By: Daniel Abushery Daniel
“They succeed, because they think they can” said by; Virgil.
August 28, 2011 (SSNA) — First and foremost, please allow me to seize this golden opportunity to congratulate and salute you on your appointment as the first Mayor of Juba, the capital of the Republic of South Sudan, and Central Equatoria State, respectively, on March, 2011. Based on research and on my personal assessment and knowledge, there is no shadow of a doubt that you are the right man for the right position, especially during this tumultuous time in the history of our nation. Hence, I will not over look to convey my deepest gratitude to one of the most distinguished governors of our time, the Governor of Central Equatoria, Mr. Clemet Wani Konga, for his splendid and adequate of your selection.
In the nation building, I believe that many of you will agreed with me that the infrastructure constitutes of building roads, bridges and housing rehabilitation, as well other commercial and governmental institutions. Those should be the fundamental bases and the corner stone upon which a sound administration is majored. I believe that Mayor Baballah will do just that. He will make Juba the most beautiful city that we can all be prideful and certainly proud of.
It’s that time to show- case to the entire world, and, indeed, the Khartoum elites, once and for all, that if given an equal time and opportunity, South Sudanese can do better than they can possibly imagine. We need to display our ability to resolve our differences as Southerners. No matter how bitter they might be. If we can do that, it should serve as the first lesson to the elites, and elsewhere that; South Sudan really is in good hands – the hands of its own sons and daughters, who are up to the task and the difficult challenges that they might encounter in their paths, knowing that the progress of today is, indeed, the promise of tomorrow. So thank you, Mr. Mayor, for putting our unity first.
Moreover, regardless of whether or not the capital of South Sudan will relocate elsewhere in the future, still, Juba has a potential of becoming the Dubai of Africa under your wise leadership. The time to begin developing Juba is now. It starts by getting rid of those outdated businesses in areas such as “Suuk Kunyo – Kunyo " and replace them with some multi- purposes metropolitan malls, that could then be re- distributed to the previous owners of that land.
And, to make Juba a tourist attraction that it should, it will be essential not only to build quite a few prestigious resorts hotels type along the Nile bank but more so, a zoo as well as recreational outlets are desperately needed all around the city. To that end, I suggest that the Mayer and his engineering team pay visits to some of the world finest cities and learn whatever they could from their experiences.
And yes, at this juncture in the history of our young nation, we need to work hand- in -hand. There should be no more room for excluding others in the process, especially in matter of utmost importance, such as the infrastructure of our cities to make them look like their counterparts around the globe. I am very optimistic, that Mayor Baballah is the right instrument for this huge project. He will be successful, because he has the expertise and the knowledge required for such undertaking.
In conclusion, let us always remind ourselves that controversial issues are sustainable as people of this nation in the first place. Of course, building a nation doesn’t come over night, nor should it be. It will ultimately need a great deal of sacrifices, dedication and more essentially, the commitment from all of the communities in all walks of the life. Therefore, we need all colours of spectrum. Peace, harmony, and tranquility will be our odd.
God bless you, and may God bless the Republic of South Sudan.
Peace!
The author is South Sudanese citizen, lives in USA, and can be reached at: [email protected] or [email protected].