An Open Letter to VP Dr Benjamin Bol Mel: Not all issues are resolved with violence in South Sudan
VP Benjamin Bol Mel and President Kiir
Open Letter
His Excellency Benjamin Bol Mel
Vice President,
The Government of the Republic of South Sudan,
Juba
Your Excellency,
Subject: We Need Peace and Good Governance
Your excellency, allow me to greet you and present to you the pervasive challenges facing the citizens of the Republic of South Sudan and their needs which you are also cognizant of. The challenges and brief opinion are elaborated in the succeeding paragraphs:
Your excellency, our country is at war. Tribalism has shattered hope. Pervasive corruption at all levels of Government is destroying our promising economy. The nation is collapsing. Due to the wars and unprecedented corruption, our population is languishing either within South Sudan or in the neighboring countries on fruitless errand in attempt to make end meet. All these problems are caused by ineptitude of government officials.
Your Excellency, I believe one of the reasons His Excellency, President Salva Kiir elevated you to presidency as one of the Vice Presidents is to usher in new ideologies for resolving issues which are facing South Sudan. Citizens believe that you have been empowered. The English metaphor which goes “make hay while the sun shines,” an idiomatic expression which literally means use the available opportunity to make things right fits you as the youngest person at the top of the SPLM led Government(you are second in hierarchy after the President).
Your Excellency, regarding the war in our country, there is no heroism in fighting with the fellow citizens. I acknowledge that the white army acted in a very unruly and brutal manner this year. The way they killed the SSPDF forces in Nasir and subsequently killed UNMISS staff along with General Majurand his body guards is horrible and inhumane. However, the Government response should be in line with the International Humanitarian law (IHL). We should also note the solution to endless rebellions across the country is not war but instead a genuine peace which can be followed by holding the perpetuators from both parties accountable for their illegal acts.
Your Excellency, we all know Dr. Riek is the supreme leader of the SPLM-IO and the affiliated white army. For this reason, it is presumed that his forces act with his directives. This reason led to his arrest following the Nasir attack on SSPDF by the white army. While under detention for investigation, I urge you to provide the necessary support by allowing his family members, members of the Human rights organizations and members of the international community to access him. The way a case involving Dr. Riek is handled attracts international attention for he is one of the principals in peace implementation. Besides this, it is good to consider what the international community recommend about his case too so that we do not loose friends as we are not an island.
On the same note, I am happy to reiterate what you once said that “not all issues are resolved with violence. People sit and talk.” This is your own statement and as we speak, innocent women and children mostly from the Nuer ethnic group are cowering in the bushes of Greater Upper Nile because of the political misunderstanding between the SPLM-IG and SPLM-IO. Can South Sudanese sit and talk as you promised?
Your Excellency, regarding corruption, you are one of the people who has been sanctioned for corruption in our country. Fortunately, as a Vice President, you have been given anopportunity to act decisively. To do this, you need to establish anti-corruption system with the help of international experts precisely from the West to end corruption in South Sudan. If you create a system of zero corruption, you will be celebrated like Dr. John Garang, President Salva Kiir, Cdr. William Nyuon, Honourable Deng Nhial, Joseph Laggu, Dr. Riek Machar etcwho fought for the independence of South Sudan. The time you can act against corruption is now.
Your excellency, I urge you to create opportunities by promoting peace across the country to pave way for local productions. The practice of giving money to citizens without clear projectscontributes to corruption. It is advisable to create environment where people work instead of begging the government’s officials to pay their bills.
Your Excellency, as I conclude, I would like to remind you of some of the most powerful leaders we had in our government. Some of these are General Akol Koor, General Paul Malong, Honourable Pagan Amuom etc. Though they didn’t reach the presidency but they were influential. However, their legacies are currently uncertain due to unclear circumstances. It’s a wrong precedent for the leaders to exit from the government unceremoniously. You need to act in the best interest of the nation and we will celebrate your performance in the end.
Thank you.
By Samuel Reech Mayen
The writer is a concerned South Sudanese and can be reached at mayenreech@gmail.com
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