By Theem Isaac Machar Akot
It is too early, and I speculate that people may begin to ask for the reason I am talking about matters to do with elections. Little do they know that the complexities of the problems facing the nation and a couple of crucial reasons are a lot more genuine than what the presumption would be.
Based on my personal take on the forthcoming elections, though its schedule is much too far, I have all the right to take the initiative to have a sip of it.
Opinions might differ from one citizen to the other, but I am quite certain that what every citizen thinks of may be similar to mine.
As the parties to the agreement had selected the members to compete for presidency, citizens are ambivalent about casting ballots or staying unconcerned. I have this very vital need to be fulfilled for better and stable South Sudan, and I hope it is what every citizen longs to hear.
The expectation is that we don’t want who to come from which party or tribe. All is who will prioritize the interests of the people and democratic South Sudan. A country that will be chaos-free and inclusive. A country that will have zero corruption; a nation of equal justice and distribution of resources.
Over the years, and that was since day one of independence, parties had been valued more than individual’s competency. In the year 2010, I was made to cast a ballot paper wrongly.
The then electoral commission was a bite of a trick. We were told that he who shouldn’t tick against the SPLM star would be dealt with properly. Hence, I complied with the order because it was falsely preached, and I was a little uninformed.
The SPLM Party won against its opponents by a bigger margin, and that integrated every sort of human into the party. Since it was our expectation to have the party that fought for the nation ruled the country, we firmly stood with it. Its success was through us, and it was our happiness. Over the past years, that was soon after independence, parties have been turned into briefcases. Distribution of resources is based on political parties.
For this reason, I am filled with rags, and I feel like saying them out in order to get relieved.
I believe fostering democracy will enable the prevalence of equality and fairness. It will also help the government of South Sudan stop appointing hungry wolves to higher posts. If appointing officials continues, the nation will otherwise never get to the expected level. I swear there are leaders here who see everything a ready food, including human beings.
Most of our current leaders are as power-hungry hunting amidst the masses. Civilians in whose hands become their prey! Their sharp teeth are only for chopping anything that passes through their eyes. Employing those who perceive the country as a commodity to be marketed, leaders who have addictively advanced individualism as an ideal for owning public funds to enrich themselves, those who perceive an office is where they accumulate wealth, is drastically bringing about poor South Sudan despite the abundance of natural resources endowed by God. These degrading aspects have been caused by a lack of democracy in the nation. Therefore, we need leaders who will possess the qualities below to ensure that the country progresses.
A leader should be a protector who does well to leave one’s legacy to the people.
A leader should have qualities that add values to the ones he leads, not he who fiercely fights for what to eat.
A leader should take leadership people’s belongings, which could allow them to access it in all ways. Qualities allow citizens to vote for whom they think can work more diligently.
By doing these, we will have stable and democratic South Sudan.
The author is a third-year student at the University of Juba School of Education Department of English Language.