Contextualizing realities of the crisis in N. Bahr el Ghazal government (Part 1)
By Deng Dut Lual
September 24, 2014 – The government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state led by Kuel Aguer Kuel in a caretaker position has been seriously leaking. Leaking is a damning word that any strong leader who aspires for the good record will never allow to slip into his dictionary. It is continuously leaking and nobody cares to cover or patch up the crack. It was therefore almost too late when the caretaker who had been busy rowing the boat realized that he and his teams were sitting in a boat that had soaked them to their very waists!
In any case, it has been reported in the media that mass resignation was looming in the state and many interpretations were given by the citizens, majority of whom didn’t know the underlying factors exacerbating the near departure of some senior government officials. If the plan would have materialized, it would have been the first time in the history of South Sudan to witness post holders leaving in droves. In any system of good governance such government must be declared dysfunctional deem to collapse and the power vacuum will lead to serious security implications. And this is surely what the people of NBGS don’t want after being peaceful and green state of the Nation. In fact NBGS has been touted as a small corner of paradise in an almost fractious country!
This piece is therefore a summarised narrative of what transpired though it has opinionated phrases based on this writer being a close observer of the events in the State. This I believe will give a gist of the story observed and seen from bird’s eye view.
The first time Kuel set his foot in Aweil in gubernatorial clothing, the reception he received only equaled that of the masses that turned out in 2008 for the governor that he replaced. This is a unique character with the people of the state. It will only be a leader who have tendency for anarchy and a soft spot to blunder will squander such an opportunity bestowed on him by the masses of the State.
The first thing that Kuel should have done will be to unite the people and let them rally behind him. This is the best conventional approach in the process of bringing people back to the fold. In a situation where issues are gorged with contradictions, assumptions and blackmailing, a wise leader will allow the dust to settle in order to differentiate the truth from the lies, otherwise many things will go by, some of which could have been beneficial to the incoming administration.
The much hyped about the current governor being a policy wonk needs to be put to test and it will be up to him if he wants to prove otherwise. Instead he dwells on trivial issues bordering on suspicious investigation under the pretext of who might have been viewing his seat negatively; he only accommodates the people who are abusing his government officials while keeping mum.
Governor Kuel has been concentrating more on rumours and assumptions. This trend is not good for a leader with high chances to lead people of Aweil for time being and possibly into the future. The sitting Governor has divided the Party into two camps without exerting serious and genuine attempt to close the gaps.
Another serious factor which complicated the issue is constant presence of his notorious relatives around him. He makes it so blunt that some got the audacity to talk openly about what has been discussed with him. These are the people bringing him down. People like Angui Diing Diing, a close relative to the governor and a guy known for his notoriety of gossip and backbiting has proven to be a certified bootlicker who will never wink when he is on a mission of tittle-tattle. His activities are resonated by Deng Kuel, the state coordinator for South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (a brother to the governor) who believes ‘It is Our Turn to Eat.’
This brought about sharp ideological differences. Ideological differences strengthened or rather reinforced by Kuel who has the knack and strong affinity of affiliation with his buddies who were then in Khartoum with him during their heydays. This is a big difference between him and his predecessor, Gen. Paul Malong. During Malong’s days, you could hardly find any of his relatives hovering all over the governor’s official residence. Today is opposite with the pristine building turned into another George Orwel’s farm. A residence where marked individuals are destined for eventual ‘disgraceful’ exit!
It therefore beat the logics to blackmail those who met in Wanyjok on 2nd September 2014. The mission was to explore ways of helping him and how best to curb the soaring security situation in the state. A renowned troublemaker, Garang Majak Bol, one of those who attended the said meeting rushed to governor Kuel the following day to report on what was never discussed.
He is known for being jumpy and would work his head off to get in to leadership position. However, instead of governor Kuel discouraging such divisive activities by the gluttons of power, he kept mum, and this proved that he only entertains the opposite of realities.The point of contention among this group, in my view, is that they are not against government reshuffle per se’ but rather it should be done in consultation with stakeholders’ i.e. SPLM secretariats at both levels and consultations with the local community. Once they realized that the impending restructuring is contrary to the dictates of the party’s formality, they opted to resign in order to give the governor an easy ride to appoint people of his choice without squabbles.
The question why too much noise was coming from aspiring candidates Majak and Wel? Sometime there is a need to differentiate emotions from hyperbolic sentiments. The allegation that this disgruntled group lacks is cohesiveness and few of their members are known for their tendency to change their mind midway especially when the journey becomes bumpy, thorny and sweltering. The reality is that the group tendered their resignations and it only took the prevailing heads of Aweil elders, Gen. Malong that they reverse their decisions. This is a dangerous precedent that was averted at the last minute.
The writer is a concerned citizen of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state.
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