December 3, 2013 (SSNA) — In my last article title: “Leadership in South Sudan, the greatest crisis of our lives.” This article is a continuation to, an apparently, minor conflict that took place between two members of SSLA, Environment Minister El-Shiekh Abdullah Deng Nhial and his colleague, Honorable Majong during unilateral debate in the premises of the South Sudan Legislative Assembly in the capital city Juba, sometimes last week and, the subsequent blunder decisions that was taken by the president 1st Let. General Salvatore Kiir Mayardit.
And here is my take on this dispute as a concern citizen:
To make a long story short, the two men exchanged some bad words, which involved into a physical fight. The lawmaker, Honorable Majong insulted the former Environment Minister Mr. Abdullah Deng Nhial, which escalated the situation that ultimately turned ugly. That was in the office of Chairman of parliamentary affairs committee. “The full details of the incident is in Sudan tribune website,”
Nonetheless, boldness is an essential for a good leader to lead upward, which means, among other things, to grab the attention of the citizens and, to set an unforgettable example to the culprits as well as those who want to use street justice or trying to take the laws on their own hands. But a real leader needs to swallow a bold pill in order to make a decision that’s fair and that’s right.
My best example always is: the visionary the late Dr. John Garang de’ Mabior, the former Chairman of SPLM/A. Certainly, he was a tough man in his judgment, but most of it stems from not giving a damn about what others might think of him. Courage fueled by a high degree of integrity and a dose of good judgment and consistency that gave him the confidence, not only to stand his ground, but also enabled him to walk high and tall.
My friends, it’s critical for leaders to have a signature leadership style at all directions.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case in the Republic of South Sudan. A once beloved son, Lt. General and the President of the Republic, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has pitiably failed to calm down the situation, and to tackle the problem administratively. Instead, he actually made matters even worse, by taking one side in favor of his home town buddy, and unjustly fired Minister Abdullah on the spot and, without due process of any kind of procedures. And to add fire to an all blown out situation was the intervention of so called Warrap State youth which was nothing but a fuel to the tinderbox that was already set in the fiasco and obstructs the justice.
Furthermore, in my humble opinion and, for fairness sake, the president should have first and formost form a high level committee to investigate and find out the facts surrounding the matter, rather than just rushed to relieve Mr. Deng from his post by just a rumors and speculations from the street.
Let’s always remember the golden phrase: “it’s O.K to agree to disagree."
Don’t get me wrong, there is no justification whatsoever for Shiekh Abdullah action. It’s ugly, rude and uncivil to say the least. By the same token, Mr. Majong should have also learn how to behave in public, and hold his filthy tongue, because this is one of the traits that make you such a successful, fascinating character among your colleagues in the political arena. Keep it tied and clean.
My dream is to see the leaders of our new nation rise up to the plate, create, hope for the future and help the new generation see the way forward to a prosperous nation called South Sudan. They should be trustworthy and treat their citizens equally and, without regards to, gender, region, and ethnicity. Presumably, authenticity and walking the walk should be the cornerstones of building a great leader. Are we there yet?
The point embarking here is: the decision of our president was quick and unjust. Of course, we should not be surprise; it’s obvious, the right hand man, and his legal advisor, and the purported lawyer, Mr. Telar Deng bear the blame.
Nevertheless; the president in his capacity as the head of the state, and one of the founding fathers of this nation, he should call both parties of the conflict in his office, or his swamp resort for a cups of tea. If that tactic could have worked for the President of the United States, Barrack Obama, It might as well work for President Mayardit.
In conclusion, Bob Woodward in his book title: “the commanders” while Chief Carl E. Vuono was speaking to an audience, he says his best; and I quotes; “If the American Army is not well trained, you can’t blame it on congress, you can’t blame it on the media, you can’t blame it on the mythical theme. It’s your fault, your fault and my fault, because, we didn’t do our job. We can’t have one youngster die because she/he wasn’t properly trained, if that happens, it’s on our conscience, and it’s in our hands.”
This is my prospective!!
The author is a Criminologist, reachable at [email protected] or [email protected].