By Joseph Miaker Mijok
Like other areas of the Upper Nile region, the Ruweng Administrative Area faces mountains of obstacles, such as natural disasters, climate change, and environmental problems associated with sand, gravel (Marram), oil exploration, and mining activities.
Due to overcrowding caused by Sudan War refugees and natural disasters, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) from both Unity and Jonglei states, and problems related to security, infrastructure, and the relatively isolated administrative location, transportation to and from the area is difficult, particularly during the autumn season. This also applies to transportation within the administrative area and to and from the capital.
These had all negatively affected the general conditions in the area, standing in the way of delivering appropriate development services in most parts.
Despite the attempts made by those who succeeded in Ruweng’s ruling to remove these obstacles, the situation remained the same, including, but not limited to, the lack of roads, health facilities, appropriate educational institutions, scarcity of medical staff and qualified teachers in the administrative schools, and leadership models practiced by Ruweng political leaders, striving their lens on projects that feed their pockets.
In fact, the number of citizens is very few compared to its many resources and its multiple sources of income: oil revenues, sand and gravel revenues, local taxes, revenues from UN organizations “Rents, Personal Income Tax (PIT),” which are estimated at hundreds of dollars per month.
Unfortunately, the issues of security and environmental pollution remained a thorn in the citizen’s circle and a disease that spreads day after day, and based on the foregoing, the citizen have been yearning for the coming of a true leader, a leader who fulfills his aspirations and his dream of living in a disease-free environment.
An environment in which he enjoys a peaceful sleep, an environment free of anxiety and fear of an unknown that may rob his property, dreams, and perhaps his life, most likely, these have urged cheering and celebrating in every new appointment of the CA, and not only for the appointed, but in hope of advent of a savior who may rescue them from the crisis of favouritism in the distribution of opportunities, the crisis of financial corruption, the problem of educational scholarship distributed to specific clans, the crisis of family empowerment, the abhorrent political paralysis, the thorn of prioritization and the haste in decision-making i.e Wunkur peace and Pan-kauach incident.
Instate all citizen wishes and hope were blown by the wind, and perhaps because Juba lobbies, which import leaders, present them to appointment centers, do not concern the area’s lived reality as much as their wished group member managed to climb the ladders, taking to the ruling seat, irregardless of his ability and disability.
As he feeds their interests, then nothing else matters, including both citizens and the area, and of course, the responsibility of defending the ruler falls upon them until their last breath, despite the ruler’s leadership style and thus his behaviors of being unjust or oppressed.
A situation in which the mechanism of baby-pumpers changes rulers until they reach 9 governors and Chief Administrators, only between 2015 and 2024 (at an average of one governor every year), with no change in the conditions of both citizens and the area…
The author is a concern citizen