The Myth of the new South Sudan cabinet

By Zechariah Makuach Maror 

Before I start my dissertation, I would first want to describe the term "myth". Myth is a commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing thought to be true but not; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality or a person or thing held in excessive or prejudices in people's psyche. The myth I would be talking about in the new cabinet of R-TGoNU is the general misconception that the government is for the people and it is going to serve the people.  

The long-awaited government has been formed recently with a lot of contradictions to citizens' expectations, the myths of our conventional wisdom is little bit misjudged. People were waiting for the new half regime excitedly thinking that, parties to the agreement would be absorbent in nomination of the political species that will serve as public servants not public burden. The reality is that the parties has turned upside, the general intended agenda in which the nation divided itself into apt half SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG; lacks of services, unchecked tribalism, lack of fair and transparency accountable governance were among the best reason’s others opted to view SPLM-IO as an alternative to tyrannical accused regime of President Kiir claimed to be driven by Jieng council of elders.

Now, with Thursday cabinet, I think Kiir-Jieng council of elder’s government was far better giving the fact that some few officials were competence to render what is expected of them but the guiltiest part of revitalized government is, it is one of the nepotistic government South Sudan ever experienced in the history. At the end of this long political match, I think the president will emerge the winner of this game due to egotistical pitiful sentiment of the people who cheated their fella’s community members to perish in expenses of installing their families as ministers. I think if one SPLM-IO's hero wakes up in death now, he/she would regret his/her sacrifice, when seeing their leader who led them to bush’s painful death installing his partner, son in-law, mother in-law dominating the government in expense of any deceased's scapegoat. 

So, the misconceptions of our reality started at the moment when we were in the bushes of Sudan fighting the Khartoum regime, the same people who are today our leaders were not honest to us as the local population. That time of conflict, there was a great famine especially in SPLA liberated areas, WFP and other humanitarian organizations were supporting hunger undergone by locals through food drops called operation lives lines. SPLA leaders of the day used those foods ration for supporting their own households, they bartered the surplus to cattle affluent persons leaving the real poor in their real situation, yet people nonetheless believe that these leaders will give rise to fair distribution of resources if they take over the government in Khartoum. This misconception was widely held as a prejudice in every black skin’s mind.

Another fallacy we had made was that after we came back from Bush's government to real government, the donors again offered a large sum of funds in 2008 known as Oslo fund raising for infrastructural development in the Southern region of Sudan. The funds were handed over to the same leaders but unfortunately, The money got no impact on us, instead they ended up in the pockets of 75 ministers and we furthermore grudgingly pushed our hope to post independence; similarly it was another disaster, the bush products become Wild against something called money, what they'd been doing was described as "beyond looting". After some short period of time they resort to killing us. Instead of correctly viewing the above-mentioned innuendos and making good use of it as an excuse of change, we (Citizens) said let's reunite furthermore. Now, we're in new myths that the Revitalized government of national unity is going to do something in the interest of the people which is a totally different case to me, when you look into the way the parties formed the government, I expected nothing in it than if peace held. The personalities that made up the presidency and cabinetry are calibrators of the leaders referred to above, they are smears of long-term dishonesty of history itself.

The government officials have never been there for the people, I think they have been there for their own welfare and that is what have encouraged everyone to think that politics in South Sudan is the most booming business industry. During the time of lobbies’ some members attended the meetings of their coalition with knives and other necessarily weapons opting to stab or harm anyone who would question his ability to become Vice President, some people who have gone up to the end ladder of politics such as Vice President of by then Sudan were wrangling with laid politicians over ministry of humanitarian affairs and disaster management. The gridlock of SPLM-IO's politicians that resulted in physical assault in pyramids hotels is a clear reminder to the people who think that they are going to be redeemed by Thursday cabinets.

These logjam of politicians between the parties have resulted in the unexpected appointment of the scrawny Vice President representing SSOA giving reality of strong personalities in this political mob. So, our politicians specialized in creating problems to benefit the aftermath. Additional beneficiary of political standoff is the weak temperament who won ministry of humanitarian affairs and disaster management, up to now he doesn't believe that he has become a minister in Kiir Mayardit’s cabinet. Though his appointment was objected to by his coalition terming it as a double deal, the laid spent three consecutive days on Facebook and Twitter posting and tweeting on behalf of the new ministry like if he is minister of social media affairs. The myths of New cabinets are that some members are attracted by the fashion of the name not because of what one will do.

With the exception of few, virtually every minister at the Cabinet-level in the Revitalized Government of National Unity has had multiple missteps. Some have been repeating offenders on ethics rules, others “merely” incompetent. But just how bad are they? Could a case be made that President Kiir assembled the worst Cabinet in modern history of South Sudan? It is not even close! We have a contingent of corrupt kleptocrats, some sadists, a tribalism, utter ideologues, at least one utter incompetent, others who has made it as his mission to create tribalism, devastation and destruction of our Country are all part of cabinets. The myth of our people started at the time this agreement was designated to personalities and yet we celebrated it on the basis that it is going to be the government of the people. For me, Thursday chicken's hearts cabinet was not a surprise to me, it was something I have already anticipated during the time when two principals pushed the pre-transition period two times making the two men as more important citizens than twelve million people. 

To be continued....

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