Could non–citizens be getting national IDs in Juba?
By Philip Thon Aleu
November 15, 2008 – In some states of Southern Sudan, foreigners of varying competence control posts in public offices, leading one to question the Internal Affairs Ministry in Juba over the policy of issuing National Identity (ID) cards.
After more than twenty years of war and post-colonial isolation from Khartoum governments, many young Southern Sudanese are assumed to be unskilled by long-serving government officials, who are popularly and locally called “the experienced.” With this assumption in mind, Government of Southern Sudan officials prefer Kenyans and Ugandans for office secretaries and managers. Employers claim that these East Africans have computer skills and are more committed to work. Local youths on the other hand, have a different perception of the increasing number of foreigners occupying these essential positions.
Twenty years in conflict taught youths about self-reliance, commitment and determination for success. Our surviving veterans do not seem to have caught this fact. Moreover, as refugees in East Africa, the current youths attended schools with nationals there. The East Africans tested our academic strength beyond any doubt. Of course we learnt the same subjects, including computers when deem obligatory. Accounting for this, one should not welcome the now binding criteria of automatically selecting foreigners for positions based assumptions about their skills and competence.
The belief that Kenyans or Ugandans are better needs more elaboration from our state authorities. Why hire a bladeless ax? And as a son of this nation, it is my duty to correct my father, for as the Dinka proverb says: ‘A man is taught until he dies.’
Much as Southern Sudan needs qualified foreigners for technical jobs, the services rendered by most of them remain fruitless. Contrary to expectations, the trusted office secretaries and managers end up blocking citizens from accessing their leaders in offices. Is this why they were employed? Why do we have inaccessible government servants? How will they know our grievances and how can we know their short-comings?
In yet another circumstance, most “skilled” secretaries occupy offices unprofessionally. Many cases reveal that foreigners are paid highly with better conditions at work. Which leads one to ask, why did one fight for a country where one’s child won’t taste its milk? This is our nation, and we have full rights, as any other citizens in their respective countries, to enjoy whatever little the nation produces.
In many incidences, office managers also block reporters from reaching officials and thus make the press one-sided. Unfortunately, the same people accuse the media of fabrications, inciting hatred and brewing tribalism. How can one produce waragi (grain-made alcohol) when people are starving? Where will you get the grains then? Our starvation began less than a decade ago when thousands of lives and property where lost during tribal wrangles. (I can preferably put it as “conflict of self interest.”) The accusation that the media will take communities back to war is simply unthinkable!
WAY FORWARD
Since the youths are fairly competent, committed and determined, I suggest that the state governments insert a mechanism for streamlining employment priorities to favor local candidates. This mechanism should not, however, exempt youths from interviews—if ever job openings were even made public at all!
A long-term solution would also be taking non-computer skilled persons for short term training, rather than employing persons who will not build a house or facilitate permanent decisions. Above all, employments need to be restricted to those with national IDs. This will in turn avoid ghost employees and multiple jobs granted to one individual.
The Ministry of Interior of the Government of Southern Sudan should decentralize hiring practices to state capitals in order to reduce congestion in Juba’s office for issuing national IDs. This will consequently reduce the leakage of National IDs to non-citizens, let alone the reduction of expenses encountered by applicants trying to obtain one in Juba.
The author is a Sudan Tribune journalist.