South Sudan’s president says not a “warmonger”
July 3, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan President Salva Kiir has said he has never been a warmonger as claimed, insisting that war brings down the country instead of developing or making it prosper.
“There are people who think I am a warmonger. I want to assure you mama that I am not what they think. I am a very peaceful and humble man. I don’t want fighting. Let us close that chapter of war and open another chapter of peace”, Kiir said on Saturday.
President Kiir, who advocated for the beginning of a new peace chapter, also pledged work together with all the country’s political parties.
“There is nothing better than to embrace one another. To embrace one another is the best thing that we can do,” he said.
Kiir, a former military commander, warned the country’s citizens over wealth and power, saying they are likely to destroy the young nation.
“What is destroying us today is ourselves, the greed. People are very greedy. Some of us thought that after 21 years of struggle and now that there is peace they must be rich overnight. And this is why we have gotten that name of corruption, that South Sudanese are corrupt”, said the South Sudanese leader.
Kiir was speaking at an occasion organized to honour Vice-President James Wani Igga’s doctorate degree from Bulacan State University in the Philippines.
“Somebody said a word before about the PhD; I want to remind my dear colleague Wani that his PhD should not follow also the other PhD that brought us troubles in our country. It must be a PhD that leads us to development and progress in my country,” stressed Kiir.
He wondered how South Sudanese, initially regarded as the most honest people, lost that reputation soon after its independence from Sudan in 2011.
“People came from different countries to the extent that now our name has really become very bad. Why is it that our economy, which started as a strong economy, deteriorated to the extent that we are not able to afford a meal per day per family? What happened? It is because we brought different cultures and different ways of doing things?” asked Kiir.
“With such activities and perception economy cannot grow and let us work together,” he added.
Igga, who attained a PhD in taxation policy and investment, vowed to apply his knowledge to develop the war-torn nation instead of destroying it.
(ST)