Letter to Editor: Thank God, PaanLuel Wel Website is Up Again
By Malith Alier, Perth, Australia
Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 (PW) – 2017 is long behind us. The year 2018 is fast halting to an end. The Peace Agreement known as R-ARCISS or the long of it, Revitalised – Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan has been “successfully” concluded in Khartoum, Sudan. Effectively, the country is now on the eight-month journey pre-transitional period. The long awaited peace seems to be all over the country safe for those who may derail its implementation. That is a matter for citizens to watch over. If they are not tired of war for the last five years, it’s up to them.
In 2017, I set myself a lofty goal of at least publishing one article a month however, I did not live to this goal for reasons I can’t name. That year resolution came down crashing thanks to my moving to Australia in June that year. This year is a different scenario. I might have published more than what I set myself to accomplish in the previous year. Most of the commentary was on peace, corruption and economy on South Sudan. They’re mainly for entertainment, knowledge and for future reference.
As I debated an article I published on paanluelwel and Juba monitor in 2012 with one parliamentarian who happened to be a spokesman for the House at the time, I had some people telling me that nothing can be had in South Sudan at the moment. The people in power do not listen! I told some of them that that’s not the only aim of writing. Writers will continue to write regardless.
In a country like South Sudan and not least in a war situation like what we had, there is an existential threat to the media and the entire journalism profession. We have had journalists killed in uncleared circumstances. Opinion leaders and other activists arrested for no crime but their cherished opinions which cause no harm to anybody.
This persecution may be coming to an end as a result of the just concluded peace agreement. When the state of emergency which was unduly prolonged is lifted, there will be no excuse for those who used it blatantly to stifle airing of opinions we all know citizens are entitled through the constitution.
I for one, tried to access your adorable website on two or three occasions last week but the message I was faced with was that the site does not exist any more. I was worried that the war against media in South Sudan was going to be lost forever because paanluelwel is the only blog which publishes information without censorship, discrimination and procrastination. Now that the blog is back and running I oblige you to keep the good work rolling!
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