Interview: People ” are scared of my ability to expose them” – Directer General, Khamis Abdallatif!

By Sebit Manyang Ajith,

Nov 21, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — This interview was conducted on 17th November in Nairobi by freelance Journalist, Mr. Sebit Manyang Ajith, (SMA) for public consumption. The report below was recorded and edited near verbatim by the interviewer SMA.

Begin the report ….

SMA: Mr. Khamis you were appointed by the president to head the SSTV as director general and recent there was statement on media about the alleged resignation from this post. What is the truth behind this?

Khamis: I did not resigned, what appeared on the media was a forgery by forces which wants me to put me in conflict with my minister and other communities. I issued a statement distancing myself from those rubbish. It’s true the minister issues the order transferring me from my position to the ministry and i objected to that because he has no power to transfer any one appointed by the president. But i did not resign because of that or my disagreement with my minister.

SMA:  there was another allegation about you being a spy for the government and that is why you were arrested with Group10 so that you provide the government with inside information. What do you say about that?

Khamis: this is not true..i was not a spy for anyone. I was arrested because the government believes i was involved in those planning the coup. I was found innocent and was release with many others. Those allegations are coming from those who do not want to see me growing within the government. Why should i spy on people i have been with for many years and they are great leaders.

SMA: recently when the scandal of your resignation came out, it was alleged that you sought help from SPLM-DC chairman Dr. Lam Akol to an extend that  Dr. Lam drafting for you written documents including your reply to the fake resignation letter. Are you a member of SPLM-DC?

Khamis: I am not a member of SPLM-DC. I am a proper SPLM without any DC. But Dr. Lam Akol is my personal friend. We have been friends for many years while we follow our different political paths. He is a great man and i regularly seek help from him on personal basis. There is nothing wrong with that. Even our president seeks help from him sometimes though they have point of disagreement. Many ministers and senior government officials consult Dr. Lam on many issues. Beside he is a leader with many experiences. I consulted him on how to reply to this confusion about my resignation and he gave me good direction. I was emotional and thought that it was written by some junior staff who might have been aggrieve by some of my action but Dr. Lam told me to stay calm. I hope one day the SPLM leadership will accept to reunite with DC so that they can benefit from him.

SMA: you show me copies of many government documents including details of previous financial transactions and copies of bank checks, all incriminating your ministry. Are you planning to leak these documents as way of you fighting Hon. Makuei Lueth for transferring you from your position?

Khamis: these documents are not meant for publication. I show them to you the journalist and other friends to prove that there is corruption everywhere in South Sudan. As much as i respect Hon. Makuei Lueth, he found this ministry completely deep in the corruption. The directors in the ministry have sold properties of government like the land of the SSTV in hai Gonya was sold to the Chinese businessman for 10 million USD. Nobody knows where that money has gone. The players of that deal were Mr. Mustafa Biong and Dr. Marial Benjamin the current minister of foreign affairs. Another scandal is the so called Digital migration project to be implementing by Chinese company ZTE for 200 million USD. Half of that money will go to the former director and some people in the office of the president who inflated the project bill so as to make money. Again the players are Mr. Mustafa Biong, Mr. Paul Baba, three previous ministers are all involved in these dirty deals. There is also another point to this corruption and that is the role played by individuals working in the office of the president. These people are the center of all these deals about land sell and Fake Chinese projects which enable them to make several trips to china on ground that they are following up loans issues with China. I will not publish these documents and many others unless they threaten me again i will release these documents to expose them so that the public knows who are they one destroying south Sudan.

SMA: why are you afraid of being threaten when you have not done anything wrong?

Khamis: i am aware that there are people who want to remove me from government and they are scared of my ability to expose them. There are many groups in South Sudan who are fighting because of the things we did under the NCP. There is also another group that is targeting me from within the SPLM because they are afraid i will win election in Rumbek. My popularity is my threat. I have a reason to believe that these people can even harm me. Especially my former colleagues from NCP they are using dirty tactics.

SMA: your history in NCP seems to be history of dirty games of lies and gossip. Are you sure it is not the same game you are playing in South Sudan today?

Khamis: my friend, i don’t know what you are talking about. Every political environment has its situation. In NCP there is certain things one need to know to remain alive and relevant in the politics of NCP. Working with Arabs required that we be very strict Muslims and almost fanatic to that matter because, that was the political environment within NCP where every senior party member is a shiek and have a mosque at home.  Those who accused me of dirty tricks are also responsible.

SMA: There are sources which alleged that you were once arrested and spent two years in prison in Port Sudan for rape charges. Is there any truth to these allegations?

Khamis: those are fabrications and those things were in the past. I have served my terms and was released thank to the intervention of the then 2nd Vice President of the Sudan prof. Moses Machar for getting the president to release me after one year an half. I did not rape any girl; we had what we had with her consent. She only changes her mind. She was also used by my political enemies to ensure to remove me from political scene.

SMA: in the forge resignation letter, it is stated that you many several defections from SPLM. Could this be related to your defection from the SPLA to SAF in early 80s when you were an SPLA signaler officer?

Khamis: my friend those are old stories. I am not the only who left SPLA during that time to join SAF. This was for various reasons. Whoever is telling you such stories only aim to spoil my names. I left the SPLA and i did not kill anybody. There are many people who are now back in south Sudan after killing many southerners during the war.

SMA: how is your relationship with people of Lakes state? Some sources say that after your quarrel with your brother who was the commissioner of Lake State Police people do not like you very much and would not nominate you for any elective position.

Khamis: my people in Lake State love me very much. Even in the next election I will be elected unopposed if I contest because I am the only politician in Lakes State who have been credibility for serving people. Even in my recent work at the SSTV, they were very happy and people came every day to my office to seek help. I also made sure that better image of Lakes State is presented on SSTV not the part of everyday killing that is being discussed by everybody. There are many good things in Lakes State that are not known. My dispute with my brother was a family matter and we resolved it. He is doing his work.
SMA: Are you going back to Juba soon or will you stay in Kenya?

Khamis: I am going back to my work. I read on social media where I was being alleged of having joined the rebel that is not true. I will remain in the government.

You can reach the correspondent, Sebit Manyang Ajith, at thomasmeka44@gmail.com