First foundations laid for Rumbek’s first youth hostel
By Manyang Mayom
June 11, 2011 (RUMBEK) – The minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation in government of Southern Sudan, Makuac Teng Yauk arrived in Rumbek on Saturday to lay the first foundation stone of Lakes State’s first youth hostel.
Lakes state Governor Chol Tong Mayay together with various youth organizations and folklore teams including the Scouts and Girl Guides turned out to welcome minister Teny.
While addressing the heads of the different youth leader’s associations in Rumbek, Minister Teny announced that 12,000 Sudanese Pounds ($4,490) to support the activities of youth associations activities across Lakes State.
Sudan’s south is due to become independent as the Republic of South Sudan on July 9 after an overwhelming vote for secession from the north in a referendum earlier this year.
The minister said that he hoped that the youth hostel and the money for youth activities would help prepare young people to be a new nation “instead of fighting among ourselves.”
Teny criticized idleness and encouraged young people to work rather than take part in the cattle raiding and revenge killing that is common in Lakes State.
He said that “the problem is that our youth do not want to work using their hands. They want to work in [an] office. That is why there are so many foreigners who are [doing] manual work […] you don’t do it and tomorrow you blame government.”
The minister said that young people should not blame the government for the foreigners working in Lakes State because they are doing work that they refuse to so.
“You don’t want to work. You don’t want to clean. You don’t to wash. You don’t do any things even secretariat work you don’t it”, he said.
Teny said that the same problem exists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
“Our people in Juba play dominos in the morning and the dress well in they evening then they expected food. There are people who start drinking tea and then to beer and then they go to office and then mess a lot of things, this things must be stop”.
The minister of Information and Communication for Lakes State Marik Nanga Marik said he appreciated the money given to support youth activities in the state.
Nanga pledge that his ministry would work hard to improve the life skills of Lake State’s youth to preach peace and harmony among the region’s warring communities.
Lakes State governor Tong, said that insecurity, caused by cattle raiding and revenge killing, remained an issue in some counties of Lakes State. He said the judiciary should try more murder cases so as to not make taking revenge an option .
The engineering company Pureland Engineer Co-ltd affirmed that the construction of Rumbek Youth Hostel will take only six months. But the resident engineer Atem Tul Atem, warned that that depended on payments from the government being recieved on time.
(ST)