January 17th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – The Lou-Nuer community worldwdie have wrote to the SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon who placed Panyang County under Jonglei state administration as part of efforts to return to the 1956 borders. Below is the letter as written on January 14th 2019.
From: Lou-Nuer Community and Intellectuals worldwide
To: Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, Chairman and Commander in Chief, SPLM/SPLA (IO).
ref: Petition letter on placing Panyang County under Jonglei state.
Revolutionary Greetings,
In reference to your decree reorganizing Cieng Jaak Counties in Bieh and Jonglei states dated January 7, 2019, we the Lou Nuer Community Intellectuals worldwide under your leadership in SPLM/SPLA (IO) have thought it wise to bring to your attention our deepest concern and regret toward the decree, and are compelled to submit to your office our formal petition in rejection of the decree and call for its reversal. We have viewed the decree has prematurely pre-empted and usurp the role of the proposed Independent Boundary Commission in accordance with the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). We also believe that your reference to 1956 colonial boundaries is a true reminder that a political and a legal plate form (IBC) as is provided for in the recently signed agreement is tasked, in due time, to ascertain tribal boundaries as per the 1956 Colonial boundaries or from the 2011 South Sudan boundaries as per the constitution of South Sudan or from the October 2, 2015 Presidential that recreated boundaries into 32 states.
Comrade Chairman, your decree to transfer the administrative rule of Panyang under Jonglei state is not only a political betrayal to the Lou Nuer Community, who have been your stronghold and in your support ever since you came to power, but also willfully steal us of our political votes and more deceitfully placed Panyang county of Lou Nuer under Jonglei to please Dinka Bor perhaps to pay them back for their grudges of 1991 against you to which you apologized on.
What if the Lou Nuer community of Cieng Dak did not ask for a county, which people would you annex to Jonglei state? How is it arguable that Lou Nuer of Gaat Jaak you carved from Padiek County under Bieh state to Jonglei state still be part of Bieh state when their administration is different from that of Lou? How would you separate land from people and arguably said the land still belongs to Bieh when its administration is under Jonglei? Cde chairman, the people is what makes the land what it is; therefore, if the administration of the people is transferred, it includes their land as well. You know well the case of Abyei of which we shouldn’t be naïve to educate you about.
Cde Chairman, your decree has also fallen short of the call made by the community of Panyang of Cieng Dak who requested your chairmanship for recognition and creation of Panyang County under Bieh State in their letter dated October 10th, 2018.
Cde Chairman, we respect you as our leader and members of the people’s movement under your leadership, but we are and will be loud and clear that we have rejected your decree in its entirety and call for its reversal even if your intention was for the future good of Panyang Community of Cieng Dak and the Lou Nuer community at large.
In conclusion, it is uncalled for that the decree carved Panyang County out of Padiek contrary to what was asked of your leadership by Cie Jaak community. We term the decree as a piece of machinery to divide and rule Lou Nuer community, by politically weakening our unity and purposefully give away our valuable resources: the people and the land. We reject the decree for our unity and togetherness is our strength.
Best Regards,
Lou Nuer Community Intellectuals Worldwide under SPLM/SPLA (IO)
CC Hon. Simon Hoth Duol, Governor of Bieh State
CC: Hon. John Jooyul, Lou Nuer Community Chairman under SPLM/SPLA (IO)
CC. Hon Simon Tang Lam, Commission of Panyang County
Viva SPLM/SPLA (IO)
Viva Lou Nuer Community
