The Trouble with Col. Philip Aguer Panyang Jot, the Governor of Jonglei State
By Kon Joseph Leek, Juba, South Sudan
April 25, 2016 (SSB) —- Is fair distribution tiptoeing to Jonglei or something? I am not going to bore anybody on the unfair distribution that Jonglei had witnessed for the last three months, even if it were given to the Satan himself to do the distribution, he would have been more fair than that! That is already left to the high authority, not to Kuol, Makuei or Aguer or defunct State parliament of Jonglei. Up to date, for three months now, Jonglei’s parliament is non-operational and it will be like that until the MPs’ issue is finally resolved
Here, I am going to write on (1) What prompted the sudden U-turn from Col. Aguer (the governor) to become what he has never been before in the distribution of the nine counties that were given to new Jonglei?; (2) I am also going to talk about whether his last minute sense will make sense to the end; (3) How Aguer is being controversial; (4) How Aguer has stepped on Duk’s tail for the second time; (5) And what Aguer should have done to protect his already fading dignity?
- What prompted the sudden U-turn?
In the recent distribution, Jonglei state of three counties was given nine counties to distribute among them. All 28 States were given 224 counties by the Council of States with varying number of counties from each state depending on the population. Earlier before the governor received the nine counties from the Council of states, Duk and Twic East had already separately written to the office of the governor in demand of four counties and Bor County with five making 13 counties all combined.
In those letters, Aguer made sense out of them and adjusted it and wrote to the council of states requesting nine counties for Jonglei. He termed that number as the “sensible one”. State council approved the number and the president signed it It was unfortunate that the number of Counties given to Jonglei was less by four as per the demand of the stated Counties. Now, all were waiting for the governor to do his distribution since there is no parliament to deliberate on it for it has long been dissolved
Col. Aguer resorted to what he should have done in MPs’ seats distribution, he became bold to the extend he dropped his cherished approach of “community based” that betrayed him in MPs’ seats distribution. He simply divided nine by three which equals to three and so he declared that all the three Counties of Jonglei which comprises of Duk, Twic East and Bor should be given three to each. This might have provoked Isaiah Chol’s support of Bor county position which he based on population! That was Col. Aguer’s debut on fair distribution, never did Jonglei witness that in cabinet and illogical and annulled MP’s seats distribution
This simply makes one to ask him or herself about what prompted the U-turn? What made him to choose the path he never took? The answer is simple; he simply wants to change the people’s mindset from what many have believed him to be. He has been seen and accused of either being a collaborator or a deliberate marginalizer or perhaps a weak leader especially in the way he managed the distribution of the parliamentary seats and the cabinet!
- Will Col. Aguer Panyang’s last minute sense make sense to the end?
Aguer’s position has never been so clear when the seats were distributed because he never said it openly but his hobnobbing with the politicians of Bor County explained it all. In the funeral prayers of late Chuei’mabiaz Leek (paramount chief of Duk), he (Aguer) saw how unhappy people (of Duk) were with the distribution. Some people went as far as mentioning at his watch how he mistreated them (Duken) in 1994/5when he could only send grain to them leaving oil and beans in Panyagoor, the H/Q of Twic East (where he comes from), he was heading the SRRC then. They believed that Aguer Panyang of the 90s will not be different from the one of today and they knew and expected the consequences when they heard that he was the Twic East right choice
What he told the mourning crowd was that he was a changed man and that he would merely go and beg Bor County on behave of Duk to at least give Duk some seats. How does someone beg what belongs to him? Many understood there and then that our shy and controlled governor would fail, and he surely did because it is due to his failure that Jonglei is operating without the parliament
Coming back to how the latest distributions make sense. With the previous botched distribution of the parliamentary seats where Duk was given four, and three counties now, how does it make sense for four MPs to present three Counties? And how does it also make sense that three Counties are to be presented by four MPs on one end and 11 MPs presenting 3 Counties on the other end? Or is there any arithmetic that the governor has used here to make his sense to the end? Something is not clear enough here.
You know, when we say sense, the connection between the subject and the object should comply. And words should be connected with the ideology. And in order to explain your sense, you should have a better language of expression; where a reason should be relative to your claim or else someone somewhere may conclude that your claim has no sense in terms of logic
The objects here are the MPs and the subjects are the Counties. Duk with four if we go by the previously rejected resolution by Duk, and Bor with 11 makes the governor’s distribution questionable. How does four MPs relate to three counties when 11 relates to three on the other side? Why not give Duk One County in order to justify his previous sense of distribution? Is it logical enough to distribute the Counties equally and lessen the representation of some of the said counties in favor of some and thinking he would stay without any complain from anywhere?
- How Aguer is being controversial
Shortly after the announcement of the counties and their distribution, Aguer rushed to Juba where he was taking the distribution to the council of states. While in Juba, Bor County called him to Makuei Lueth’s home where they were having a meeting. The reason for the meeting was that Bor County was dissatisfied with the distribution, they wanted five counties citing the claim to their population which other counties questions. In the letter, the chairperson of the community Prof. Ajuoi signed, Makuei signed, I don’t know at what capacity, and the governor signed as well.
He is the governor, and the complaint is from a community (one of the communities he is governing) accusing him of wrong distribution and now the community was writing to the council of states demanding more two counties for themselves and the governor suddenly became one of the complainant! If the governor should have to sign in any letter he is accused because of his poor distribution by his subjects, why didn’t he then sign beneath Duk’s letter when they were complaining more seats? Isn’t this the very same reason Duk accused him of being a Bor stooge? Is he controlled by Bor County? Was he forced to sign it? Was he just afraid to let down his favorites? Or what was it anyway?
If Bor County were comfortable with one county in the old Jonglei, why would they still complain for more after being added more two to make three? Unless Bor County needs an “affirmative action” otherwise the distribution is fair enough
- How Aguer has stepped on Duk’s tail for the second time
When Duk protested their under representation in the parliament, Aguer had already proposed two ministers; ministry of information to Dr. Yath and ministry of Agriculture to Mayen Ngoor. Dr. Yathdit went to Aguer and told him frankly that he could not be sworn in as per the community interests. According to the community of Duk, they wanted their issue of MPs’ things first resolved and later the ministers can be second. Mayen Ngoor became a little stubborn but later gave in when he was warned that should he be stubborn as he always does by betraying the community, he would never get any place in the community in the future
Late last week, Akech Dengdit was in a state decree announced as the appointed minister of information and Mayen Ngoor as the minister of Agriculture. Akech accepted openly until he celebrated it with some youths who are largely believed to have been called by Akech himself to help him in the celebration. Poor Akech, with so many proves is believed to have gone and kneel in front of the governor several times begging to work with him. Akech Dengdit is a Canadian citizen who was once a commissioner of Duk County for less than three months and deposed thereafter due to his poor leadership and arrogance. Dr. Yathdit who was first appointed in that place is his uncle but he (Akech) is just an ambitious young man who can betray almost everyone to get to any position.
Aguer could not get any person from outside apart from these two because Duk is united under the umbrella of “fighting against under representation”, Aguer had to move around and got some two who are not on the path and so he took them. Nobody else Aguer could get beyond Mayen and Akech because they are currently the loose elements as always that Aguer can easily get. These are the terrible good betrayers whom you can’t temper to convince to be with the community else you are increasing your chances of unhappiness!
Duk Community sat last Saturday in Juba to deliberate on the issue and they resolved that, those two should not be sworn in on Monday as planned unless they do at their own risk. Aguer was to be met and press releases have been sent to media institutions. Sadly, the committee that met Aguer were told by the governor that his cabinet has nothing to do with Duk and so these excess baggage of Akech and Mayen were sworn in prompting the community of Duk to call an emergency meeting which saw them disowned by the community
- What Aguer should have done to protect his already fading dignity?
The way our governor is doing things here cannot make one to blame him so much. I believe he is having a tough times, we are only talking may be it is that we are not in his place but we have to touch him because he applied for it claiming to be a better leader. He is the only left-behind-governor besides hopes before he went to Jonglei as the governor. He was known as not corrupt enough citing the way he used to distribute grains to the people of Twic East in the 90s.
One old man prior to his appointment told to the people that it was simply because there was no market for grains those times otherwise you would have a different view right now had it been there. That was a wise mind changing concept, besides, until recently, I have come to believe that corruption is not only in the eating or in selling of grains, but it is also in unfair distribution. So, I already believe Aguer a corrupt person
Had he made the distribution like that one of Pangak state were the governor gave each of the two counties six, then one to women and one to the youth all coming from opposite counties then the distribution would have been completely fair enough, Aguer would have been a hero by now. The one (seat) that remained was given to other parties which they (other parties) sat from all the two counties and they chose one
Amadi state governor Hon. Africano just divided all the 21 seats by three counties, up to now, there is no complain at all and many other examples
If Aguer sat as a leader in the first place and listened to himself instead of making others to decide for him, he would not be more messed up as this. He would have known what to do, but now, he is just struggling with solutions. All the other states started with the MPs distribution up to now, their parliaments are working, the cabinet were chosen later and approved by their parliaments but this is not the case with Jonglei, our state is doing exactly the opposite
The author is reachable on; j.konleek@gmail.com
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