Dear Bor County and Jonglei State: The Thony of Mading Community Deserves a Payam of their Own
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I am in disagreement with the authority of Jonglei State and Bor County administrative for refusing Payam of the Thony of Mading Community. We should be granted a Payam due to the Local Government Act 2009. The definition of the Payam is that, the Payam is the second tier of the local government which is the coordinative unit of a county and which exercises delegated powers from the county executive council in South Sudan under the Local Government Act 2009.Ayuen Achiek Mayen prepared this article on 9th September 2020, known as Mading De Ngeth Angoh on the Facebook. I am standing here to express the needs and the requests of the Thony of Mading Community regarding their Payam; it is also concerning the solid rights of Mading Community claiming their privileges. This article is absolutely for the rights of the Indigenous people who have been disadvantaged for decades.Who owned the rights and the strongest voice to deliver the services to the vulnerable people in the affairs of Jonglei Sate or Bor County? Who ever think like that will leave before the calls of Almighty God believe me or not. No one was created to subdue other people or minority Community.
By Ayuen Achiek Mayen, Mading de Ngeth Angoh, South Sudan
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 (PW) — The fundamental guarantees for minority society rights are under the international law, which are embroiling the basic assurances for minority assemblage precludingextermination, apartheid, marginalisation, and racial discrimination. The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 section 8, has stated that the recognition and equality before the law is for every person that has the rights to be recognised as a person before the law. Also, every person has the rights to enjoy his or her human rights without discrimination. Every person is equal before the law and is entitled to the equal protection of the law without discrimination and has the rights to equal and effective protection against discrimination. Therefore, the Thony of Mading Community should be granted a Payam so that they should enjoy their rights like other Payams in the State of Jonglei.
The United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) article 1 of the Indigenous indicated that the Indigenous people such as Mading have rights to the full enjoyment as a collective or as an individual of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognised in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights law opposed mistreatments of the Indigenous people intercontinentally. Therefore, the objectives of this article are to claim the rights of the Thony of MadingCommunity has an Indigenous people in Jonglei State; this can reach foreign officials if it is deprived as usual. The main purpose of this article is to request a Payam of Mading people; there are innumerable reasons of such demands as follow:i. Mading Town is changed to Bor Town.ii. The Mayor should be belonging to the Thony of Mading Communal.iii. The Thony of Mading Society has been affiliated to many Payams in Bor County.iv. The Thony of Mading has been marginalised for many decades.v. The Indigenous rights are not practised in Jonglei State, especially Bor County, the rights of the Thony of Mading people.vi. The Thony of Mading people are cabala of managingtheir own affairs.vii. The Thony of Mading should be given Payam has their rights.viii. Foreigners are representing the Thony of Mading Community and not Ngenh Angoh descendants.ix. The Tony of Mading people also, have rights to nominate a commissioner for their Payam.
The Mading Community are from one grandfather known as Ngenh Angoh and we have been affiliated into Anyidi, Makuach and other Payams. We do not have problem with the constituencies we have been enacted to, but we need our rights has other people in Bor County. So I am not very certain on of how Jonglei State governance distributed revenues and the needs to the local people? I believed that all people are equal and they should be treated equally. The Thony of Mading Community have been neglected by the previous Jonglei State Governors because of the constituencies’ assimilation in the past. So, that is why our rights has not been recognised in the past until now. All the Payams around Mading Town, which is changed for Bor Town have been recognised.
They have many people who become Mayors, but the Thony of Mading has never participated in Mayor position. They are the members of Jonglei State government while we Mading Community, we are the Indigenous of the land, and we had never been in the affairs of the Jonglei State. We are the indigenous of the Mading Town, and we have never been recognised has Indigenous Community in the past. However, we have no people who are educated because of marginalisation practiced by the constituencies that we have been affiliated to. I realised that there is someone representing Mading Payam while Mading people are not aware and what brought that MP without Payam if I can ask that question? I heard that there is a Member of Parliament(MP) who is representing Mading Payam. Therefore, someone is locally representing Mading Payam. Now, we have eyes and ears, we can see and can hear what is happening in Jonglei State regarding our affairs.
There are so many intellectuals in other ethnic communities in Bor Communities, but when it comes to the Thony of Mading community however, there is a lack of educated people in our society in the past due to a lack of representation in the affairs of the Jonglei State Government and Bor County matters. The Thony of Mading Community is capable of managing their own affairs, rather than relying on the misrepresentations of outsiders or foreigners. Many people are opposing our rights, particularly the constituencies that Mading people are affiliated to, and I don’t know why they are sceptical about giving the Thony Community the same rights as others in Jonglei State. The Thony of Mading Community has a right to be issued with a Payam, just like other communities who are benefiting in Jonglei State.
Thus, I discovered that discrimination is so high in Jonglei State or Bor County that people have become hostile. Since 1983, South Sudan had been an unstable State for many years, but the International Community intervened and allowed independence of South Sudan on 9th July 2011, as a result of signing a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the North and the South of Sudan, which ended the longest civil war in the Nation. Nevertheless, the Thony of Mading Community is capable to manage their own affairs. We have educated people currently, so we are requesting authority of Jonglei State and Bor County to offer us our Payam. We need to be benefiting like other Payams. When it comes to participation during the SPLM/A struggle, we have participated equally with our brothers and sisters during the movement.
Even H.E. President of the Republic of South SudanSalva Kiir Mayardit, Honourable Kuol Manyang Juuk, Honourable Michael Makuei Lueth, Professor Ajuoi and Lawyer Deng Tiel Ayuen Kur knows our participation during the war between South Sudan and the Northern Sudan. So why are we not being recognised like our brothers and sisters who are enjoying the independence of South Sudan? We have requested our Payam, but no one has considered The Thony of Mading claimed. Nevertheless, the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Article 12 has recognised the Indigenous people to be treated equally with other people. So, we should be recognised under the eligibilities for establishment of Bomas and Payams, which is indicated in the Local Government Act 2009, the Thony of Mading Community should be granted a Payam.
The Thony of Mading Community fought equally for the freedom of South Sudan, as did other communities, however Mading Community is the only society that is not being recognised in terms of power sharing. If other Communities are given their rights, and the rest are struggling as if they are still under Arab regime, what was the reason we fought the Arab government in the first place? I reckon that our country South Sudan was suffering from the mistreatment and marginalisation of Northern Sudan government, which has been practised for centuries; I know that some of our brothers living beside Bor County can supports our rights even though our constituencies refused to render our Payam. I am dissatisfied with this mistreatment, which has been practised for centuries; people need to know that the Thony of Mading Community contributed in gaining an independence of South Sudan since day one.
I am quiet sure that no one can stand up and provide evidence that the Thony of Mading Community did not participate in the civil war in South? As I mentioned above that the International Human Rights Law stated that everybody should have equal rights. It is significant that everybody is protected against torture and mistreatment and all people must receive the same rights and opportunities as other citizens in the state of Jonglei and Bor County. What is happening in Jonglei State and Bor County is genocide and I am not censuring it on the previous Governors, but the constituencies. There are some individuals who formed themselves to be the special group in Bor County with strong voice of demoting other people rights due to their interests.
The Thony of Mading community really needs to know actually if we are important in the Jonglei State. Are we important? I am very disappointed with this abuse and I don’t really understand the way the constituencies have arranged sharing of resources. I believe even if the constituencies are given the whole world as I mentioned in my previous article, they will still not be satisfied. The granting the Thony of Mading Community their rights is not creating disunity; it is just allowing the peace and unity to be in place so that the Thony of Mading community can live in social cohesion. The constituencies need to be rationale rather than hiding behind the conspiracy practised for many years. There must be equal rights for all people in the Jonglei State. It is clear that some people are treated better than others and this is clearly articulated in the Bor County. The mistreatment in Bor could cause disunity among the people of Jonglei State. However, by sharing things equally could bring people together. The Thony of Mading Community is not different elements or animals as the constituencies contemplate.
The Thony of Mading people have rights to exercises their language has Indigenous of Mading Town. The culture of Mading is fading due to marginalisation used in the past. So we should have to be given our rights so that we can practices our culture to pass it to our children appropriately. As a member of Mading people, I comprehended that there is discernment against our people. The unanimity of the Thony of Mading Community is based upon our free will and we need justice to be applied to all the people of the Jonglei State. The purpose of ensuring equitable distributions of the wealth in Jonglei and Bor County is unlawful not appropriately, Mading people are mistreated. Also, the participations of the Mading citizens in the public affairs is zero in Jonglei State and Bor County, that is why we needs our Payam like other people.
In Conclusion, the Thony of Mading is politely requesting their rights without violent, I assumed that the Local Government Act 2009 of South Sudan, allowed the eligibilities and establishment of Bumas and Payams in all states of South Sudan. This Act allowed the Payam and Bumas to be established for the local Communities. I am sure the authority of South Sudan and Jonglei State will grant a Payam for the Thony of Mading Community if people are treated equally. The rights of the Indigenous needs to be considered, I wondered why people are not given their rights in Jonglei State, especially Bor County. The Thony of Mading Community have unitedthemselves wherever they are, and what is affecting them is a mistreatment and marginalisation in the state of Jonglei. I believed in fairness and we are all equal, we should respect each other, and no one is an indispensable. In a democracy, everyone has the rights to equal treatment yet many Payams in Bor County exercise discrimination against the Thony of Mading.
However, bear in mind that all people are equal before the law and the Thony of Mading Community do not deserve this treatment. I urge all the Thony of Mading Community members to be vigilant about this marginalisation. If you are not standing up for your rights, nobody will do this for you. Standing up for your rights is the beginning of everything. My advice to you as son of the Thony of Mading Community is wary of the local constituency who pose as friends. Please this message is going to the Thony of Mading Community members that when your closest friends gang up against you, you build a new relationship with different friends in order to be stable. I can be reach through email and the Facebook if you want to discuss something with me.
The author, Ayuen Achiek Mayen, popularly Known as Mading De Ngeth Angoh on the Facebook, is a proud member of Thanyke Mading de Ang’oh and can be reached via his email address: jayuenayuen@yahoo.com
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