by APIOTH MAYOM APIOTH
PHOTO/CNN
South Sudanese need to seriously think about a future beyond the inept regime of President Kirr. It is unacceptable that millions of citizens still live in decrepit camps internally and in neighbouring countries. South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its enormous natural resources. There are many alternative leaders to choose from.
By the look of things, Pesident Salva Kiir Mayardit has no intention of steering the nation into the daylight. He has been the leading figure in South Sudanese politics for 12 unimpressive years. He has become “Mr. Let’s Wait And See How This Problem Is Going To Take Care Of Itself.” His love of the leadership has blinded his conscientious self. In ancient Africa kings or chiefs wielded enormous power and with this juggernaut of power came novelty. In most cases, they were principally wealthy and gave away their wealth to the downtrodden populace. Kiir is trying to emulate the traditional leaders’ open door policy by being all ears to a countless number of people all at one go. He just sits there on his presumed throne and families of all kinds come to demand whatever they long for. Even before his ascendancy to the upper echelon of the South Sudanese politics, his laid-back approach to everything cost many soldiers their lives during our days in the bush.
The first task of a leader is to be an initiator. The first to take the first step out. Salva Kiir sleeps on his duties. An influential leader cultivates trust. How does trust come about? He/she is a selfless being who goes out of the comfort zone to make sure the lives of all individuals are secure from harm. Once the people are secure from danger, what comes next is trust and a willingness of the general populace to heed his call. Trust is garnered through three hard-earned steps. First, the character of the leader must be put under the microscopic lenses for all to scrutinize. Integrity reigns supreme here. He/she is accountable and must follow through on his/her promises. Up next is competence. Is the leader in question qualified to lead the institution that he/she is vying for? Last, but not the least is authority. As things stand today, no one in his right mind would delegate any powers to Kiir so he can determine the fate of our nation.
People began to lose trust in Kiir soon after he took over following the demise of Dr. John Garang. Corruption became the name of the game. Insecurity was rampant, thus making everyone to fend for themselves. Money was being carted away in boxes. For someone that is this inept and incapable of taking care of his duties, one may wonder how he survived the leadership upheaval under Dr. Garang. What did John Garang see in him that made him stand out from the crowd? Salva Kiir is a quiet person by nature and by the same token, he hideously swallowed his true corrupt nature so he could feed that monstrous character once power came his way.
According to United Nations, some 2 million people are taking refuge in neighboring countries. Another 2 million people are internally displaced. South Sudanese who first began refugee life in 1987 have now spent 30 years in those makeshift camps. Thirty years more and they are in their 60s, still living the hard life of a refugee. These South Sudanese nationals are not entitled to land rights, agricultural subsidies for farming, and low taxes in their host nations; they consistently live on the hand-outs from the United Nations where the daily meal is beans. What are the alternatives to our current quagmire?
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