An Open Letter to President Salva Kiir, Chair of the EAC and President of the Republic of South Sudan
Tom Gatdel Malou, a South Sudanese Political Freelancer and Environmental Student at the University of Nairobi, Kenya
By Tom Gatdel Malou, Nairobi, Kenya,
Friday, 01 December 2023 (PW) — Your Excellency, I am writing to express my concerns regarding the unveiling of the East Africa Community’s passport process in South Sudan. This issue has been on my mind for some time now, and I had intended to write to your predecessor, His Excellency Evariste Ndayishimiye, about it.
Additionally, as the President of the Republic of South Sudan and the recent chair of the EAC, I urge you to develop a strategy to ensure equal job placement for citizens across all member states.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as the Chairman of the East African Community’s bloc. It is a challenging role that raises questions about whether we all enjoy the same privileges as community members. Your speech during the summit made it clear that South Sudan is committed to meeting its membership obligations and financial requirements.
It’s important to note that we will respect international conventions governing unions, associations, and more. I urge you to maintain this spirit and ensure that we pay off all our international arrears that accumulated due to the economic downturn we’ve been experiencing for decades. Additionally, we must expand our membership to significant blocs while considering withdrawing from outdated ones.
By doing so, we will be better positioned in the regional market and foster a robust and inclusive economy that benefits everyone. As the head of state, it’s your responsibility to implement Sustainable Development Goal 17, which calls for revitalising global partnerships for sustainable development.
I believe it is crucial to partner with fair unions in developing and employing their members. As a leader, it is not enough to let things be. You must advocate for your people to be considered. This is especially important in today’s competitive world.
As the President, I urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide me with the names of workers from all the blocs we are in, excluding political positions. We will likely find some blocs with no workers despite taxpayers paying for their commitment fees. I ask that you address this issue by 12/3/2024. Failure to do so may lead to citizen protests and a pullout from all unions, including the EAC.
If we do nothing, we will be left with only two positions in job statistics: President of the Republic of South Sudan and Chairmanship for SPLM.
It is evident from the positions mentioned that you would lose your position as Chair of IGAD on Sudan talks and the EAC community. This results in a reduction of your salaries from 100% to 75%.
In conclusion, I urge all South Sudanese to not limit themselves to seeking jobs only in the SPLM, Petroleum Ministry, Finance Ministry and Revenue Authority. We need to explore all available opportunities to prosper and succeed.
I strongly urge His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Sudan to remind IGAD, AU, EAC, and any other regional blocs that we are members of to prioritize job opportunities for South Sudanese citizens within these unions.
The author, Tom Gatdel Malou, is a South Sudanese Political Freelancer and Environmental Student at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, who can be reached via his email address: gatdelmalou@students.uonbi.ac.ke
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