The State of Reshuffle

January 4, 2014 (SSNA) — South Sudan has gone back to its earlier days of darkness. Salva Kiir Mayardit, a man whom South Sudanese thought he would bring changes to the new nation and prosperity, that turn out to be a wishful thinking among Southerners. I was asking myself, why would our brothers and sisters go back to the bush we just came out from? If you have asked one official from the regime, the answer would be an attempted coup by a small group of militiamen allies to the former vice-president.

If one might recalled the reshuffle that took place last year in July, none of us would not be surprised by what we have witnessed taking place today in Juba and elsewhere across the nation. Many of us were surprised when that reshuffle took place and some us doubted that it was not meant to reduce the side of the government so that services would be deliver efficiently.

The reshuffle reminded that us that there was a paralysis in the system and only one man wants to control the state and its orders. How the western world could miss this one as some of them were appeasing and applauding the president of the smart move and urging him to move quickly to elect his new cabinets?  Sound good to be true; the president has actually moved quicker, but has brought the same old folks and most of them were the worst power mongers than the president himself. If you were a South Sudanese, would you like your country’s defense minister to be Kuol Manyang Juuk?  If the purpose of appointing a defense minister to be a tough and strong man, then Kuol Manyang might meet that category.

But if the purpose is to appoint the right man for the job and bring unity to the people and the national army of the people, then Kuol Manyang was the wrong man on the job at the wrong time of our history. If one might remember the disputed election between Kuol Manyang and our Veteran warrior George Athor in Jongelie State, why would he be qualify to the top job and bring unity among army comrades when he cannot handle the state of Jongelie? The president has brought Kuol Manyang onboard with his teams to shake things up in Juba to eliminate and executed those who are opposing their dictatorial agenda like what we had witnessed in Jongelie.

President Kiir has failed to manage the state affairs of Jongelie that had resulted to the death of George Athor and that is exactly what they were trying to do to Dr. Riek and our detained officials on December 15, 2013.

For the rest of us today South Sudanese, let us not be misled by the word “an attempted coup” by the regime for them to silent our voices. Those officials that were falsely accused by regime each one of them represents our ten states and all of them were in the bush at the same time with one man today that claims to be a hero.

Our president will not leave a legacy behind in order for us to remember him like his predecessor, but a bloody hand on South Sudanese. International community need not to take the wrong side of this crisis and need not to waste any time, but held the regime a full accountability on those innocent lives that have been lost in Juba based on tribal lines on no fault of their own.

The author is a concerned citizen of South Sudan who lives abroad and currently, a Student at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, School of Business. He can be reached at [email protected].