The Relocation of the Payam’s Headquarters from Alabek to Langkap: Who Sent this Self-Proclaimed Committee of Lou Peace Initiative?
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Local residents celebrating the creation of Lou Ariik County in Akok Village
The State Government must first identify who sent this group called the “Lou Peace Initiative” and question its legitimacy back home.
By Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, Tonj, South Sudan
Tuesday, 16 August 2022 (PW) — Self-proclaimed Committee of Lou Peace Initiative, “they named themselves” to pursue an unpopular agenda in their interest. Finally, the Hon. Governor cheated them by not signing the document in his presence and failing to publicly announce it on government-owned radio in Kuajok. The local government minister too declined to give his signature.
Only somebody who could identify himself as “Acting Director General, not a full DG” in the Ministry of Local Government could sign on behalf of those senior authorities who have voluntarily abstained from signing this “weightless” document while present in Kuajok. What a great mess! Still, it will follow the route of the previous Lou Ariik and Lou County that were attempted against the will of the community. We will see how this fake order will affect us.
Dr. John Garang said, “Solution of the problem begins with a clear definition of the problem itself.” Therefore, the problem of the Lou Mawien Community is not yet defined. Thus, dividing, renaming, and relocating the people’s administration against their will only adds more flames. This group, the key driving force, shall bear full responsibility this time should anything happen back home since none of them was tasked by the community to act on their behalf.
The Lou Mawien Community must reject such an unpopular decision, illegally made on their behalf. The imposed decision goes stray. This illegitimate committee was challenged and muted in Juba during their attempts at sectional consultations. The committee ended up witnessing massive withdrawals from various sections of the Lou Mawien community on the subject matter.
This implies that the agenda was and is unpopular for them to condone. Community members have been advocating to go back home to the elders and clear up every problem inching the community, but the self-selected committee declined to honour this call.
In the same scenario, the partial conference was held in Warrap, the headquarters of Tonj North County, and the community members, including chiefs that were invited on false information, tactically withdrew from the conference after realising the majority had boycotted such a gathering. Let’s see what happens.
The same government issuing this establishment Oder on the basis of misinformation presented by this group will definitely reverse it. According to International Standards on the information sharing protocols, writing illegal reports, unpopular documents or editing any piece of information on behalf of others just to achieve vested interests, is a gross violation punishable by Law.
About eleven (11) people died and several others were seriously injured in this issue. The same people (some key members) who manufactured the problem and were and are still being accused by the entire community as culprits are still pursuing the bloody agenda. I hope this time around, no one will manage to escape justice as they did before.
During the conflict, partial arrests were made, and vulnerable people, including area chiefs, were intimidated, severely tortured, imprisoned, heavily fined, and released after long detention hoping the problem was done. Well, it wasn’t.
After the home-based conflict, no genuine problem-solving, social healing, peace, or reconciliation process was conducted in order for our people to forgive themselves and co-exist normally as they usually do. The same group unilaterally attempted to strip the long-serving chiefs of their communal duties without consulting community members at home.
Such behaviour is intolerable in any society, whether in Africa or around the globe. This is what the convention nations call dictatorship and abuse of power, especially when selfish individuals possess absolute power in political, economic, and military affairs and use it to intimidate, torture, bribe decision-makers, rape the people’s rights, and do things against their will.
The decision, the relocation of the Payam’s headquarters from Alabek to Langkap, is uncalled for, uncertain, and provoking, and our community members in Juba, at home, other parts of the country, and the Diaspora must strongly stand against this Establishment Order and widely condemn it.
I call upon the State government to suspend or definitely nullify the “unexpected” establishment order, independently verify unauthenticated information presented by the group, and conduct home-based wider consultations with the elders of the various sections before making any decision related to administrative restructuring, the renaming and creating a new Payam, as well as the relocation of the Payam’s headquarters from Alabek to Langkap.
The author, Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development and Community Studies (2018/2019) and a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Economics (2013-2017) from Rumbek University of Science and Technology (RUST). He can be reached via his Email: Ariik Kuol Ariik ariikkuolariik@gmail.com; Twitter: @AriikKuolAriik; Skype/WhatsApp: +211 (0) 923 650 380; Cell Phone:+211 (0) 928 187 790.
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