Observations on a tour of Southern Sudan: "See it, never say it! "

October 18, 2007 — During my visit to Southern sudan, I inclined a very strategic observation as my main objective was to tour through two of the Africa's eastern countries. Despite my short journey, I began person to person observation from Addis Ababa all the way to South Sudan, particularly Upper Nile State.

The saying: "mismanagement is a friend to capital punishment" is a precise choice to describe the ongoing circumstances that involve corruption and nepotism. As I travelled from place to place, day after day, most of the people that I met on the ground were to me intellectually capable of fitting the so called leading people the way it should be. However, because they are possessed with voice of corruption, their only goal that describe them is to be known as charismatic leaders for preaching corruption and nepotism. The baseless terms devalue the entire Africa which attract many people internationally.

In Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the EPDF government under the leadership of Malese Zenawi has decentralized the power. Such a rule has given self-autonomies to the state throughout Ethiopia - a right for freedom of press, speech, and equal justice. With regard to management of the assets, this is where one would realize that decentralizing the power does not guarantee a possible leadership role given the fact that they should never be interrelated. In Gambella region, one of the best known region for being rich in minerals is inhabited by half of Ethiopian lineages who used to be called highlanders, and majority of Sudanese Ethiopian who were geographically located to Ethiopia due to colonial purpose.

These people are part of the EPDF which is now the main government currently running the country's routines. In their system of government, one might have to say why it is so, for the rule or excercise of power is centered to relationships. Money laundering although less is part of a daily habit done to them by the government as well as themselves, and that indicate what mismangement is all about. If a person recognizes only one part in the level of government, it means that that kind of person can be called a tribalist. For example, in oil company 10 mile away from Gambella, you would only find highlanders as the workers at the expense of Gambellan citizens. Precisely true, but it is what should be termed as mismanagement because it intrinsically plays pschological thinking of giving a known person something deserved for all as his. As government means combined entities, during auditing, the result would be that this person has mismanaged the government funds, and that would lead to capital punishment. Personally, I was very upset seeing a policy that is too open played as the best thing in the eye of public in Gambella Ethiopia. I thought that once I was in Sudan it was never going to be the same as I thought that I was going to experience different system.

After leaving for Southern Sudan, I visited different local administrations recently formed, and learned about the kind of work they do. Local administrations such city councils, and other various offices are filled with relatives, friends, and loyal people to the administrators. I asked one of my cousin what sort of policy that was, and he replied to me very tentatively, "this is how our policy work, and If you see for sure, you will stop questioning immediately and never to ask any question." Then I began visiting several ministries in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State where I came up with another phrase "see it but never say it" which means "be silent and never encounter anything otherwise your condition would be at risk."

In the minister of education, you would find lots of relatives from the top to the bottom, some of whom are not educationally qualified or have no sort of education and are working and being paid high salaries. In the Ministry of physical infrastructure and land, the land is divided among relatives, friends, and loyal members. A very vast land that can satisfy everybody is being misused to create strong relationships for personal gain. This I think is a poor leadership. But we are on the right track as the signing of two years old peace means we should not blame any misconducts. In the ministry of Labour, it was very funny to hear that who ever needs a job must go to the Governor to ask for any vacancy because all government jobs are obtained through the Governor. Again, if you ask for job, you would be asked for qualification so that you could get it. But if you don't have a certificate, you would not succeed obtaining it. Furthermore, if you have the certificate you would be told that no budget which is a tit for tat.

It was very unfortunate when I saw a bunch of individuals hired without edcuational background proudly presenting themselves as the best people among so many educated. This raised the level of pessimism about this worthless rule or bad governance in our society.

To some extent, non-governmental organizations are also parts of the broadened policy. As a visitor you would experience the same thing as well.Their policies are not different from that of the state government. I thought that they would be the fair entities to hire people according to qualifications, but surprisingly, they employ people based on friendships and mismanage the international funds pledged to them by the international bodies and no different because international personels are embedded into the system although claiming day after day about lack of good governance. What they are doing is an exploitation because they pay people with minimum wage which is why there is no any form of progress. Is this how all things should be? I wonder if the capital punishment will take turn to punish the wrongdoers. A friend to mismanagement will suffer severely, if the South Sudan Anti Corruption Commission takes its job seriously.

As diasporias, we should know that our contribution will be important in delivering skills in good governance because we have been in western countries where good governance have been well established. I do encourage good governance not for my own sake, but for the sake of lots of vulnerable people who are being denied their basic needs in all aspects because of bad governance.