An open letter to the Chairperson of South Sudan Relief Rehabilitation Commission - Appeal for the withdrawal of registration certificate from Twic Mayardit Intellectual Forum

First and foremost, allow me to congratulate you and your entire administration on the strong relationship which you have built with the relief agencies in the country. I commended the initiatives which your administration has initiated towards the delivery of relief services to the suffering populations of South Sudan. Your administration deserves a maximum appreciation for fulfilling the policies and objectives for which SSRC was established.

I am writing this open letter to highlight to you the unconstitutional political activities of the above mentioned organization. Twic Mayardit Intellectual Forum (TMIF) is a political organization founded and established by a group of three disgruntled, disoriented and demoralized youth who were democratically defeated in a free and fair election of Twic Mayardit Youth Association for Development (TMYAD) and it was registered by your institution as a National Non-Governmental Organization last year. Immediately after losing the election, Aguek John Abuoch the founder and his close loyalists hurriedly created TMIF for the sake of downgrading, sidelining and dismantling the recognized Twic Mayardit Youth Association for Development (TMYAD). In addition to that, Aguek John Abuoch and his supporters are using their organization, the Twic Mayardit Intellectual Forum as a platform for advancing their hidden political agenda and this can be noticed by any reasonable human being through the following:

1. The leadership structure of Twic Mayardit Intellectual Forum doesn't reflect the structure of Non-Governmental Organization but it is a structure of a pure political organization. In NGO management hierarchy, the highest ranking officer is an executive director or country director in case it is an international NGO followed by managers of various departments. However, the leadership structure of TMIF is totally contradicting with the structure of a real NGO. The most senior officer in Twic Mayardit Intellectual Forum (TMIF) is a chairman who sometimes calls himself a youth leader. Under him are the secretaries of various departments like the secretary general, secretary for political affairs, secretary for finance etc. Therefore, the above structure clearly indicates that TMIF is a political organization because there is nothing like a secretary for political affairs in a Non-Governmental Organization.

2. The senior officers of TMIF haven't implemented a single objective of their organization since the time of its registration up to date. Their organization has no office, vehicle and even a drafted project. They are using the organization’s name to achieve political interest. For example, it's founder or chairman Aguek John Abuoch has been holding press conferences in the name of the organization. To prove this right. His interview with Juba Monitor Newspaper two weeks ago in which he called for peaceful coexistence among the communities of South Sudan indicates that he is a chairman of a political organization not an executive director of a Non-Governmental organization. How can a man who is leading an NGO call for the community integration in the national media house?

3. None of the organization’s objective has been implemented so far when they are on daily basis mobilizing funds from the local people in the name of delivering humanitarian services to the needy. They have conducted several fundraising ceremonies for their organization in Juba and nothing has been achieved. Where is this collected cash going to? It is undeniable fact that Aguek John Abuoch and his close followers are using the organization’s name to achieve unlawful gains. TMIF has nothing to do with a Non-Governmental Organization but it is a political organization that is pursuing a hidden political agenda.

In conclusion, I am requesting you to revoke the registration certificate of Twic Mayardit Intellectual Forum (TMIF) and refer it to the council of political parties for registration. You have been busy calling on all the registered Non-Governmental Organizations to render the relief services to the suffering citizens when some of them like TMIF are in the political arena. No need for your institution to maintain the name of TMIF in the list of registered NGOS because it has unknowingly changed its color from being an NGO into a political party.

Thanks

Signed by: Deng Akok Muoradid

Senior Human Right Activist, Juba
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CC: Executive directors, SSRC 

CC: Registrar of NGOS, SSRC
CC: All the state chairpersons of SSRC
CC: All the country directors of INGO in South Sudan
CC: Chairperson of South Sudan NGO Forum
CC: All the media houses