By Akol Arop Akol
GOVERNMENT: For a nation to become great, some things should be combined together in order to develop politically, economically and socially. Making a nation great, starts with the government which has leadership capacity to care for the people. That kind of a good leadership prioritizes the lives of all the citizens.
The government provides security at the boarders of the land, on roads and within the towns such that people move freely and do their daily activities without any fear.
For the government to be the initiator of a GREAT Nation, it needs to have diplomatic approaches and bilateral relations with other nations in order to have many boarders opened for trading activities and to attract investors to come in for tourism and to set up NGOs, Companies and learning institutions that could possibly and positively contribute to the development.
It is the responsibility of the government also to establish many industries which create job opportunities for the citizens especially the youth as well as improving the infrastructure, livelihoods and sense of national identity.
Within the word GREAT, let’s also explore on resources. South Sudan is known as one of the richest countries in the World, if not number one in African then must be giant of natural resources within the East African regions.
Making a nation great requires discovery, exploration, exploitation and utilization of the national-natural resources for development. If not because of continuous conflicts, South Sudan up-to this far (about 11 years old) should have not been left behind in development especially in terms of roads, schools, electricity, clean water and other important developments that improve the lives of citizens.
Our government of South Sudan is expected to take control and fair-use or distribution of resources of the land to benefit all the citizens.
It is not that everyone should directly benefit from the resources or other sources of revenues but in public ways, meaning if the government builds schools, some civil servants could send their children to study there with affordable fees instead of stressing themselves taking them abroad for studies or remaining at home.
If the government constructs better roads, that will ease the movement of traders, hence making distribution of basic needs commercially affordable.
EDUCATION: If not education, what could make someone differentiate a pen from gun? How will people learn to dialogue among themselves when they have conflict rather than rushing into destructive violence? Breaking our different wrong ethnic and traditional beliefs that either segregates or offends others, need people to go to school.
Unlearned person may think that neighborhood is the whole World, meaning if he or she has a conflict with one neighbor, the problem generalizes others and that narrow perception is the reason why when some people have issues with their neighbors, they extend it to generalizing other innocent people of other communities. That is the same reason why some people misbehave or disagree with how others in different societies think and behave.
Having education sector developed means the young ones and adults both would have chance to learn national-spoken languages as well as associating with other folks to learn their cultures, beliefs and origins. Knowing themselves as learners with common knowledge and dreams, allows them to build durable relationships that could grow into doing businesses together and working as humanitarians to help vulnerable people, even intermarriages.
Education is no longer a responsibility of the government alone, but for the community at large. Sons and daughters of a particular community should give back to where they came from, that is investing in education by establishing schools.
AGRICUTLURE
We can pretend to be knowing our cultures but if we don’t know how to give comfort to our stomachs, that is beneficiary culture. Every community has its own ways of hunting and growing food to feed on, but there is an emergence of technology and civilization which everyone wants to be a part of and the challenge is that no one dances better if the stomach is empty. Dancing is not only to show a culture but to express satisfaction. We therefore, as citizens and working hand in hand with the government, should back-up Agricultural activities.
Though the government cannot cultivate for everyone, the best role to play is to make Agriculture well-taught in schools, sensitize the public and provide farm tools, crops and environmental security for farmers to freely grow their crops and also raise animals without fear.
If we are having many conflicts today in communities, the reality is that poverty is one of the reasons why some youth raid cattle in villages and others rob in the towns just for survival as economic crisis worsens.
Truth: the truth is, one of the ways of building a Great Nation. If there are no communication channels between the leaders and the citizens, certain problems could happen amidst them but could not talk openly to come up with solutions. No public figure (politician) or any man/woman in uniform should oppress or silence a fellow citizen. They deserve the right to tell what they are going through in the country.
It is the government to make proper use of resources, improve education, promote agriculture and allow freedom of expression for people to tell truth of burning issues in the country. That is how to build a GREAT Nation.
The Writer is advocating for Peace and youth empowerment: reach him on +211924652692 or akolarop211@gmail.com