By William Madouk
South Sudan President Salva Kiir is exhausted of the bulky government of five vice presidents and contemplates conducting of polls to end the transitional period.
During a swearing-in ceremony of SPLM national office bearers, President Kiir observed that South Sudan has a unique government that doesn’t exist in any country.
“I have five vice presidents; there is no country that has five vice presidents,” said Kiir.
President Kiir’s reiterative stand for the country going for elections next year, aims at shading off the bulk.
“There are people who are saying that there are no elections; do you know if there is someone who is tired? That someone is me” the president stated.
Kiir refutes views that doubt conduct of election by next year.
“If it is my deputies who go and encourage people that there are no elections, I am telling you there is no extension of the government; we must move forward; there is nothing that lets us go back,” he added.
President Kiir also decried the challenges of incomplete development in the country.
To him, the war of political liberation has ended, but the journey towards development has just started.
“There are people who say we are at the end of the road, and that is why many are deviating from the right path so that they get shortcuts. We did not reach the end of any road; we are going forward,” he noted.
“Liberation has not ended. We are only done with political liberation, but we have not reached development liberation,” he continued.
Mr. Kiir calls for unit, saying the country has come a long way and disintegration derails its development progress.
“If we split, we will not do anything in development; let us review the distance we have covered and what your country has, so let us not split now but work together to foster development,” he reckoned.
For President Kiir, the task of transformation of the country has just kicked off.
“The development has not ended, and if we finish the development, which I don’t, we will finish quickly,” the president noted.
Meanwhile, the first vice president, Dr. Riek Machar Teny in a contrasting view, expresses reservations about the December 2024 elections.
Dr. Machar had cautions that any attempt to hold an election under the current situation would lead to unfair voting and a crisis.
He seconds that security arrangements should be handled first before the country proceeds with the election.
The opposition party leader doubts whether the parties would agree to go to the polls without the basic requirement for an election.