Juba, South Sudan
March 23, 2016 (SSB) —- Gen. Kuol started clearly so well with the words of mutual co-existence, he went on historically in mentioning the people of Bor County who were once people of Duk county and are now natives of Bor County and vice versa (Kuoldit was very right in that anyway, only that Bor county people who are now natives of Duk have never, still are, and will never be given names to humiliate and isolate them, something contrary to what is being done to our people who are now natives of Bor county to whom songs which are scornful, disdainful, isolative and humiliating are composed against them, they have been termed as immigrants, foreigners and Nuer!, I hope you can agree with me in that)
The General went on by saying that he can’t do it alone, ‘we better come together and do it our self’ he said, ‘no one can do it better if we can’t do it on our own’. I convinced myself he might have heard that our complaint has reached the presidency, and surely it will if it hasn’t yet.
He concluded that we shall find the solution within ourselves,’ how can we solve it?’ he asked forgetting that he went to Bor and took all the 21 seats to make the solution himself and now again, adopting Aguer’s policy of community based approach which is dearly failing him (Aguer). ‘Why should Kuoldit suddenly turned into Aguer when he is famous of being a heard nut to crack?’ I asked myself. Isn’t it that he is sitting amidst typical Bor and Twic representatives on a high table that he might have been smeared with the oil Aguer was smeared with or adorned in ornaments Aguer is adorned with?!
Things will not be good, I assumed. Yes, Kuoldit will be or is already manipulated just like Aguer, he is definitely speaking not in his voice but in Bor county voice, he was no longer the SPLM chairman we knew.
Somebody else could not laugh, not even Makuei. Only Kuoldit possessed the whole room with Dinka Bor history of co-existence and strategy to solve the complaint until he came to, ‘how can we solve it?’
Abiel Chan’s hand was already up to answer unexpected question,’ Bany, Abieldit called out, we were only waiting for your resolution, so just tell us what you have or how you have resolved it?’
Atem Garang Kuek raised his hands with others, due to the unluckiness of Duk County of its being at a dangerous border made Atem picked to say something. ‘We can’t do anything, he said, so you sit with the members of SPLM liberation council and resolve it’. He said in the tone that signifies that, “we will trust their judgment!”, but the meeting was not about Twic, it was about Duk though Atem is in SSLA under Duk’s ticket, he is more of Twic than Duk, I very much believe. Or might he have believed that Duk and Twic liberation Council members combined were more than Bor County and so should it be brought to voting then Twic by any miracle would vote in favor of Duk! I think so. Maybe that
Atem’s point was taken into consideration at once by the GENERAL. Look at this, it was due to the failure of political approach first in Bor town that Kuoldit intervened and he was trusted by all, then again, he failed within himself to make a distribution then he rushed to adopting Aguer’s community based approach in that meeting, an approach that led him to take the seats due to its failure in Bor, which approach was seen overthrown or killed at birth again by Atem’s approach before it could even scrawls.
The sitting was gambling with the solution or tactfully withdrawing from an honest solution.
All non-SPLM liberation council members were sent out of the meeting largely made up of Duk including Mochnom Wuor who is the deputy chair of SPLM in Duk County. The same Mochnom, until the meeting in two times sitting was not chosen to speak despite sitting just in front of the high table and had raised his hands over 20 times.
Only few remained, they began talking on the agenda which Bor county manipulated especially Deng’tiel Ayuen who suggested that Duk be given four, Twic six and Bor with 11, all none Duk’s members that talked accepted it including the General exception of Deng Dau MALEK who suggested that Duk be added one more to make five but still in vain.
Seven seats which Duk demanded were now a tale, it couldn’t even be touched because if Deng Dau suggestion which was supported by even some Duk members who already got tired of protecting their seats at the brink of robbing, there is no way a deliberate snatcher of somebody’s staff or any sane collaborator could compromise with Duk’s demand of seven seats.
Three hours later, all those who had been sent out were called to hear how the liberation council has resolved it. The chairman stood up to announce the results. Instead of doing it straight because it was getting late, it was 8:30pm, he first meandered around. He talked of this, and talked of that and again came back and returned until he finally declared what he termed as compromise solution. Duk 4, Twic 6, Bor 11. Not even a single soul from Duk dared clapped except Bor and some Twic members; I didn’t see Atem claps despite the success of his suggestion.
To be continued…
The drama in the meeting is what you should look at in the next commentary
You can reach the author via his email: j.konleek@gmail.com
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