An Open Letter to President Salva Kiir & the 1st Vice President Designate Dr. Riek Machar
By Dr. Luke Geng Geng, Kuacjok, South Sudan
Friday, February 21, 2020 (PW) — Dear Principles: May I begin by congratulating you on reaching the deadlock to form the government of national unity which is due in some hours and to which some of us will not believe in its practicality until the lasting peace is achieved and cherished by all. And until you sit down and come up with better answer to our common question which goes this way; will you really trust each other to work for peace and tranquility and to finally reshape this country that your own political actions helped to deepen into current political and economic situation?
Today following your submission for peaceful coexistence in recent weeks, it is as though our country is taking off from a Tabula Rasa with all of you dazzling us with the formation of the new government of national unity. Despite that, there is growing apprehension among the citizens that you will not live up to deliver the promises of functional south Sudan.
As you are preparing to announce your new government in a matter of hours, I think a lot need to be done later in order to dispel this negative apprehension and subsequently push the frontier of leadership as far as human ingenuity can go. Above all, please know that there is a lot at stake for the people of South Sudan. For years we have suffered under your ignoble politics ambitions, I pray we shall not suffer again as we would like to give you a benefit of the doubt.
As I write this letter; I do not know what lies ahead, but I pray for a new south Sudan. I also pray you shall not take us back to your recent past that kept our country in crisis for years. I would like to believe you shall not divide our country by race, tribe, nor political party – but that you shall bring us together as South Sudanese. To this far end, I am confident that both you are aware of open wounds that your unfeeling actions have continued to inflict on the generality of South Sudanese citizens and that the open wounds your profound leadership crisis was not the only problem. The system in which you operated – was, too.
I humbly request you work within the constitution to protect, promote, and provides a full security to ever souths Sudanese citizen across the nation. Above all, I hope and believe that you shall ensure smooth transition from the current state to the next better state for bitterness of suffering south Sudanese population.
As we start a new chapter together as South Sudanese, one that was accomplished by the united people of South Sudan. May you appoint your cabinet ministers and the state governors on merit and not on favoritism and relationships based? My dear leaders, as you with a fresh but new page, you must be aware that the hope for a lasting peace hangs in a thread. I am personally among pessimists who still don’t believe in both of you that one day you will make our country looks great in the eyes of the world.
This is because my conscience tells me that your attitude and approach are disturbingly predictable, so shocking, so unimaginative and very much characteristic of your own selves given the experiences we have had in your leaderships during those dark days (2013) when the two of you watched helplessly as cherished values of leadership standard run utterly to seed and the whole system took its quantum leap into mediocrity and darkness. While two of you led our country in the recent past with your ignoble politics playing a role, our dear country has become the darling of international media albeit negatively.
Over the few years of democratic experiment, I have seen you fight each other shamelessly. Our democracy has truly gone to the hawks! I am particularly worried because this negative publicity that never ceases to outrage our sensibilities and assault our basic decency as civilized youths has conspired to rob us of our collective integrity in the comity of nations. Leave alone that, my brother Koang, Taban and Uchu will not judge me and my ideas on personal perspective but on ethnicity lenses considering how your politics impacted and finally polarized the country along the tribal line.
Please believe you me, this opportunity that presents its self through the transitional period will be the last and the only chance at least to show to your people how caring are you to them by bring a lasting peace to them. As you have got this golden chance to move as you will work together again, I would like to a sure you of the enormous task and the expectations of millions South Sudanese that lies ahead; There are so things to talk about here but on top of them is peace and stability; “restore peace and the refocus the system of the government”.
Again my dear leaders, I am doubtful whether the system can be refocused to make any modicum of progress in the realm of the peace life of our dear country. This is largely because your political ambitions are contradictory and cacophonous. I make bold to say that the stench that emanates from the systemic decay of our beloved country like the corruption scandals, erupted fighting in the country’s capital are so malodorous and capable of deadening one’s nasal sensibilities to a state of virtual paralysis. Your hunger and thirst for power has brought as down to where we are today, the profound leadership crisis when combined with the increasingly dangerous politics of neglect spawns gloomy prognostication about our collective future as young generation.
My leaders, this indeed is not a happy time to be a South Sudanese citizen given the image your political actions portrayed to the rest of the world. It is sickening that our country degenerated to such a stage that people are living from hand to mouth. Is that what you want to bequeath to us? With that said, I wish you all the best in this journey as it will be difficult and trying, but if there is one thing I may insist upon, it is this: Stay true to the people of South Sudan. Up to here, I rest my point.
The author; Dr. Luke Geng Geng (M.B.B.S) is a concerned South Sudanese citizen based in Gogrial State, Kuajok. For contacts, he can be reached at lukageng@gmail.com or WhatsApp +211916166570
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