Could the Lord baptize South Sudan's economic saboteurs comes 2018?
By Awuol Gabriel Arok, Juba, South Sudan
December 18, 2017 (SSB) — South Sudan’s economic has been torn down by the conflict that began four years ago in Juba, currencies dealers and their associates had put their big mouths deep into the country monetary pot and have gulp down as much as they can and as of today the country is left with wider economic gap, as they were busy erecting up umbrellas of victimization under the intensive heat of Juba City, our once valuable currency terribly got soaked in the exchanging hands of crafty umbrella boys.
After an abuse and exploitation of the country currency by the outlawed money dealers, the currency has disappeared into unknown crack hole through the black money pot of the infamous Currencies dealers.
Without being spared by their careless dealing the umbrella boys are becoming the sacrificial lambs of their own blooper. Though majority of the Umbrella boys have never attended formal education, their practical knowledge about petro-dollar and how fuel can be converted into dollar have propelled them to change gear of their trade and have shifted their business to Roadside Bottle Petrol Stations along the major roadsides in Juba and other big cities of South Sudan.
This illegal fuel dealing has been distressing the entire population of Juba City, the drivers of public buses and tank water suppliers have aggressively joined the club of cheating without sympathy, these boys with their high skills in practical business have won the friendship of petrol station operators and have secretly entered into an agreement, hence making them the invisible shareholders of the registered and some unregistered fuel supplying companies. With their jungle wit and cunningness the umbrella boys are effortlessly getting the deals out of the lion blindness.
Another horrific and bloody groups ridding on the choking economic of the nation are the raiders and child abductors, these groups are particularly found among the cattle keeping communities of South Sudan, their heartless activities have been depressing the modest hope of economic growth and empowerment, these merciless groups have taken the filthy lane of making themselves the reapers of the people’s commitment and hard work, historically the pride of every individual from the cattle keeping communities lies on the number of cattle one own, a peasant can toil in order to have good harvest that can enable him buy at least one or two cows in his life time.
Unfortunately the fruitfulness of that dream has frequently been interrupted by the continual thievery and wickedness of the cattle raiders, among the cattle keepers one can silently goes to the grave while keeping behind his cattle from the conspicuous eyes of the cattle shoppers, selling of cattle among the cattle keeping communities is looks at as culturally unhealthy.
The most evil act of this horrific practice is the child abduction and killing of the shielding parents and relatives, this boorish exploit can badly lead to trauma and burden of prop up to the victims of that horrific practice. This strange behaviour is commonly carried out in the regions of Great Jonglei, part of Greater Central Equatoria and some areas in Greater Eastern Equatoria solely carried out by the Murle tribe.
Until the killers of South Sudan economic are critically identify and sacrifice, the hazardous wounds of the economic will never be healed in the Republic of South Sudan, while killing the economics of South Sudan the feeble economics laws of South Sudan look intently as the killers chop off parts of the dying economic.
While matching blindly toward the grave of the lifeless economic, the notorious boys innocently celebrate the curse-bearing triumphant over the interconnected system of the urban life, the village cultured boys groom the town giants as they steal from their shinny briefcases and perfumed coats, what a depress! If the known Town Petrol Stations are mischievously been converted into Roadside Petrol Stations
Killers of the economic are twisting famous trait of politeness to rudeness, interrogate a shopkeeper at your own risk, Iam talking of the same warning that you can see on the walls of every hotel in Juba ‘‘Park at your own risk’’ or ‘‘leave my goods and services at your own choice’’, I cannot comprehend if Juba shopkeepers value the important of sellers-buyers relationship.
Among the buyers are those who patrols the markets at night against robbers, the same petty buyers are the ones to hum an apprehension to the shopkeeper when his goods are being stolen without his notice, our Juba Shopkeepers have gone to the extent of threatening their customers with action if they try to extricate the reason behind the sharp increment of prices.
The prices of goods and services change gears on daily and hourly basis with each shopkeeper on his own profit calculating margin, the same unsavory reputation is also adopted by tank water suppliers, boda bodas and reksheeth operators, just after hearing gossip of fuel shortages in the city and before confirming the chitchat from the fuel stations their charges puff up and the recipients of their services must to tumble on the bench of Sacrifice.
Plainly, our uninformed and arrogance population is entirely to be blamed for the entire jumble, how economically is it for the low salary earning population to be drummers of beauty and luxurious living, today is Christmas and New Year season and it seem many are forgetting the contemporary economic catastrophe where a number of families go to bed with empty tummy.
The manner in which the few moneyed individuals spend the money without price objection has greatly contribute to the hiking of prices where seller fix prices on self-assured without plan for customers enticement, the care free population of South Sudan have given economic horns of torture to the pitiless vendors. People are brutally killing the economic without knowing its growl will be intensifying before its injurious death.
May the New Year 2018 be the Year of economic recovery in the Republic of South Sudan.
Awuol Gabriel Arok, a Writer and a Poet, has a Bachelor Degree in Social and Developmental Studies from the University of Juba, South Sudan, he is the author of unpublished book ‘‘The Wisdom Horn’’ and an Initiator of ‘‘Your Tribe is My Tribe’’ and ‘‘Giving Heart Foundation’’ initiatives. He can be reached via his email Address: jjmkamzeearokson@yahoo.com