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By Peter Gai Manyuon
August 13, 2013 (SSNA) — One of my lecturers told me something when I was still in the University some years back , he said on this earth there are people who are good in cheating people and there are those that are good and can do their works base on merit, comparing it to the current situation of South Sudan where people just come out from the civil war that has traumatized most of the Liberators and many others, some people are deceiving other of qualifications that no one is aware of because , you might have a colleagues that you have studied with when you were in the higher learning but might you am not saying so and so is not qualified but food for thoughts my countrymen and ladies.
Realistically ,based on the recommendation that I read through the Sudan Tribune Website about the complicated issue of Telar Deng, it make me viewed and contextualized the all situation of the Republic of South Sudan in term of Educational intellectual point of view. Looking back at what Telar did by the time he was in Southern Part of Unity State especially Payinijiar ,Mayiendit and Leer, he persecuted many people and am aware because I was there by then, and also I was inform by my parents and elders that, Telar Deng was a lawyer who was qualified enough no one was above him by then, once you reached him, he can make the ruling that might take you to jail or persecuted you to death, each and every one in Southern part of Unity state was fearing him due to the fact that, people assumed that, he was a graduate from Law School but my surprise now is when the National Assembly rejected the appointment of the Telar due to the fact that, they were doubting his qualifications and experiences in South Sudan context.
Now to the point, what can be done now by the South Sudan government about Telar? Can he continue as the Minister of Justice when his background is not yet clear in term of International Educational perfectives? And the last question is, who will be responsible for the people who were persecuted by Telar Deng in Bentiu from 1984-1992?
We all got the information that, Telar Deng has work with Dr Machar during the liberation struggle from 1984-1992 as a lawyer no one will dispute that but that does not mean that he was working as a qualified lawyer by then, some people will look at it as gentlemen agreement between Dr Garang De Mabior and Telar and when you read properly the recommendation of Dr Riek Machar that he send to the committees who are making vetting in the National Assembly, you find that even Machar does not know about qualifications of Telar but i quoted him mentioning something through the Sudan Tribune that, Telar was recommended to him by the Late Hero Dr John Garang De Mabior when he was the Commander which is well and good because when you are junior you can admit the order of your boss in all the circumstances unless you don’t have the respect of your leader. The question is that, who to blame now, is it Dr John Garang who recommended the person or Dr Machar who recruited Telar to be the Lawyer that deal with issues of the Southern Part of the Unity State by then for example Payinijiar, Mayiendit and Leer to be blame?
The issue of Telar is so complex and does not need more justifications in really sense, unless people does not have a common sense of analyzing issues using nationalistic point of thinking.
Some people have reached to the extent that, it might be a political agenda that is affecting Telar but that is not true and logic enough because all parliamentarians cannot be against one person that might be look as the stage of madness, what am seeing is that, truth have been found out at the end that convene me up to the now. Why do I say this? Realistically, you cannot claims to be a Lawyer when you don’t have a Bachelor Degree in Law known as LLB if we are talking the realities likewise you cannot claimed to be a Journalist when you don’t have a Bachelor Degree in Journalism or Mass Communications but in South Sudan things have turned upside down, for the last nine years Government of South Sudan was not looking at the qualifications of people but rather was trying to please people base on tribes and regions that look too primitive and unacceptable unless if we have not got independence Nation that should adopt International way of doing things . Am seeing the issue of Telar Deng as something very clear because according to what he told the Parliament, he said to have completed Bachelor Degree in Political Science and Anthropology in United Kingdom, that mean he is a politician by professional not a lawyer in that sense. How can you tell people that you have mastered law when you don’t have a basic of law that show high level of disorganization in him, there is no need for more hearing because truth has been reviled by himself and the parliamentarians. Truly speaking Telar admitted that, he does not have Law Degree therefore , no more issues to be brought forward again unless otherwise people does not know the reality on the ground.
The question is that, those who were persecuted by Telar by then will come up and take him to court of law for using the wrong tittle to arrest people by that time. That mean, I will agree with the quotation of one of the philosophers who said that “the end justified the mean” what I know South Sudan of today is not like the South Sudan of those days where you can come around and deceived people when you have nothings.
Professionally Telar is a politician ,there is no doubt for that, I think even those who are still in the worm might also get information one day that Telar is the professional in term of politics and anthropology.
During the liberation struggle many people have claimed to have graduated when they are not professionals in other academic careers. Ideally, I hope the parliamentarians have really shown the sense of maturity in them by scrutinizing the papers of all the appointed Ministers and their deputies.
Conclusively; I recommend that National Assembly should continue with this momentum of excellent to promote integrity, accountability and transparency in South Sudan as Independent National that is also guided by some principles, there is need for South Sudanese to be transparent in whatever they are doing to avoid shame that might come to the people of this great nation worldwide.
The author is the Independent Journalist who writes for Juba Monitor as Columnist, you can contact through; [email protected]