An open letter to the presidency: President Salva Kiir, Dr. Riek Machar, and James Wani Igga
An Open Letter to President Salva Kiir Mayardit, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, and Vice President James Wani Igga.
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
April 28, 2016 (SSB) —- Your Excellencies, this letter is serving as piece of appreciation and advice in relation to our internal affairs and to you as high executives in charge of South Sudan current politics and development. Before I commence the body of my letter, I would like to express my special thanks to President Kiir for his humility, and how he handles South Sudanese people with care and their problems in particular which are associating with many difficulties in our time. Multitudes of thanks to first Vice President Dr. Riek Machar for his successful commitment to the peace agreement with the assurance of his present in Juba when he touched the ground of South Sudan yesterday at 4:43 pm South Sudan local time after 28 months of conflict in the young nation. This is a big positive step in compliance with Successful wanted peace and bright future ahead of South Sudan. And a wonderful gift of thanks to Vice President James Wani Igga, the icon of peace in our country who also deserves millions of heartfelt of love, joy, and nice records in our history.
Dear Excellencies, since the signing of peace agreement on the 17/8/2015 in Addis Ababa by Dr. Riek Machar Teny, and on 26/8/2015 in Juba by the President of the Republic Salva Kiir, it was too difficult for us citizens to hope for positive results of this agreement because it was the first ever agreement in history of the world to be form and implemented but as south Sudanese who cares for the lives of our people, we regarded ourselves as the same countrymen and women who on the same pages of surface of the agreement and peace beneficiaries.
Your Excellencies, I know you have many layers of advisors: such as special advisors, presidential advisors, home advisors, friends advisors, and I would like to be a public advisor although one may think I can’t fit for this advice, but as a South Sudanese citizen, I have to be for the sake of our future. My advice is not a thought of blame. You have to abstain and refrain yourself from the wrong advisors who confuses you in mixture of the agendas of division, self interest, sectarianism, tribal affiliation, messages of flattering, job seekers and so on. Why can’t you seek advises from the public than these advisors? Why can’t you make public boxes along main roads and gather public opinions for your help?
I want to encourage you for a job well done and more efforts are needed in place to accelerate the peace implementation, and togetherness. I need to see you not distant yourself from one another but come closer as a link to build confident and trust among yourselves. And when you come together, you can build later on matters of interests and differences, and you can resolve problems amicably. Peace itself is not enough, but peace needs to be maintaining, and need proper protection.
To be maintaining, we need to engage ourselves in peace building, trauma healing, and integration, forgiveness and reconciliation, but for peace to be protected, we need to develop enough state security: human security, food security, national security, environment security, internal and external security, and properties security. This includes lives protection of all our citizens in the country.
South Sudanese were divided since 1947 when they failed to talk in one voice, and it is their problem. They hated themselves and it is their own disease. Tribalism swallowed them, and it will take long time to free them, and they want to stick on its essences now. I hope the speedy for all these hatred, tribalism, division, and massive killing which are happening in the country; the sources are our leaders. Our leaders like building their political consensus around tribe and influence on tribe than tribes, while tribes are for the same nation. I don’t think politics of tribe can benefit tribe among tribes. If I want to become South Sudan President, all sixty four tribes are my tribe called South Sudan, and their efforts will bring me to the throne.
Excellencies, as executives of South Sudan, your roles currently are very crucial. It is very difficult to be realized but you have to do something to rebuild and unite the country. I have three things for you to do in order to reverse the nation back to normal. First, as executives, two armies in one country are big problem, and you know always in South Sudan, problems used to begin in the army. Soldiers will begin fighting again when they got drunk, and it may cause panic among the citizens, don’t let them fight again among us! This challenge is lying ahead of you though you know it. Secondly, partisan or grouping is another problem in your transitional Government of National Unity, (TGNU). It is better to work as a team, than parties of SPLM or SPLM – IO, but President Kiir said, “our strength lies in our unity”.
And finally, files laws that may protect the army. The South Sudan army (SPLA) has becomes a card for playing. It is a card of fourteen games which is any time daub on footing when it becomes useless. Killing of soldiers everywhere in the country is not good, but as TGNU tell South Sudanese that these soldiers are not non living things, they are human being born by parents, they were civilians like other South Sudanese citizens, but trained to protect the territorial dignity of South Sudan, and later retire to be civilian again. Therefore, South Sudanese have no rights to kill them anyhow.
Your Excellencies, in conclusion, I want your incoming government to set social policies, welfare of everybody and the army to be respected and if any area touches a soldier or kill, this area should be responsible otherwise there is no reason somebody who is protecting the country is mistreated the way South Sudanese are treating their army. Who is not human being? Be a blessing in your new government as executives, legislatures, and judiciary.
The author is a Co-founder of National Mental Health Care Organization; he holds Bachelor degree in social work and social administration, Bachelor degree in Theology from CLT in Montana USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be reach at tonggaid551@yahoo.com/ davidmatiopgai@gmail.com.
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