Paulino Matip calls on US Nuer to re-conduct elections
By
Lt. Gen. Paulino Matip Nhial
SPLA Deputy Commander in Chief
April, 1st, 2009
Hello, Nuer Community in Diaspora:
First and foremost, I want to take a moment once again to thank all the members of Nuer Community in Diaspora particularly those in North America, Australia and Europe. Many of you are aware that I came to the United States of America seeking for the best possible medical treatment for my health problems. I would like to thank each and every one of you for the unprecedented warm welcome to the United States of America. I will try and do my very best to maintain your expectations for the Nuer community. It is indeed a great pleasure to meet all of you in person; some of you have driven cars for five hours, ten hours and even for sixteen hours to come to meet me. Others have jumped the phone lines like never seen before, while others kept praying constantly for my quick recovery.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I want to take this opportunity to remind you that our community back home is facing enormous challenges during this transitional period from war- to- peace. Our community is considered to be particularly vulnerable to high level of insecurity, poverty, displacement, and breakdown of social services. We must realize that we are not just a collection of individuals; we are and always will be Nuer Community born of the same mother, same father, and share the richest values you could imagine. Under my watch throughout my entire career I served this community with profound gratitude, great humility, dedication, commitment and with unyielding compassion.
I, therefore, want you to put all your differences aside and work for values that go beyond your own personal pride and ego. I am calling on you to step up the pressure on those elements who are working hard to tear down the walls of peace built with sacrifices of our brothers and sisters’ blood. It’s in the best interest of our community to live in peaceful atmosphere and harmony with ourselves and with other communities that should be guided by mutual respect.
Today, we need to realize our opportunities and blessings in the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), among them a committed, too many and capable army to depend the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and ultimately will secure a prosperous, peaceful, secular South Sudan in 2011.
In the past few weeks, I was deeply saddened about the brewing controversy over who won the presidential contest in the Nuer Community Development Service USA election that took place in Omaha, Nebraska on December 27 2008. I felt this controversy has widely divided our community into small pieces; the division was clear fitting friend against friend, brother against brother, sister against sister, and man against a woman. It’s important that we face this controversy head on for the sake of life-giving truth. Running away from it is not the best answer and is a sign of cowardice, which we couldn’t afford at this critical moment in our life time.
The purpose of this letter is to urge the entire members of Nuer community in the United States of America to go back and conduct free and fair election guided by positive campaign to choose who will lead them for the next two years and also to reach out in making just peace with other tribes of southern Sudan.
The return to election that I proposed during the important meeting that took place in my resident in Prior Lake, MN on March 28th, 2009 was made possible by unprecedented courage, humility and respect from both Nuer community presidential candidates Mr. Brown Both Bol and Mr. Khon Kueth Mar. I also would like to recognize, acknowledge and appreciate the humility exercised by each and every one of you during that meeting that renewed our hopes and love for one another.
In closing, I want you to know that life has never been easy to any one and no one is immune from facing real difficulties. The only way forward is to remain strong, vigilant, and look forward with enthusiasm knowing that our community is united more than ever back home and here in Diaspora as well. This will enable us to bring the most needed unity with other communities in Southern Sudan and in the Government of Southern Sudan.
God Bless Nure Community Unity!
God Bless Southern Sudanese Communities!
God Bless Government of Southern Sudan, SPLM/A!
God Bess the United States of America!!
Lt. Gen. Paulino Matip Nhial
SPLA Deputy Commander in Chief
For any question, please contact:
Dr. Lul Puot Riek
Tel. (952)688-7722
Email: [email protected]
Frak Cho
Paulino Matip calls on US Nuer to re-conduct elections
Dear Nuer Community in USA,
I sincerely thank Gen. Pualino Matip for his concern for Nuer community. He is the first man I hear talking strongly for the unity of his fellow Nuer people while quoting the most strong speech said by First African – American President Obama in his acceiptent as Presidential candidate for the Democrates.
That’s how the elder should talk to develop hope in his dear people.
May I say that Gen. Pualino Matip was the far runner when Bashir government started digging out the oil from the South Sudan, Gen. Matip fought without reservation in order to secure the oil fields for the Arabs’ government. But now is a different era where Gen.Matip is SPLA Deputy Commander in Chief, let me hope that he will fully come with that strong heart and committement which he had when he was in Khartoum, and securing the land for the Jalaba the Khartoumist.
Well, smooth seccuss and true freedom is at your hands you Nuer, and the Dinkas because they are the true freedom fighters of the South Sudan.
I wish Dinka and Nuer people remain in harmony always, and Sudan will see lasting peace once and for all.
I wish, Gen. Paulino Matip as SPLA Deputy Commander in Chief should take another time and write to all the South Sudanses people especialy Youth of various tribes and clans, encuoraging them the same way he did to the Nuer people, since you belong to every tribe of the Sudan as whole. Remember, you are Nuer by birth but belongs to other tribe by your reputation. Yes Gen. Pualino, the ball is in your hands.