By Mak Banguot Gok (Makjohnson),
March 22, 2022 — Jonglei State citizens are all standing behind the young governor notwithstanding some of the fraudulent government officials’ who are still having ones or their own other reasons that foil them from making a firm commitment. This is because, South Sudanese in general, and not only are the people of Jonglei State have been worn-out of an eternity muffled for a far-reaching and revolutionized alteration. We never stopped howling for change in our country’s political leadership systems, and this is the time we want to achieve what was long expected by the citizens.
We need real and fundamental change not only in the center of the power gravity (e.g. where the country’s political power is shady and concerted), but also throughout the entire systemic structures of the powers scheme in South Sudan. We need an elemental change affecting right from Juba down to the smallest unit of our local government (States, Counties, Payams and Bumas levels). To realize that change, we have no time to waste and, particularly there is no one else that people of Jonglei State should be waiting for other than the current energetic, young, and courageous governor who has come to spearhead the hasty alteration that we wanted.
People of Jonglei State have got the kind of a governor who wants to remodel the changes which they have been waiting for a long time. He (Governor Chagor) championed the qualities of a change-maker that, he need only our supports as the citizens to stands behind him in implementation of our state laws, in overseeing the operation of our state executive branch, in an advancement and pursuance of a new and revises policies of our state. And above all, in an objective formulation of programs using a variety of the legal tolls conferred upon him by our state constitution.
In simple terms, the people of Jonglei State ‘required support for the young Governor’s political initiatives and, which are undemanding. It’s not only necessary that we all must be there in the State so that we are able to demonstrate practically the best patronage that he (the governor) expected of us to do in his favor. Wherever we are (either in Jonglei and/or in other parts of South Sudan and overseas), one should take it as an obligation to always stand behind him whilst he is executing his gubernatorial executive orders, the executive budget of our State, and the legislative proposals and vetoes.
If people of Jonglei State show off their stiff support to the Governor either in words or by deeds, he will effectively exercise the rest of his responsibilities and, all the wellbeing we intended for our peoples in the state shall follow. With our collective support, he (Governor Denay) is able to tackle the crisis which paralyzed our state. He has ability to faces the prevailing problems such as, the chronic institutional corruption practiced for so long under the color of State law, the white corruption typically based on tribalism and, that severely undermined our local democracy, diminished accountability, and distorted pair representation in policy-making, rule of law, and in public administration, results in the inefficient provision of those badly needed services to the people of Jonglei State. The reason why people of Jonglei State need to prop up their governor, here are some of the very few moral justifications amongst many others that I wanted to share with you.
The very reason that we would support his political initiatives and actions as I briefly stated hereafter, some of us may be certain that, since he (Hon. Denay Jock Chagor) assumed his gubernatorial power of the Jonglei State, the first statement which he previewed to us the populace of Jonglei State was that, he (Chagor) unlike the bygone administrations (governors) who lead the government of the Jonglei State before him, he is not the like of all those Governors we knew”! As a different person, he came to the State with a set of priorities.
- He was aware and ready to tackle the corruption that eroded trust in the State government and amongst the people of Jonglei. Meanwhile, on many occasions, Hon. Chagor reiterates to the people of Jonglei State that, “the decision-making of the former Jonglei State governors has been fair and, based not on logic, but on loyalty and tribalism and often under a “shadow politics”. According to the young governor, it eroded the institutional capacity of the State Government because procedures were disregarded, public resources were siphoned off, and the State public offices were bought and sold. Meanwhile, under his governorship, these institutional corruptions and other illegal acts by any of the Jonglei State government officeholders that constituted both institutional and political corruption wouldn’t be the same occurrence.
Governor Chagor in a series of his own speeches, he foretold in words that, “a threat to a single person in a tribe is a threat to the whole group.” And therefore, he always mentions the problem of tribalism in Jonglei State, especially by the former government officials as the only deadly tendency and the major factor that led the people of different tribes (Dinka versus Nuer, Anwar versus Murle and vice versa) separated from each other. That means, different tribes of Jonglei State often have set stereotypes about the other tribes, which prevent them from broadening their mind, learning more about different cultures and befriending people who do not belong to their own tribe. One of the very important priorities which he set forth right from the beginning of his governorship was that he pledged to the people of Jonglei State that his government will never condone any government official who is interested in tribal politics. He promised to overcome tribalism and deal with whoever wanted to exacerbate tribal-based differences and escalate conflicts amongst the tribes in Jonglei State. His government does not compromise nor overlook the effect of those tribe members who are identifying with their tribe very strongly and feel truly connected only with those State government officials of their own tribes.
In one of a historic remark during his reception ceremony at Nyakuron Cultural Centre in Juba, Governor Chagor was so expressive on variety of social evil, including corruption which he believed to be of making inroad and undermines the social contract, particularly in the contexts of the State security fragility and inter-communal violence. As in his own words, corruption by the former Jonglei State governments fuels and perpetuates the inequalities among the ethnic communities who were by then inhabited the State. According to him, he singled out the political corruption which is the use of the State power by government officials for illegitimate private gain such as, (the bribery, lobbying, extortion, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influence peddling, and embezzlement of the State money). He believes these as the major cause agents that promoted discontent and led to the security fragility, inter-communal violence extremism and conflict among the tribes of Jonglei State.
The young Governor knew that, making an inroad against the corrupt government officials, he (the governor) required courage and determined efforts to overcome the vested interests. He repeatedly reassures the citizens of Jonglei State of the reality that, for him to faces the challenges posed by the corrupt government officials and, indeed the whole systemic corruption scandals afflicting the State, he would only seek an active participation of the Jonglei State citizens in pointing out the scandals tend to place a spotlights on the corrupt individuals. With that promise, he (the young Governor) never stopped his pledge, but started to ensure that he openly implements all that he talked about without fear.
