Street Man’s View on the High-Level Peace Revitalization Forum in Addis Ababa
9 min readPersonal Proposed Government on Peace revitalization in Addis Ababa
By Ayuel Madut Chan, Juba, South Sudan
February 12, 2018 (SSB) — Ayuel Madut Chan is a South Sudanese with no political interest but peace is what he is yearning for to come home. Please God helps me to let my voice reaches the ears of elites in Addis Ababa. You have nothing to consider most from small man’s proposed position but if wishes were horses, beggars would have a ride. What if this is done? Poor man like me and many others dying and yearning for peace would have a country and leaders to be proud of.
Please this is what I know will bring peace to the best of my knowledge during the transition window period 18 more months be added to current transition window:
- Executive structure
- President Kiir remains as President and head of the state and government;
- His exclusive executive powers/decrees be done with parliamentary approval with public views consider most;
- All executive orders and appointments must represent the face of South Sudan with public interests leading all those orders and appointments;
- Competency must be considered in all public institutions in as far as presidential decrees are concerned;
- Kiir voluntarily quitting power and retire from public life after the end of 18 months added transition, this happens after allowing his party to freely choose his successor who will compete with other parties leaders during elections after end window period of transition;
- His retirement and voluntarily quitting of power must be appreciated by giving him recognition as a statesman with full life benefits as first head of state of the Republic; this must defend on his sincere seeking for forgiveness from South Sudanese;
- President Kiir throughout 18 months transition window must seek forgiveness at his personal level and that of his government from South Sudanese. This should be a sincere seeking of forgiveness as stipulated in the Arusha Agreement 2015/6. This must start with his sincere apology to South Sudanese and country as a whole by recognizing his own omission as head of state and that of his government and ask South Sudanese to pardon him wholeheartedly.
NB: Kiir’s decrees are immediate trigger of war or violent conflict in the country and many South Sudanese will agree with me. Taking away his executive powers will address immediate root cause to war/violent conflict. His executive orders not only have they caused war, but they have brought the county to its knees, they promote recycle of violent, they create hatred among politicians and South Sudanese as a whole. They are divisive than being unifying factors for South Sudan
- Position of Vice President:
- Be restored as before 2013 violent outbreak;
- Occupy by Dr. Riek Machar Teny, SPLM IO leader;
- Riek should have no executive orders/decrees for this is viewed as acting as parallel president of the Republic, so he should only enjoy his duties as VP of the state just like before but he should work hand in hand with his boss to make sure he is reconciling his position with his boss and political rival partner;
- Riek Machar be barred from any public life just like his rival partner and President of the Republic, he should permanently join SPLM or choose to establish his political vehicle and make sure he organizes peaceful party power transfer before end of transition period;
- Riek just like President Kiir should be accorded statesman status and full life retirement benefits;
- He should ask for forgiveness from South Sudanese concerning his role in violent conflict and that of his following;
- He must give sincere apology to South Sudanese in the role he plays in the conflict by his omission and that f his own groups as spelled out in the Arusha SPLM declaration paper of 2015/6.
- Together with President Kiir must lead South Sudanese in general forgiveness and reconciliation through sincere commission of crimes committed against South Sudan;
- Position of second Vice President
- be scrapped in totality by its duties and existence;
- Current occupant be appointed as Speaker of the national Assembly;
- This occupant must be Dr. James Wani Igga;
- He must be a speaker with sharp teeth to act as a watchdog over executive, judiciary and other relevant agencies;
- He must quit public life after transition window period;
- He must enjoy statesman status and life retirement benefits like President and VP;
- He must issue apology to public concerning his role as leader of SPLM and that of his part role in the government, it should be a sincere apology;
- Ceremonial Premiership position
- be created and occupy by Prime Minister and two Deputy prime Ministers;
- Prime Minister and Minister of Federal affairs be Gen. Taban Deng Gai;
- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government be occupy by leader of SPLM leaders Pagan Amum;
- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and international Cooperation be occupy by member of other political Parties defending on their agreement;
- Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers should be nominated by President in consultation with all political forces and approved by parliament;
- The role of PM and his Two Deputies must be same as role played by minister or so doing as attached ministries under them;
- All the three figures be barred from public life for ten years with retirement benefits within that period;
- None of them will enjoy statesman status unless acquire after ten years public life exclusion end;
- They should apologize to South Sudanese and ask for forgiveness for their role in direct or indirect violent conflict in the country;
- They should be barred from forming any political party or public participation before end of ten years window period.
- Transitional Government and Ministries/departments
- 22 ministries and departments be created and approved by parliament;
- They should be distributed as follows:
- 12 to President Kiir’s party and his affiliated partners;
- 5 ministries to Dr. Riek’s party and his affiliated partners;
- 5 to other political parties;
- All ministries must reflect face of South Sudan and especially former ten states;
- They should be occupied by competent individuals with skills and knowledge with South Sudan interests first;
- All ministries should be occupy by non-members of parliament;
- All nominated by President in consultation with VP and other parties and approved by parliament before their appointment by President;
- All ministries staff positions should be opened to public and individuals ask to submit their applications to Public Service Board which should be formed to deal with vetting of public officials especially permanent secretaries/undersecretaries in the ministries; with regional and tribal balance under serious consideration;
- Transitional Parliament and Council of States
- Remain as constituted;
- Citizens given chance after transition to retain or send home their MPs;
- All constituencies be clearly drawn before end of additional 18 month transition window;
- All political appointments and accommodations be sent home without benefits after end of transition period;
- After transition period all seats must be declared vacant and open to contest through free and fair elections;
- Parliament during transition window should enact laws relevant to elections and other relevant laws for peaceful transitions;
- Transitional Judiciary
- Reconstituted and restructured to represent face of South Sudan and competency of the independent institution;
- It must be free from executive and parliament influence;
- All judges and judicial staff be vetted by parliament;
- Current chief justice and president of Supreme of South Sudan should be sent home with retirement benefits, all judges 70 years and above be sent home with competent majority maintain as unpaid advisory board to the judicial system of the state or republic;
- All judges be appointed by President after recommendation from Judicial service board and approved by parliament with public participation in the vetting process;
- Complete Overhaul of current system and membership of the Supreme Court with new membership be appointed by President in consultation with all political forces in the country and eventually approved by parliament;
- Transitional Armed forces of the Republic of South Sudan
- All militias under current various command be re-integrated into the national army after thorough training;
- All army officers 60 years and above retire from active services with financial retirement benefits to them and families;
- 10 years window period to retire former active soldiers in the movement and various militia groups be constituted and package retirement be levied as per the law passed by parliament after transitional period;
- All promotions and motivations be done according to merits;
- Reconciliatory committee be formed in the army to rehabilitate, disarm and re-integrate all retired soldiers;
- Military martial court be constituted to deal with military crimes;
- Future recruitment in the army, police and wildlife service among other be done in accordance with the law, regional balance and tribes considered;
- All political leaders be barred from holding military ranks in the army;
- Soldiers must be given disciplined training and confined to the military barracks;
- All deployments and assignments be given in consideration of the regions and tribal balance;
- All military generals under various commands be barred from holding public office for ten years and force retirement package as alternative to early retirement;
- All generals under different commands should issue public apology to people of South Sudan in recognizing their roles in violent conflict and that of their troops they command; they should seek public forgiveness;
- Transitional Public Service/public officers
- All public office be open to all South Sudanese and recruitment done in accordance with merits and public integrity consideration be adhered to;
- All public recruitment must be done by Public service board which recommended to parliament all qualification of public officers for vetting;
- Tribal and regional balance be considered in recruitment of public officers despite merits taking lead;
- Transitional State Governments
- Remain as currently constituted with equal public recruitment prioritized,
- All States governments must work to put in place all mechanisms need to carryout peaceful elections after end of transitional period;
- 21 states created by Dr. Riek Machar, 28 states created by President and 32 as currently constituted remain as currently done in order to avoid further chaos emerging from them; any future change be done after transitional government with only parliament given chance to make such recommendation; any attempt to alter them now will be just another center of chaos as others have already settled with states; this must be done in peaceful atmosphere with much public participation adhere to;
This is just my personal proposed position without any political interests as best alternative to current woes in our beautiful Republic. I have no personal problem with any of my leaders whether under President Kiir or under other leaders against the government.
Please it is my sincere thought on the dreading situation in our land as worries build day and night on when this war will come to an end. I was born in war; grow up in war and at thirty now again I am going to getting old in war if God doesn’t help us out here. What were we fighting about my dear leaders? Please bring peace home for South Sudan is too big than all of us.
President Kiir, Dr. Riek Machar, all leaders of South Sudan, I know all of you want the best for South Sudan but how you will make it for South Sudan is what is questionable because all of you fail to know the importance of the state and its sovereignty in the international system. Respect our sovereign right as people and country of South Sudan. Let us love our country and stop behaving as if we are migrating tomorrow.
All liberation Slogan in Africa start with liberation slogan but lack development agenda that is the situation you are in as leaders of South Sudan and I would want you to come out of that cocoon and make difference for South Sudan.
Thank you,
May God bless your minds to bring peace home;
May protect you all;
May bless suffering people of South Sudan;
May God bless helpers of South Sudan;
May God bless the Republic of South Sudan.
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