Albert Fantrau and Cristiano Ronaldo were football players for a youth club. They outshone other players, and the news of their exceptionality spread like fire in summer grass. A football academy sent some sportsmen to bring them the good news that whoever scored more goals between them would be accepted to play for the academy.
A game was organized, and the two took positions to play. Christiano Ronaldo scored the first goal, and Albert Fantrau scored the second. Minutes later, Albert Fantrau received the ball and challenged the opponent’s players to the point where he went one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
He too challenged the goalkeeper, and all he had to do was kick the ball into the empty net. Cristiano Ronaldo was running next to him. But Albert Fantrau passed the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo to score it. The game ended 3:0, with Albert Fantrau scoring one goal and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two. With the promise that whoever scored many goals would be accepted to play for the academy, Cristiano Ronaldo was accepted to play for the academy.
After the game, Cristiano Ronaldo approached Albert Fantrau and asked him, why did you pass the ball to me to score it instead of you scoring it yourself so that you qualify for the academy? Albert Fantrau answered, “You are better than me”. Even if I had scored it and went to the academy, I would not excel in my football career like I see you excelling in it.
So, I better give you the chance because you have the determination. Cristiano Ronaldo was amazed at Albert Fantrau’s trust and thanked him for a job well done. This was how Cristiano Ronaldo got to where he is now.
After that game, Albert Fantrau ended his career as a football player and became unemployed. But every year, Albert Fantrau buys a new mansion and a brand-new car. One time, when a journalist interviewed him, he revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo gave him money as a payback for the chance he gave him to qualify for the academy.
Now, in your life, would you give a chance to someone you see can do it better than you? Would you accept that I’m weaker than so and that So is the right person to pass the ball to score so that he qualifies for the academy? For the case of SPLM, would a diversity-based nominee say I’m weaker and that I should give this opportunity to Hon. So, because I see he has more potential than me? That would be the day the whole community went to the bush!
However incompetent a diversity-based nominee is, he takes up the position, and that is the reason it takes five years for South Sudan just to move one step forward. If you do not know your weakest point, you will not know someone’s strength because your assumed strength is too big to allow you to see someone’s potential.
How many Albert Fantraus could be counted head-to-head in South Sudan? Unfortunately, not even one No one could dare pass the ball to Christiano Ronaldos of South Sudan to kick into the empty net so that they could qualify for an academy. I’m not only talking about passing the ball but also about passing an opportunity to someone you see can do it better.
The author is a medical student, University of Juba.