H.E. Hon Governor Madhang Majok: Another Kuol Manyang in Gok State to restore back Law and Order.
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
April 22, 2016 (SSB) — In 1986, Gen. Kuol Manyang restored back law and order during the last days of SPLA/M in the bush and he was the most SPLA officer respected and honor up to today, while another young Governor H.E Hon. Madhang Majok took a bold decision to rescue Gok people in Chueibet from lawlessness, and from the doom of murderers. Law and order is like ropes of tying goats and cows for their safety. Without tying animals down, some will move freely and provoke others. It is sometime called control but later when people learn about it, and gain benefits; they will refrain from the negative parts. Always human beings have ears and see their toes when there is a danger.
To begin with those days of SPLA/M struggles, SPLA/M exists today because of Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk executed wrongdoers for indiscipline in Koryom battalion. Kuol was a very principle man. He abides by law and order. He is highly respected because in those days, he doesn’t associate with corruptists and murderers, maybe nowadays, many corruptists are there and he may learn corruption. It was obvious in the past that peace do availed because people don’t attempt to loot, kills, rape, or took laws in their hands, and until when guns came in South Sudan to be use for liberation from the Arabs oppression; guns began increased internal aggressive among communities.
But earlier in 1985-1987, when SPLA battalion of Koryom came back from Bongo in Ethiopia or training camp, Koryom were 10, 000 SPLA soldiers held from Bor alone, and when they came back from Ethiopia, they looted everything in their homeland. They left to fight the Arabs, and they turned their guns for pride, looting goats, sheep, cows, some kill people, others raped women, and so on, but Dr. John Garang decided to make some changes among the leaders. He removed Arok Thon Arok, and brought in Commander Kuol Manyang Juuk as commanding officer in Bor zone. Without joking Commander Kuol at that time warned the murders and the looters and advised parents to advise their sons to abandon barbaric acts and abide by the law, but they don’t abode by that order. Kuol caught number of youths and fired them immediately, and those who left the army went back quickly to their battalions and followed the mission of SPLA/M to liberate what we called South Sudan today.
At that moment, the order which was executed by Commander Kuol Manyang reduced the terrible tension between the citizens and SPLA soldiers. Those who lost properties and being looted seen that the law took its cost. Everybody in the area in those years fears dear lives, and each and every person knows in mind that there is an essence of law in the area. You cannot attempt to take somebody cow by force, and Dr. John Garang made leap up heart with happiness statement about Kuol that “he had got somebody who will fight the war”.
Coming back to my statement, the old Lake state since 2005 up to now has generally faces encounter and intra-communal conflicts among sections of Dinka community living there. In October 2, 2015, Gok State was formed among 28 states of South Sudan and H.E Hon Madhang Majok was entrusted and won the will of his people to be the first Governor of Gok state like other governors. H.E Hon Governor Madhang Majok addresses people of Gok state and the entire people of South Sudan on SSTV several times, and he warned parents to advice their children to cease killings and other useless activities that eliminate lives of people because he said, “he is here as a governor to claims the rights of the dead”.
Recently when he was appointed a governor, the clans of Pagoor and Akak clashed again among themselves in his state and a big number of 13 people died and others wounded in Gok state. We those who heard his warning last time were waiting to see his reaction, or respond. On 18th April, 2016, I came across; “Governor Dragged to Court over Murder” published by The Nation Mirror News Paper, Thursday 21st April 2016, Volume No. 004, Issue N0.001 on cover page and in page two. In that article “Hon. Madhang Majok, ordered for the extra – judicial execution of two suspects on Monday in Chueibet”, the statement read.
The cause of my writing was the contrary statement made by the advocate, Kiir Chol Deng of Kiirdit and Co Advocates, which says, and I quote, “confirmed that his law firm has been contacted to prepare legal action against the governor. He described the execution ordered by people in authority without any legal process as extra-judicial killing, which is unlawful”. I don’t think Mr. Kiir’s statement is true. There is no state authority or even a state that has rights to eliminate lives of people on earth, but it is the law. Anybody who took law in hands like those who cause havoc in Gok has no rights too to kill people and leave free behind the dead, no; it should not come, never!
You as a law firm and advocates annoyed both family of decayed, and living environment and I call upon Governor of Gok State Hon. Madhang Majok, and Authorities to execute Advocates Kiir Chol of Kiirdit and Co Advocates without compromise because these are South Sudanese lawyers who are always cause downfall and failures of this country, and because of the following reasons, I need him to faces charges for his fake law expert, and they are the very people who advocates for lawlessness in the country. How do you assists law breakdown in the country? In villages, youths kill as they want, is it what make me defend a man who kills and is continue killing number of people throughout his live?
Thousands of people die every day in Gok, Rumbek, and part of Yirol including police, army, and teachers and so on, but what have you done as Kiir Chol about their lives? Kiir Chol who has no right to live and who is not a person with lives as 13 people died per hour and you talk of two people in Gok State who were executed? How can you judge as a lawyer or law expert and whom do you think is legible to live and to die? Why do you advocate for lawlessness among people and all people are equal before the law?
To the best of my knowledge, those who kill people in Gok state have become notorious and it is a routine exercise, even chickens killings have purposes. What are the purposes of those killings in Gok as you think today executing of two people is unlawful? Why is it lawful when a big number is killed like 13 lives including women and innocent children and being attack by intra-communal conflicts and ring leaders are set free, is it because they kill rates, and not human being? I raise these questions; because I did not see you commenting on the lost of their lives when it happened? Tell me where did you learn laws that permitted others to take off lives of others without consequences?
And to make my statement short, retaliations and revenges are not stop in South Sudan because those who kill people are not held accountable for their deeds. These conflicts today are continuously happen for only one reason; the lawyers, courts, and murderers are doing the same common goal. The common goal is to kill, and compensate the life and relatives of the victims with cows, and money. Is money and cows equivalent to lives of previous human being? Please stop such business, and don’t interfere with the work of governor.
I appreciated the formation of 28 states, because Gok State is the government of the day in Chueibet, and present of H.E Hon Madhang Majok, and his entire cabinets, make little movement for the citizens. You know in the history of people of Pachuir, and Padhol, they had inter-marriages before, and when these issues of killings came in sooner, these sections ceased to move freely between themselves. Pagoor, and Akak fight recently and 13 people died among them. The clans of Waad, Panyar, and Ayiil have sectional hatred. All the rubbishes in South Sudan were push on Gok people, and Gok place was regarded as a war zone area because if visitors just pass by the area, unknown gunmen kill whoever passes along that area, but Madhng Majok present in Gok state these few days, make free movement in the area. This is what South Sudan want at this time. I would like what Hon. Governor Madhang did against criminals in Gok state should be apply in 28 states to curve down high crimes in the country. Killing is now everywhere in South Sudan and pardoning people encourages wrongdoers for omitting people lives.
H.E Hon Governor Madhang Majok, you have done what is in hearts of many South Sudanese. Our societies were not so much violent like this before, but culture erosion, adaptation of wrong ideologies, and way we make our chiefs useless cause vacuums in Societies. Your state will be a peaceful state in South Sudan, and anybody who may decide to sleep on road throughout the night will do it so because everybody in your state will cares for his/her life, or people will not attempt to kill others anyhow. Man is the best animals of all ages but to separate man from law and justice, or limited outside chain of law and justice, man becomes the worst even to his/her own life. Aristotle said, “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.” read more at http://www.brainyquote.com. This means that law and justice is holding somebody accountable for what he/she had done and it is painful as tit for tat but people will appreciate it few days ahead of community peaceful co-existence.
The author is a co-founder of National Mental Health Care Organization; He holds Bachelor degree in Social work and social Administration from SSCUST, Bachelor degree in Theology from CLT in Kalispell, Montana USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be reach at tonggaid551@yahoo.com/ davidmatiopgai@gmail.com.
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