Dear Hon. Michael Makwei Lueth: Urgently Address the Mistreatment, Marginalization and Assimilation of Thony Dinka Community in Bor County and Jonglei State
The Thony of Mading Community is still waiting for their rights to be granted. This request is going directly to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit and Hon. Michael Makuei Lueth. It is regarding the issue affecting Community of Mading in South Sudan, especially the State of Jonglei and Bor County.
By Ayuen Achiek Mayen, Mading-Bor, South Sudan
Wednesday, February 03, 2021 (PW) — The Thony of Mading Community has never turns their back to pervious ruling party in Sudan and South Sudan, we have been supportive to the two movements like Anya nya, of Joseph Lagu and during Dr. John Garang De Mabior armed struggled, the chairman of the SPLM/A. I believed those persons I mentioned have witnessed our contributions in the past and up to date. I have rights to express my feeling toward activities, which are happening in my community and the country without being subjected to any kind of mistreatment or conviction. I am not against the government; I am hereby expressing the needs of my people, so I have rights to express my views without humiliating the government.
I believed we could be given the same rights granted to other communities in South Sudan. Please, H.E. President Kiir and Hon. Michael Makuei, I am standing here claiming the rights of the Thony of Mading people to be granted a Payam like other communities in South Sudan and Jonglei State including Bor County. Many societies have been awarded as their inputs, and their rights are recognised, but when it come to our rights, we are being treated like animals.
I can associate this mistreatment as marginalisation and assimilation at the same time. H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Hon. Michael Makuei Lueth, I am requesting your authority to consider the rights ofminority citizens who are anguish in South Sudan, likethe Thony of Mading Community, who are the most vulnerable people. The Mading people have contributedin the armed struggled and no recognition either in the Jonglei State or Bor County level.
I believed that you know our contributions; we have done a lot and nothing shown our remuneration in the government of South Sudan and in the State of Jonglei including Bor County. My question to two of you is that, are we not human being in South Sudan? I think we are not faunas in the nation; we are people living along the river Nile, helping all the communities during struggles, even the two of you are witness to this. We have saved many lives of people who come from Bhar El Ghazal; during Anya nya of Joseph Lago and Anya nya of Dr. John Garang De Mabior, we are the same people. This is not the end of the hardship in South Sudan; nobody knows what is a head of us. So, just treat this Community with fairness so that their help could exist.
However, why are we not being treated like others? What is happening to our community is resembling marginalisation and this is unfair for this community.What are happening to our people is inhuman and I presumed that everyone is equal under the law and should be treated equally rather than being oppressed. I considered these acts as an unreasonable. We have requested our own Payam and no body need to pay attention to it in the State of Jonglei neither Bor County. I think we are equal to each other in South Sudan H.E. I love our country with it ruling government such as you H.E and all the ministers, so we need to be free out of this affiliation.
I quoted, the ‘United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the main purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and good faith in fulfilment of the obligations assumed by the States in accordance with the Charter. To Encouraging that, theIndigenous people are equal to all other people, while recognising the rights of all people to diverse, to consider themselves different and to be respected as well’. So, I am appealing to both of you and the cabinets to consider our rights as Indigenous of the land Mading Town. Some other Communities claimed to be the Indigenous of Mading; I presumed that act as marginalisation in my view.
To assure you H.E. there are no educated people in the Thony of Mading Community in the past and no good health system in our area, and Hon. Michael Lueth is aware of this, but I cannot argue this much because many communities are suffering without health system. I can see no government officials addressing these issueseither in the State or in national level. We have been suffering since the government of Abel Alier, no one should be colonised in our country at this time, as it is mentioned in South Sudan Constitution. The Thony of Mading Community must be free and not to be colonised. We used to pay our tax during white man period until now and nothing had been done in our community.
Also, in the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011 Article 33 discussed the Rights of Ethnic and Cultural Communities. The Ethnic and Cultural Communities should have the right to freely to enjoy and develop their particular cultures. The members of such communities shall have the right to practice their beliefs, use their languages, observe their religions and raise their children within the context of their respective cultures and customs in accordance with this Constitution and the law. It is not my make up, but the legal document of our nation. So we need our rights.
The evidence is also in the Upper Nile Handbook Page 221 and 231. The State of Jonglei and Bor County like taking our resources without delivering as good services, we need our freedom such as obtaining of our ownPayam, Mading Town name need to be replaced, we do not need Bor Town, we also need the Mayorship and the MP of Mading Town. We also committed to lives with anyone who likes to stay with us, we have no issues in that, but our rights should be granted. On the other hand, the Human rights allowed the states to treat Indigenous people with respects and dignity.
His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and Hon. Michael Lueth, there is a need of reform in South Sudan in my opinion,so that minority groups or communities are treated well like other majority societies in South Sudan. I have entrusted this to you that you can bring the changes to our country, so that minority communities should have the same treatment like other major groups. The Thony of Mading Community has tried their best requesting a Payam and it was their rights but nothing has been done.
There was a meeting conducted in Werkok, in 2006 and it was proposed that Mading Payam shall be announced, but from that time the Jonglei State and Bor County authorities has announced nothing of that thought. So what had happened, no body of Mading is aware of that.Even the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011, allowed the creation of Counties,Payam and Boma, why is it hard for our Payam to be granted H.E.? In the Local Government Article 5 stated that tiers should consist of County, Payam and Boma in the rural areas, and of city, municipal and town councils in the urban areas.
If Bor County and Jonglei State authorities denied our rights, we will declare our position, if our rights are being deprived. Why are we being forced to that limits H.E. and Hon. Michael? However, notes this in future, the Thony of Mading Community might be the one to determine the election, if our rights are deprives. Hon. Michael, can you let Buor know that we are part of Bor Community as well and we should be treated well. Nevertheless, Buor will regrets for not treating Thany with fairness; I declared this in the present of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
I am not contented with the way Bor County is treating us. Please, Hon. it is your time now and later others will take over because there is a time for everythingaccording to Ecclesiastes 3:1. Some citizens may pursue their ideas at the moment, but later those who are leadingnow, their legacies may be demolished due to rejecting other people rights. On the other hand, applying true classlessness and human rights could be reasonable and be appreciated significantly. So, the phenomenon in the Thony of Mading Community should be fixed while two of you subsist, because credit is granted to where it belongs. So we will grant your credit, if you offer us our rights.
In conclusion, the Indigenous got the right to uphold and improve their political, economic and social schemes or organisation. The Thony of Mading people should ensure that they are enjoying their own culture and means of survival and elaboration, and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic accomplishments. We are not detestations, so we can accommodate any kind of person like living with us without facing abuses. This marginalisation has tormented us and we are capable of managing our own affairs.
Now, the foreigners are representing us while we have capable people, it is not like previous times. It is my concerned as a member of Indigenous of Mading Community, who suffered from injustices as a result of colonisation, marginalisation and dispossession of our land with resources, this mentioned above have prevented us from exercising our rights because we are assimilated to many communities, and we have no blood relationship with them.
I am requesting your authorities to recognise our urgent need such as granting of our rights to obtain a Payam and to practice political, economic and social structure with our cultures. Especially, we are requesting our absolute privileges to have rights over our land and resources.
The author, Ayuen Achiek Mayen, is a concerned member of the Thony of Mading Community, and can be reached via his email address: jayuenayuen@yahoo.com
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