Leave Hon. Deng Athorbei alone.
By Juol Nhomngek Gec.
I think even if Hon. Deng Athorbei might have failed to start the construction of Bahr El Ghazal road but blaming him alone without the President accepting the failure as his own failure or without blaming all his Government Officials is unfair.
The President is using Hon. Deng Athorbei as a scapegoat for the failure of the SPLM-IG under him. The way the President has understood the Government of South Sudan is like the way the boys in cattle camps relate with each other. In cattle camps big boys blame small boys for mistakes they have all made in their boyish activities.
In my understanding, the Government works on collective responsibility and if the Government fails, the head of the Government takes the blame in totality in the equal measure he or she takes the credit for the good works.
It defeats my understanding why should the President be selective in blaming the Ministers who had worked under his Government in the past? If the President decides to shift his clear failures to his Ministers, then he has to blame equally all of them who have failed in their works under him.
I still don’t understand whyy has the President decided to single out Hon. Deng Athorbei as if he was the only Minister who has failed in the Bahr El Ghazal road project or under him as the President of Southern Sudan and in South Sudan?
We still have fresh wounds caused to Bahr El Ghazal road by Hon. Mayiik Ayii Deng who even fooled us to put sand on that road making our gullible population believing that the government is doing a good work.
Thanks to the rains of Bahr El in helping us that Mayiik Ayii Deng was not working for Bahr El Ghazal People. The Bahr El Ghazal road was used as a conduit for stealing the resources allocated to the people of Bahr El Ghazal.
I wonder why should the issue of Deng Athorbei become a major issue yet the Government Ministeries in South Sudan since 2005 have been involved in grave corrupt practices that has denied People of South Sudan and in particular the people of Bahr El Ghazal, some basic services.
In particular, as we all know that the Office of the President is the cause of the failure of Government in South Sudan and it is the source of corruption in the country. The Executive are always forced to practice corruption in order to survive in the Government and later the same President turns around to blame them without blaming himself and those in his office.
Corrruption in the President’s office concerning Bahr El Ghazal road project during Mayiik Ayii Deng’s tenure was done in open contempt against the people of Bahr El Ghazal but the President seems to ignore it . Is it because Hon. Mayiik Ayii Deng is the brother to the President as he admitted last time why he is not blaming him or why? Anyway, why blaming Deng Athorbei alone?
Please Mr. President, leave Hon. Deng Athorbei alone if you are not able to accept the failure of Bahr El Ghazal road Project and also punish those who have been involved in corruption in Southern Sudan and in South Sudan now.
The alleged corruption of Deng Athorbei is a tip on iceberg. It is unfair to single out Hon Deng Athorbei alone. All those involved in corruption must be blamed equally or leave them all if there is no system to hold them accountable.
(Opinion. The writer is a member of parliament in South Sudan)