By Peter Gai Manyuon
November 23, 2014 (SSNA) — In a diplomatic principle, Diplomats are understood to work in a profession that requires specific skills and capacities that not everybody has. Thus, their profession is widely accepted as an exclusive job with loads of privileges to assist its main duty to pursue national interests abroad. In a good sense, a diplomat is defined as “an official whose job is to represent their government in a foreign country.” In a cynical sense, a diplomat is often described as “an honest man” sent abroad to lie on behalf of his country.
According to the “principal-agent” theory of diplomacy, a diplomat is the agent who is assigned with certain tasks delegated by the principal. The principal refers to the state or those who rule the state and thus own the right to set the national agenda.
However, after the crisis emerged in Juba on the 15th of December 2013, some of the Diplomats that were representing the Interest of the Republic of South Sudan crossed to the Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM/IO) under the Leadership of Dr. Riek Machar Teny and some of them have been replaced already and other are not yet replaced.
Surely, the crossing of the diplomats to opposition is a very big concern to the government because; some of the diplomatic relations that might not work well in this scenario will be regarded as result in the abandoning of the positions within government officials who were send abroad for special mission and they have failed to accomplish the tasks.
Moreover, some diplomats cross to the opposition in late hour due to looking for positions since the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have proposed to the two warring parties of the conflict to form the Government of National Unity that will accommodate all the parties involved in South Sudan.
The crossing of former South Sudan ambassador to Geneva, Ambassador Lumumba Stanislaus and Henry Dicah Odwar, a former MP that have defected to SPLM/SPLA in opposition, as well provoked the diplomatic relations. What does it mean at this stage? And as well the defection of the deputy head of Mission of South Sudan to Ethiopia David Dang Kong that I crossed on the Media on Friday, what does it signifies at this movement to the people of South Sudan?
Well, for those who crossed to the opposition early in January 2014, they might have their own vision and mission that they want to accomplish in one way or the other but the question is, what of the one that are crossing now? Is it because they have smelled something coming out or what is interests behind? What information will they say to the opposition that will bring down the government when the current crisis and situation is almost to come to an end by God grace?
The Author is Independent Journalist and Columnist who has written extensively on issues of Democratization and Human Rights in South Sudan. He can be contact on [email protected] or www.independentjournalistpgm.wordpress.com. He is currently doing his Research for the award of his second Master Degree in Public Relations and Media Management on the Influence of Propaganda on Diplomatic Missions of South Sudan.