PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd – South Sudan

"We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing" By Konstantin Josef Jireček, a Czech historian, diplomat and slavist.

The Impact of National Dialogue Must be Experienced Timely!

By Sunday de John, New Delhi, India

National Dialouge Steering Committee
National Dialogue Steering Committee

June 9, 2017 (SSB) — THE national dialogue committee is in place. Ways are being devised for a possible log-on. It seems there are a lot of stumbling blocks that would mar it at the genesis. The initial perception of the dialogue seems to be a mere perception devoid of substance.

THE excerpts from recent speakers at the gathering are telling on how political the dialogue has become. The circumstances surrounding it are flummoxing and the success would only be fortuitous.

THIS fact is clear, it has become a political forum. The lots are being casted. Politicians are shifting gears towards advancement of their agenda. Expectations that the dialogue would birth peace and reconciliation are de-escalating. The spirit is dying.

THE mechanisms used to draw the members of such a sensitive committee were either flaw or unresearched. The members drawn are too many and some of them are either not interested or unwilling. It is attracting resemblance to the 2013 crisis management committee. That was of course a nightmare committee.

IT is a culture-pot in whose bottom, corruption will brood. The authority that formed it has not had time to analyze the pros and cons of its inception. The defined goal that it must achieve is perhaps imaginary. This is not being pessimistic or cynical, it is being realistic.

THE committee looks like it isn’t ready for the task. The membership is unbalanced or some of its members would only be additions for the sake of numbers. Its substance is minimal. This is not being critical.

NONTHELESS, it should be acknowledged that the debacle that has befallen South Sudan is recalcitrant, it won’t be overhauled with ease. A breakthrough is minimal and therefore, it renders peace less achievable. Doubts have been casted. Trust has waned and at some point, the big man himself has done the unexpected.

ALTHOUGH full of all the old wise men and wise women, some of the members are apparent wiseacres who likely would be in a position to play a snide instead of credible, results-oriented dialogue.

IN essence, the dialogue committee is not comprehensive. It is fractionally improper. The diverse sections that are partaking have other interests other than the common good of the country. At best, one can say that this project has not been well received at the kick off, it is already failing. It is anticipating regress or a total failure.

MOREOVER, the president has deprived the youth majority of a right to participate forgetting that youth are the most affected section of the society. They are the fighters, they are unemployed, and they are lacking better education. In other words, they are the force to reckon with if the national cohesion and progress are to be attained.

BEING represented by Dr. Albino Bol is as good as non-representation at all. The man in question isn’t popular amongst youth, he is a hell of loose but empty rhetoric. He is a self-centered individual that is running after his individual gains in the name of youth. He represents himself. He has his executive committee in shatter and thus he is operating in a vacuum. This however, made youth believe that he is a sellout.

HIS office has as well squandered impartiality and delved so much into politics of interest. The South Sudan national youth organization should have been non-political organization but that thought is now a mirage of what it truly is.

THE decision to hand-pick self-purported leaders had deprived our president and the whole country of the desired results in most national activities. It is true that fake people are commonly seen posing as the people’s representatives and hence easy to grab the attention of the appointing authority and as such, the leadership has been dealing mostly with fake and substandard representatives since it is less concerned with deeper knowledge of what it does and particularly when appointing people and entrusting them with national tasks.

HOWEVER, this has rendered lobbying popular and at the contrary, it has rendered merit useless. It should be noted that if the country is experiencing the merit neglect, as well it becomes self-insufficient and everything becomes substantially substandard. Youth ought to be considered.

HOWEVER, for the national dialogue to exert positive impact that must be timely experienced, the committee needs to be resized. Few sharp individuals but of different backgrounds need to take the central stage and the whole process then rendered people-based. This way, a little progress could be attained. Despite that, the pool of inelastic geeks that has been christened as the National Dialogue Committee is at the brinks of collapse if not revisited soon.

MANY attempts for the stability attainment have been instituted but couldn’t produce the desired results. Therefore, it is imperative and upon the president to make this a success or render it a futile project at will. However, my President Salva Kiir Mayardit should now be receptive since his reliance on refined information has brought him to this far end and to the state wreckage.

I hope this serves the day, yours truly, Mr. Teetotaler!

You can reach the author via his email: emmajoson@yahoo.com

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