By Gabrial Pager Ajang
January 12, 2016 (SSNA) — This year I will scale down my writings on South Sudan’s issues. This decision is not New Year resolution. And it is not because am busy, if anything, I have been busy man since I came to United States. Each year, my responsibilities grow, grow and grow.
I am busier this year than last year but here is my message to South Sudanese:
Issues that are confronting our country are enormous and dire. They can never be resolved by Dinka alone or Nuer or any other organizes tribe. We have now learned that this tribal organization in an attempt to secure power is detrimental to our country and it had worst political ramifications. It might be self-serving and gratifying for Riek Machar to organize his own tribe in attempt to secure power. On one hand, it might be good for Kiir to organize his tribe in an effort to maintain power. But in the midst of these tribal organization efforts, we have lost precious lives to poverty, starvation, diseases, and war. Most importantly, our state sovereign had suffered, and indeed South Sudan had lost its legitimate place it holds at its inceptions, among communities of nations.
Concurrently, our problems will never be solved by being contented because my brother, uncle, and relatives are appointed. They will never be solved by rewarding renegaded generals who took up arms against the state. They will never be solved by changing leadership through armed revolutions. Let me honest, these pressing issues will never be solved by President Kiir and Riek Machar.
In fact, the magnitude and scale of our problems have widened. The wounds and donuts holes of issues are too deep to be filled by very leaders who dug them. I should make clear that not even Jesus would solve our problems. In fact, there is no president who could maintain salaries of generals want to break away if they are not paid thousands of dollars. Not Riek or Kiir or one of the detainees. There is no president who could maintain 28 states and cabinets with revenues from Oil. There is no president who could maintain such corrupt establishment (heroes of liberation struggles) of South Sudan. There is not president who could launch development with shrink resources of oil. Let be mindful that constructing 100 miles of road can cost millions of dollars, (Nimule-Juba road is a classic example). Hence, constructing 100 miles road among 28 states is impossible in such economy.
I want every single South Sudanese to be mindful about the destiny and fate of our nation is at your hand. We are all stakeholders and we must continue to hold our country dear to our hearts than leaders. It is time to do soul searching, and go through redemption, sacrifice or repent, and finally solve our problems as collective citizens of this nation, not as tribe.
I wish everyone to have a successful year.
Gabrial Pager Ajang can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].