By Bida Elly David
South Sudan National Youth Union chairperson, Gola Boyoi Gola, has dismissed a letter in circulation, that claim the dissolution of the national youth union.
Early this week, the speaker of the Council of National Youth Union wrote a letter purporting that a resolution was reached to dissolve the union.
But the national youth union leader has come out to issue a statement dismissing the alleged council meeting resolution dissolving the union.
“The leadership of the South Sudan National Youth Union (SSNYU) would like to update the general public regarding the circulating letter purported to be a Resolution of the Council signed and sent out by the Speaker of the Council on November 13, 2023, on which he claimed the Council to have resolved to dissolve the Union and formed a preparatory committee,” Gola stated.
In the statement from the office of the youth union, Gola said their period in office has not yet elapsed since they were democratically voted in.
“In regard to this, we would like to clearly state that our tenure of four years in office started on December 11, 2019, and shall end on December 11, 2023,” he clarified.
According to him, any dissolution of the union, including the council itself, will only happen after the tenure of the current leadership elapses.
The youth leader trashed the alleged letter as it did not correlate with the rules and regulations of the union.
“As per the General Regulations, the Council’s meeting was supposed to take place after the end of the term, which shall be on the 11th of December 2023, to form the preparatory committee and thereafter dissolve the union and finally dissolve itself,” Gola noted.
He quoted Article 14.1 in conformity with Article 30 of the Constitution of the Union for the dissolution of the leadership.
Gola noted that any communication concerning the dissolution of the Union would have been officially done and legally executed as stipulated in the General Regulations.
He echoed that not under any circumstances, at any time, shall the council or any other organ of the union, be it convention, council, or executive, have powers vested in it by the General Regulations to dissolve the union.
“The public should disregard the claimed resolution of the Council dissolving the Union now. We totally failed to understand what took place on Friday—was it an impeachment or an attempted coup?” he questioned.
The National Youth Union president suspected 11 members of the council who attempted to dissolve the union before the end of the term but declined to mention their names.
“Therefore, we would like to inform the public and government institutions that we are yet to form a preparatory committee as per the law,” Gold reiterated.
He underscored that “we are requesting the concerned and line authorities not to liaison with any individuals, masquerading in the name of the preparatory committee, before our tenure legally elapses,’’
Early this week, the National Youth Union president was at odds with the minister of youth and sport, Dr. Albino Bol Dhieu, over an anticipated youth convention to elect new leadership.
The Union revealed frustrations allegedly imposed by the minister on the smooth transition of leadership, but the press conference was interrupted by ministry officials.
The union was supposed to explain to the youth fraternity through the media the efforts said to be egocentrically exerted by the youth minister in an attempt to divide the union.