Why youth of Gogrial State called for the removal of Mr. Victor Atem Atem from the throne

By Zechariah makuach Maror

In the last two years, Gogrial State Youth Union and Civil Societies have been comprehendingly lecturing their grievances to the president on diurnal heart demanding the amputation of Gogrial state governor owed to his failure to envisage good governance and delivery of services making his final resort to autocratic and despotic style of headship in the state. The youth of Gogrial State have been continually seen conveying to the president some of the carnage committed by the governor of Gogrial state since his supposition of the office in 2018 up to date. Here are some of the scarce felonious activities one can recall

First of all, Victor Atem Atem has singly introduced household taxes in the state minus the knowledge of State legislative assembly, despite the paucity and starvation our people are confronted with in Gogrial state. He resorts to jail miscellaneous chiefs and citizens who repudiated the payment of the said household levies, this is part of what he calls “governor reimbursement taxes” which are collected monthly in all counties of Gogrial to reconstruct his house which he does frequently scorches every year to retain for himself power. The wonder is that how the felons can burn to ash the heavy fortified governor’s house without being identified. Only perverse person can believe this simple hoax. In a simple truth, the governor burned down his own house to win the sympathy of the public and more especially the president to clinch to power.

Secondly, the governor has also habitually hooked in retailing developmental properties for instance, in the month of June last year he wholesaled more than 20 hand pumps which were bestowed by world vision International leaving our civil population in dare prerequisite of water services.

Thirdly, Government of Gogrial State underneath the patronage of Victor Atem Atem had also been implicated in cattle swooshing, the most appalling issue in this argument is that the state security adviser has pinched 10 cows of a certain denizen and peddled them out in a local market in the middle of last year, when the owner recognized his cows in the market day, he grumbled until some of the cows were given to him, the security advisor got away with 8 cows and threatened to arrest the proprietor in case he complained.

Fourthly, Mr Victor Atem has also hawked government mobility (20 vehicles and more than 30 motorbikes) in Amiet and Majook Yinh-dhiou markets last year. Some of these cars and motor bikes were donated by NGOs operating in the state and others are government cars which were left by his predecessors.

Fifthly, in related demolition, Governor Atem Atem has invested in crafting youth’s unemployment in the State, his engrossment into termination of NGOs employees' contracts for instance, he Unlawful masterminded the dismissal of some World Vision’s workforce and last year dismissal of head of RRC in Gogrial state just to mention a few.

Sixth, the extrajudicial killings of Gogrial State residents is extra trouble which is emerging malcontent between State regimes and the noncombatants, for instance the killing of hundred in taciturn plasma apart from the criminals who were executed by the state of emergency declared last year by the national government. The aforesaid people were illegally killed, later lifting the state of emergency on the ground they are government foes.

Seventhly, Snatching and tormenting of some youths and activists is so frequent expressly last year, governor kidnapped activists in the state center and Juba, you might have heard of freedom hall incident when 14 youths were incarcerated including a lactating mother who left behind the two months old baby.

Eighth, the governor of Gogrial State has time-honored what he claims to be a special court that fine both indicted and whiner with what is more than redeem, i.e. More than SSP100, 000 per each, letdown to comply and cautioned the status quo of this illegal court which denies local government Acts leads to severe physical torture.

In conclusion, the coalition of youth and civil society of Gogrial state have lots of concerns that obliged them to write all this joint open disturbance letters, they know very well that security organs are reporting to the presidents of the Republic the atrocities committed in the state by Mr. Victor Atem Atem with his cohorts, but some governor’s cliques who are working with the president in his office deflected some of the president's decision to maintain Atem Atem government in charge of Gogrial state.

It is the right of the president to decide what to do and what not anytime, but the fear is that Victor Atem Atem is creating more enemies to the current government as well as to the whole SPLM because many civilians in Gogrial are dissatisfied with the way the governor is managing the state affairs. It’s notable that Atem's policy of intimidation and extrajudicial arrest has forced all the youth of Gogrial state to abandon the state, meaning the same youth who had struggled to make sure that current government won the 2010 election as well as referendum are the ones being ill-treated by governor currently, as per now, some good number of them have previously fused safe haven in SPLM-IO and others are likely to join other rival groups which seem to be creating repercussions on SPLM future election’s race, or any other support the SPLM led government may need from young ones in the Gogrial State.

Do you know Governor Atem Atem is felonious, he has bogus the achievement the state of emergence that fetched peace and stability in Gogrial State as his achievement? All the citizens are cognizant that the current peace and stability in Gogrial is a result of the State of Emergency which was declared by the president last year, but contrarily, Mr. Atem Atem is claiming the current stability in Gogrial to be his triumph which is totally contradicting. We all know that the relative peace which the citizens are enjoying is a result of the president’s struggle as the commander in chief of SSPDF and the commander in charge of all regular forces, therefore, it’s irrational for an armless politician like Atem to claim the achievements of the commander in chief.

The writer is a civil society activist and he could be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.