Hon. Elizabeth Achuei: The Trigger that killed Dr. Riek Machar’s Reforms Agenda in South Sudan

By Taban Gabriel, Juba, South Sudan

Thursday, June 25, 2020 (PW) — The SPLM-IO reforms agenda which was recited in the movement like the “Hail Mary prayer” in Catholic Church is no more; it’s dead! The trigger that killed it is the unjust appointment of Ministers by SPLM-IO Chairperson FVP Dr. Riak Machar Teny. Most notable of all, is giving a key Ministry like that of health to unqualified cadre in the person of Hon. Elizabeth Acuei.

The appointment of Hon. Acuei into the slot, which also coincided with the outbreak of the Novel corona virus Pandemic in the country, has done more harm than good in South Sudan. Unlike her predecessor, Dr. Riak Gai Kok, who was admired for the milestone he left in the Health Ministry, Hon. Acuei has completely failed to reign over the Corona pandemic.

Hon. Acuei fell short off idea on how to deal with the monstrous disease. She failed to arrive on measures to combat the spread of the virus. Instead of consulting experts and doing the needful, the Minster of health is busy catching fights and defending her appointment into the docket.

In a recent article aired and published on eye Radio on date 16^th/6/2020, the Minister for health, Hon Elizabeth Acuei, is said to have defended her Ministerial appointment under the SPLM-IO ticket. In the piece, the minister for health attributed the souring spread of the COVID-19 in the country to lack of cooperation from the members of the public. 

Hon. Acuei in her statement said that, addressing the pandemic requires collaboration of everyone. In the same statement, Minister Acuei threw jabs at those opposing her appointment into the Ministry: “Don’t bring politics to life matters; this disease doesn’t know whether you are a politician or not; it’s our enemy, all of us,” Hon. Acuei stressed in her Britain acquired English.

Her remarks according to Eye Radio followed a recent critism by a senior member of the SPLM and former presidential advisor on military affairs Daniel Awet Akot who described her as incompetent.  The statement by Hon. Awet which was also published on Eye radio on date 5^th/06/2020, described the appointment of Hon. Elizabeth Achuei as political, “Yes, positions can be given but they should have been given with meaning”. 

Since the appointment of Hon. Elizabeth Acuei into the ministry, her relationship has been sour with medical doctors union who criticized her for allowing corona virus patients to self quarantine from home. Hon. Achuei defended her position in this case. “And by the way, Doctors are not suppose to be politician but work to save life, because you are a live safer” Eye Radio quoted. 

As a concern citizen, I today call on SPLM-IO chairperson to do the needful and that is to replace Hon. Elizabeth Acuei with a more competent person from his camp. By competent here I mean, a person who is familiar with her responsibility/role and able to plan and deliver when given chance. 

My justifications are base on the following reasons; Hon. Acuei’s failure to control the spread of COVID-19 situation in the country is a clear indication that she has either not handle such a situation before or she is merely unqualified to handle it; as such, she deserve to be replace with a more capable and able person. 

Social media has it that, Hon. Acuei highest medical qualification is a flat certificate in nursing. And the worse part of it is that, she acquired her credentials from the UK where cases of pandemics are rare. Now with funds pouring in from donors and friends of South sudan all directed to the fight of COVID-19 Pandemic, how do we as South Sudanese citizens expect Hon. Acuei to use the funds to suit the situation of the underdogs? 

How then again can such a person lead a sensitive Ministry like that of Ministry of Health? Like I alluded above, Acuei failed to unite the ranks of medical personnel in her ministry since her appointment. This can be evidenced by the wrangles that enshrouded between her former Under Secretary and some of his colleagues in the Ministry over administrative matters. 

And I bet it was the same wrangle that propped up the exit of the former Undersecretary Dr Makur Koriom from his responsibility. Minister Acuei’s inability to put down an excellent preparedness measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, place South Sudan COVID-19 preparedness plan in the region and continent to zero. 

In a recent media report publish on the Leading African PR $ Rating Firm Advance Media, 13 female Ministers of Health from the continent were commended by netizens for the rigorous and eminent role they played in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in their various countries albeit the sorrowful challenges of under-resourced facilities. 

They have proven to stand tall in the delivery of their duties. In the list of the female Ministers I read, nine out of the 13 are professional, able and experienced Medical personals. Four are political appointees but experienced administrators and politicians. Our own Elizabeth Acuei was nowhere in the list; what happen is a story for another day. 

How then do we allow such a person continue to lead a key Ministry like the Ministry of health. For your perusal, below is the list of the female Ministers I cited above: 

1. Amna Nurhussien; Minister of health, Eritrea,

2. Dr Fawziya Abikar; Minster of Health, Somalia,

3. Dr.HalaZayed; Minister of Health and population, Egypt 

4. Dr. Jackueline Lydia Mikolo; Minister of Health and population, Congo Republic 

5. Dr. Leonie Claudine Minister of Health, Burkina Faso 

6. Dr. Lia Tadese Gebremedhin; Minister of Health, Ethiopia 

7. Lizzie NKOSI; Minister of Health, Eswatini 

8. Maria Inácia CóSanhá,; Minister of Public Health, Family and Social Cohesion, Guinea Bissau 

9. Dr. Nazira AbdulaMinster of Health, Mozambique

10. Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng, Minister of Health, Uganda.

11. Dr. Silvia Lutucuta, Minister of Health, Angola.

12. Ummy Ally Mwalimu, Minister of Health, community Development, Gender, Seniors and Children, Tanzania

13. Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Minister of health, Liberia.

Finally, for FVP Dr. Machar to win back the trust of South Sudanese to his party, he should emulate President Kiir’s decision when he sack the Minister in the office of the president after he got involved in a scandal. 

Dr. Machar should replace Hon. Elizabeth Acuei to polish the image of his party or face what I can term as a political axe. Meanwhile, Minister Elizabeth Acuei can also gunner public respect if she can tender a resignation letter without pressure from the public or her leadership of SPLM-IO.

The Writer is a South Sudanese Freelance journalist; for any question regaring the Rarticle, he will be reach on the email address: Gabronn2014@gmail.com

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