By Sallah SJ Lasu,
May 19, 2017 (Nyamilepedia) —— A lot of questions always linger in my mind; why we are thinking and acting so different? The worst is that each one seems to consider himself as the best. And each wants favors from the others and never considered giving away any favor. What if we could think and act transparently? Suppose we begin to do good things to others; suppose we begin to deliver services that are required of us and suppose we begin to love each other like the way a mother and son do? would we hear of civil, inter-clan and tribal wars? Would we hear of racism, Would we be even in need of police? Suppose we begin to give a hand to pull up those who are trapped in difficulties?
The choice is really ours as humans. I believe we can do a lot together for a better living. We are not meant to be enemies to each other. We are meant to laugh, play, dance, eat and share joyful moments together. Above all, let’s do things while thinking about tomorrow. I used to have a friend, he never likes to hear the noise but he is good at making noise. One day he came back late and started making noise in the middle of the night. I told him to keep a little bit of silence, but surprising he increases his tone and yelling that he has the right to talk as long as he is part of the room. I could not do anything. I kept quite while struggling to sleep in the noisy room. He forgot that what forgets is the ax but the tree that has been axed will never forget. One day I saw him lying down quietly in a very sleepy mood. I got out my speakers and start playing music at a very loud. He rose up his head in discomfort and asking me to stop the music. I did and went ahead to ask him if he had something to tell me; he told me to stop making noise because he wants to sleep. I laughed…..I had no word to say. I continued playing. He jumped off rudely and came to me; yelling shut off the music I just told him I too have right to do whatever I want as long as I belong to the room. He went and accused me to the dorm master but I defended myself and my other friends stood with me. All I wanted was to teach him to look beyond himself when doing something that you like most or something that brings glory to someone. Sometimes, we want things that favor ourselves without thinking about others. The world really suffers a lot because of our individualistic thoughts. We tend to value our happiness more of the others. Sometimes we may be entrusted the presidency, ministerial, directorate, or any position to serve others but at the end, we put our needs first. At the ending pole, we pocket the salaries of others, we carry home the staff transport vehicles etc. just because we want the best and to others we say; it is their problems.
But the question is why we act unfairly? Why we think unfair and why are we exactly that type? I found no answer. Maybe because we know not the value of the company of others, or maybe because we are too ready to move with fear all the time. I used to observe the life of the wealthy men in Juba. I mean the wealthy government class and the business class. They are not really enjoying their wealthy. They are just like prisoners or criminal who fear to move in open places in order not to be caught by the police. They fear to go to their home villages, funerals in Juba or public places. All they think is that they will be begged, poisoned or killed. Let’s be fair to ourselves. We are meant to enjoy our wealthy not to be a burden to us. Let’s think about those who do not have. Help them out by creating projects that can uplift them. If they don’t have water in the area just take 2,500 USD out of your millions and build a borehole. No one will ever open a dirty mouth on you. If they lack better school rooms take a 1,000 USD and build a single classroom. Do you know that 10 USD you use on airtime in a minute can pay one-year school fees of a child in Juba? Trust me, prosperity will always knock at the door of those who are ready to help others. One of the greatest benefits of doing good to others is that you will never fear walking alone. Everyone will be your bodyguards. It is childish to remain in a hole when you can take yourself out. Remember mother Theresa saying, in this world, we cannot do great things, but we can do small things with great love and the world will see it great.
The world we want today depends on our thoughts and actions. And how you want to be treated depending on how you treat other. Sometimes we have a big lust for prosperity or richness and to gain that, we cheat others who are innocently ignorant. In late January 2011, I went to a shopping mall near Arua Park in Kampala, Uganda. The attendant on seeing that I was a foreigner and neither speak Luganda he increase the price three times. I paid around 200 USD unknowingly, but when I reached my school campus, one of my Ugandan friends told me the normal price was about 65 USD. Most businessmen are tempted to cheat and those who are cheated sometimes take revenge on the businessmen when they found themselves in leading position in the country, be it by raising taxes or armed robbery. From 2013 to 2014, I was working in a law firm called Yasmin and Anter co. Advocates and my job involve taking documents to the ministry of justice and the Juba High Court. I learn a lot from the judicial system of South Sudan. But one of the most piercing issues is that the legal system really favors rich class. It’s very hard to win a case in Juba High Court if you are poor. One’s innocence does not guarantee fair judgment. Every step needs money. Because of this, many citizens lost their plots of land to rich fellows who forge documents and make the judge rule on their side either by bribing or by using life threats in case of the security agents or the generals. One of the painful cases I witnessed was about the assassination of my friend Khemis in Yei town by the head of the national security in this very town, Brig. Marial. In fact it was an act of robbery. Late Khemis was working as a cashier in his uncle’s money exchange business and at the time of his assassination, he was carrying about 20,000USD. Some group of national security officers and relatives threaten the family of the late to drop the case or else they well not live in South Sudan. The family gave up to save their lives but Khemis’ uncle refused and continued with the case. It cost him almost all his business income to see justice done to late Khemis. It is really hard for every citizen of the world to live in peace and participate in any nation development when he is being denied justice or social services.
Therefore, it is of paramount importance to treat others as human and to be treat likewise.  We can heal the wounds if we begin to be transparent and work in service of one another. Its time to put away our individualism, it is time to put away our tribalism and racism. For know not of another exit from this though times; the only exit left is transparency and good governance. Just put yourself as leader or businessman in the place of that very person you are ruling or treating or in a place of your customer. How do you feel when you are denied services you are to have? How do you feel when go hungry and the person next to you is pouring away food? How do you feel when you discovered that you have been overcharged? How do you feel when you are walking on that dust road and they spew dust on you? The time is now to act because tomorrow might be so late. The only conclusion I can draw is that, let transparency and good governance be your core values and treat others like you want to be treated.
Sallah SJ Lasu
A second year South Sudanese medical student in Latinamerican School of Medicina,
Havana, Cuba
+5355795358
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3 comments
Good article, good man.
See what God has done to SPLM.
John Garang and his cronies walk out to played people against each other. Our phones and emails are not for John Garang ,Justin Yaai or Machar. Let me say that one of us have no future, but at least we have defeated Riek Machar and
also it is good that I never met with John Garang.