By Deng Mangok Ayuel
September 19, 2014 (SSNA) — Are foreign experts worth so much? I have kept contemplating, partially failed to understand why do western NGOs’ top managements bring along with them fellow Kenyans and Ugandans who schooled with some of us at the same schools as experts in our country? Where did NGOs open schools of experiences for East Africans? There is no need for organizations to spend huge amount of dollars on foreigners who have had been doing less than expected for quite long time.
Does being a Kenyan or Ugandan qualify someone as an expert in South Sudan?
These foreign aid workers are plain dealers who have bewitched South Sudan economically. They blindly failed to recognize the existence of educated nationals in the country.
However, Africans are almost educationally equal. The post-protracted civil war in Sudan shouldn’t be taken as an advantage for branding South Sudanese as uneducated. There are South Sudanese who had studied in the West, South Africa than Uganda and Kenya. Are these nationals unable to do anything in their country?
If Prof. Talban Liloyong had branded East Africa as a ‘desert of literacy criticism’, is it anything to celebrate and boast of being an expert from Kenya?
Many East Africans in South Sudan failed to understand that their presence in our country is based on our will and cooperation as neighbors or sisterly countries than their education. These people aren’t contributing something good but exploding our economy. They should acknowledge our generosity.
A Kenyan economist has termed a decision made by the Ministry of Labor, Public Services and Human Resource Development to fire foreign workers who are currently working for NGOs, companies and telecommunications or private sectors in the country as ‘premature and stupid decision’. So why can’t Kenyan government fire South Sudanese workers in Kenya for their stupid decision?
Besides, Babe Cool, a Ugandan singer has also stated on his Facebook page that he is ready to trouble South Sudanese in Uganda if the government in Juba implements its decision to sack foreign workers in the country. Why do Ugandans enforce themselves into South Sudanese affairs?
When the ministry of Interior took a decision to ban Uganda Boda-boda ridders in Juba, people felt it in Uganda as the boys used to send money home and they roared amicably. This is not going to be Boda-boda saga where South Sudanese were targeted in Kampala. It’s a national decision.
All in all, Ugandans are fond of meddling. It’s their nature! Any decision taken by the government regarding foreigners is always being personalized by Ugandans – are Ugandans they only foreigners in South Sudan? If the government in Kenya and Uganda can’t create jobs for you, then it’s not our problem. The decision made by our government to fire foreign workers doesn’t need any foreign reactions.
Deng Mangok Ayuel is a South Sudanese blogger and humanitarian worker, lives in Aweil, South Sudan.He can be reached via [email protected]