By Bida Elly David
An end to a political ploy between the twin SPLM parties over the position and destiny of former Defense Minister, Angelina Teny seems uncertain, with new in-drop tweets offering controversial opines.
Until the two principals of the SPLM’s twin parties, President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny come out loud, nobody can ascertain the reality surrounding Angelina’s booting from her office.
SPLM-IO Party has ironically vowed to give sleepless moments by tasking its other twin brother, the SPLM-IG, in case President Salva Kiir appoints the next Minister of Interior from his party list.
The contusion over Angelina’s seat keeps resurfacing time and again, with a recent episode over Minister Michael Makuei’s response in support of IGAD’s letter of appraisal to the two principals.
“Whatever people are saying there that it is not true is another thing. So far, we have not received any letter of objection to what was said because the two parties sat down and agreed,” he said mid this month.
However, Dr. Machar’s Acting Press Secretary, Puok Both Baluang, could not stomach the jab but offered a rebuttal.
He adds that the revitalized Peace Agreement gives every party, the power to nominate its own person to claim a position in the government.
Dr. Machar’s acting press secretary notes that President Kiir ought to distance himself from the tendency of valuing his party for ministerial positions in the executive, contradicting the power-sharing portfolios.
“If President Kiir appoints anyone as the minister of interior, that person will not be a member of the SPLM-IO because the name must be sent by the chairperson of the SPLM-IO, Dr. Riek Machar,” Baluang said.
He added that it would be another violation of the agreement if the president mistakenly does appoint a member of his own party.
Mr. Baluang reiterated the need for President Kiir to break the deadlock over Angelina’s saga and then precede to appoint a new minister of interior.
Machar’s mouthpiece also disagrees with the national information minister Michael Makuei for defending the government in IGAD’s letter of appraisal to the two government principals.
He termed Makuei’s statement misinformation to the public and called on him to dress up as a public figure on behalf of the government of South Sudan.
Moreover, Baluang said that SPLM-IO will not desist from fighting for the rights that have been rendered to them by the agreement itself.
“Makuei Lueth was not part of the committee, and he was talking out of point. The truth is, there was no agreement between the parties concerning the matter,” Baluang ruled.
He also blamed President Kiir for always excluding the SPLM-IO from political summit trips, giving priority to his own party.
“When the president usually travels, there is no single minister among his team from the SPLM-IO accompanying the delegation, so the IGAD communiqué commending the two principals was totally wrong,” he argued.
He called on the citizens to turn deaf ears to false information, saying that the SPLM-IO remains committed to protecting the integrity of the nation through the agreement.