By: Deng Mading Gatwech
“Judas Iscariot is remembered for one thing: his betrayal of Jesus Christ. Even though Judas showed remorse later, his name became a symbol for traitors and turncoats throughout history. His motive seemed to be greed, but some scholars speculate political desires lurked beneath his treachery” quoted from the BIBLE.
March 27, 2014 (SSNA) — The author is very much interested in what is called “greed” and “political desires lurked beneath treachery” as stated by the scholars come the second as matter of priority. To have a glim of Sabrino Majok Majok, the so called Judas Iscariot, the author of the article would like to take the readers back a little further of historical accounts of Judas.
Majok as he put it in one of his article as member of Anya II, a lot of connection of the dots on how the writer lives up to this time on whose account is of relevancy in the document. Sabrino Majok from his youth grew up with Nuer and he can fairly speaks Nuer. In the mid eighties Sabrino Majok deserted the SPLM/A after being integrated into the files and ranks of the SPLM/A recruits. After desertion, he joined Gambella Senior Secondary School at the time. He (Judas) bread and breast by Nuer in those days as young recruit and school going boy. Being together with Nuer has opened him another venue of opportunities that granted him scholarship from UNHCR Gambella Head Office to finish high school in one of the best schools in Ethiopian Highland a school that many Nuer never had chance to attend.
The author question authentication of the career from high school that never qualified him Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an authenticated certificate in Canada and elsewhere in the world that earned him lucrative position of Director General for Administration and Finance in the state Ministry of Finance in Northern Bahr El Ghazal of South Sudan. But only nepotism in this case plays in. Indeed, Judas who on many occasions uses Nuer as leverage would have appreciated them and the Ethiopian authorities that grant him so many opportunities. Nuer blessings put Judas into brighter future perspectives, which he later on spoiled as a result of bad practices that left him behind bars up to date.
Sabrino Majok published series of articles from August 3, 2013 until the last minute he was apprehended and put to jail on corruption charges of repatriating 9.8 million South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), an amount equivalent to 3.1 million dollar to either East Africa or Canada where he (Judas) resettled. The writer was so critical on the fabricated coup attempt allegedly carried out by the SPLM/A in Opposition suggesting that Nuer in particular instigated the Juba incident while in the making blown up his cover of being a thief.
The writer preached a lot about constitutional rights of the president Salva Kiir to arrest, fire and kill people at will. What a constitutional rights the president has that no one in the Republic of South Sudan has, an argument that holds no water. The Transitional Constitution of 2011 states that “All persons are equal before the law and are entitled to the equal protection of the law without discrimination as to race, ethnic origin, color, sex, language, religious creed, political opinion, birth, locality or social status”. The writer was so naïve to take no notice of what the Transitional Constitution stated and blindly supported the move of the president due to ethnic affiliation violating the fundamental freedoms of human kinds enshrined in the Constitution.
The writer in some of his article where he critics Nuer, was also adamant not to made mention on how he was critical on the performance of the SPLM/A and the government of the Republic of South Sudan. The manifestation of greed theories became apparent when an assertion was made by Sabrino Majok in one of the article in 2011 here I quoted “if this imbalance of distribution of national wealth and power continues, those affected may feel excluded and marginalized: a sad replay of fundamental reasons why people of South Sudan took up arms in the first place against successive regimes in Khartoum”.
Upon Judas assertion of lack of inclusiveness in the government and wealth sharing, there is so much contradiction. Where on earth do former ministers (Arthur Akuien Chol and Kuol Athian) of Finance and Economic Planning come from in the ten states of South Sudan? It is a naked fact that the powerful corrupt ministers were from Northen Bahr El Ghazal state and these ministers tapped a lot of resources to Aweil people where Judas (Sabrino Majok Majok) hailed from and their allies. For instance, the issue of sixty million US dollar ($60,000,000) that got lost in the government coffers during Arthur Akuein Chol reign and the DURA saga during Mr. Kuol Athian, the man who knew nothing but just a village chief who made his way to the cabinet through lobbying of Aweil people. Nonetheless, the appointment of minister of Finance and Economic Planning never stopped from Bahr El Ghazal given the heinous crime committed against people of South Sudan. The removal of these prominent figures give birth to the appointment of Mr. David Deng Athorbei from the same who appended his signature and name on South Sudanese Pounds with a lot of missing features but boldly awarded the contract of million dollars project for printing South Sudanese Pounds to his Daughter’s brief case company, a shame nobody would dare to do but Dinka man.
The above statement alone carrying a lot of weights and apparently became the recipe for the contemporary South Sudan current conflict. A simple question one would ask is was Judas out of his mind having two opposing views over how the state affairs are run with respect to the power and the wealth distribution? Why would the inept critics the Nuer of the coup attempt planned by none other person than the president himself due to incapability in terms of delivery of services needed and the democracy South Sudanese yearned for a very long time?
The big slap on the face of Judas Iscariot (Sabrino Majok Majok) that put him behind bars was an accusation on misappropriation of the public funds. The squandering of the public funds did not only bring forth the names of public officials but also touched on the name of the top man Paul Malong Awan who is known for his brutality in the Northern Bahr El Ghazal state. The case has reached highest boiling point where the governor came out openly in retaliation of his accusation of involvement of misappropriation of two million South Sudanese Pounds (2, 000,000) in support of South Sudanese army operation in Jonglei state. King Paul, the governor of Northen Bahr El Ghazal has, however, flatly denied these allegations and vowed to deal with officials who claimed he pocketed public funds in the name of supporting the military activities. However, Paul Malong, the governor of Northern Bahr El Ghazal though he denied the accusation his heavy hands might have landed on the misappropriated funds in as much as he is known also for his brutality and corruption practices.
Sabrino Majok Majok was very much the man drawing up 105,000SSP monthly amounting to 9.8 million South Sudanese Pounds from the government coffers for his interest and the group. Judas used his post of Director General for Administration and Finance in the state Ministry of Finance to withdraw money without queries from the higher authority. Having realized he was implicated Judas had attempted to escape from the state prompting his arrest before necessary investigations were done. Source indicated that the suspect had sought refuge in the UNMISS compound in Aweil on the ground that he hold Canadian passport as away of him not to account for what he is suspected to have played a role in.
In all accounts Judas was found to have manifested the greed theories in practice than political desires. He is more harmful than real Judas who betrayed Jesus Christ supporting the president Salva Kiir whose hand is full of blood of innocent Nuer who have nothing to do with politics and have no single coins in their pockets from the peace dividends. The Nuer became the soft targets whose President Kiir’s mercenaries killed at will using oil money extracted from their motherland.
Last but not least, the God of Nuer was very much disappointed with the acts of Judas and put him to jail at long last. This is because the same Judas who tarnished the Nuer image is the one looting the oil money extracted from Nuerland without fear from God. Enough is enough and Judas will be put to rest in due days to come bearing the banner of a traitor with greed synthesis.
Deng Mading is a South Sudanese exiled in East Africa and researcher in the area of “Democracy & Good Governance, Local & International Politics and Strategic Security Studies”. He can be reached at [email protected].