South Sudan minister thrown out of cabinet meeting over dressing style
May 6, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, on Friday forced the minister of water resources and irrigation, Mabior Garang de Mabior, to leave the hall of the first council of ministers meeting over his dressing style.
The cause was that he was wearing a bow tie, although his black suit was seen as appropriate to meet the “dress code” imposed on the South Sudanese ministers, together with a grey colour as an alternative dress during cabinet meetings.
But Mabior said after leaving the hall and going home to change the tie, he was again blocked and “harassed” by President Kiir’s bodyguards who refused him re-entry into the cabinet meeting hall.
“After coming home and changing my bow tie at the advice of the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-dhuorgon…I returned to the Council of Ministers Meeting…only to be harassed and barred from entry by Salvador Kiir’s bodyguards…they should understand that this TGONU will not be business as usual…change is here,” Mabior wrote on his Facebook on Friday.
He also posted his photo of the same cloth he was wearing at the time of being kicked out of the cabinet and dressing looks to be a black tuxedo suit with a white shirt and a black bow tie. He later changed it for a long tie but was yet barred from entering the meeting hall.
Ministers of the newly formed transitional government of national unity on Thursday attended an induction workshop of the council of ministers moderated by the first vice president Riek Machar at which the ministers were informed by the minister of cabinet affairs of protocol for meetings, including dress code, but the type of tie needed was not mentioned.
Though it is a tradition that public figures must show good example by dressing decently, it remains unclear what guiding rules and regulations the minister had breached since dress code for high profile public figures, particularly ministers and other categories, has not been made publicly available.
Mabior, the eldest son of the late founder of the SPLM, John Garang, argued that his expulsion from the cabinet in which he would have presented programs of his ministry was a display of personal dislike by the president as well as a distraction from real issues.
He challenged that while the country lacks basic necessities and people continue to suffer, it was not worth it to focus on a dress code of special suits colours for ministers.
“There is no fuel in Juba and people are still in UNMISS PoCs (United Nations Mission in South Sudan’s protection of civilians camp),” said Mabior.
(ST)