Kiir not stepping down without elections – Ateny
Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny [pictured] has warned of potential chaos in the country should President Salva Kiir be forced to step down without holding free, fair and transparent elections.
“If President Salva Kiir steps aside, it will invite more chaos than solving the problem. So for the people of South Sudan, they are aware of this that President Salva Kiir cannot step aside now. It is the people of South Sudan that will let him step aside by not voting for him,” said Ateny Wek Ateny, Presidential Press Secretary.
Mr Ateny was responding to the United States Senator, Patrick Leahy’s, statement earlier this month that called on both President Salva Kiir and the First Vice President Dr Riek Machar to step aside.
Mr Leahy said the two leaders had ‘failed’ the people of South Sudan and were to blame for the ongoing woes facing the South Sudanese.
He further said everyone had felt at independence that after decades of civil war and famine, the political turmoil would end, marking the beginning of lasting stability and progress, but what has unfolded since then has been “antithesis of stability and progress”.
“Two individuals, President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar are primarily to blame for fueling tensions and mobilising support along ethnic lines, and for failing in their responsibility to invest in public infrastructure, basic services, and the institutions of a multi-party democracy,” Leahy stated.
“Whereas the leaders of South Sudan have consistently failed to uphold their responsibilities to create the conditions for peace and prosperity, [they] have prioritised self-preservation and corruption over the needs of the people they represent, have acted in bad faith in the implementation of ceasefire and peace agreements, and have betrayed the cause of freedom, resulting in the loss of millions of lives.”
Mr Leahy added the people of South Sudan “deserve” a better life for their children, who have been hungry and living in constant fear that the country would again plunge into civil war, and that they would be forced to flee their homes yet again.
Furthermore, he stated that it was a travesty that despite billions of dollars in international aid, oil revenues, and black-market loans, so little has been accomplished due to the whims and greed of two politicians, President Kiir and Dr Machar.
“Where did the money go when the government does nothing to protect its citizens and their livestock from drowning in the yearly flooding of the Nile River? Does anyone doubt that it ended up in secret bank accounts or used to purchase properties far away from South Sudan? ”
He also accused the government of suppressing freedom of expression by cracking down on activities and civil society organisations advocating for freedom of expression in the country.
“I note that Senate Resolution 380 calls on the Secretary of State to “lead a comprehensive interagency process to develop a revitalised United States policy toward South Sudan that …identifies South Sudanese political and civilian stakeholders, beyond President Kiir and First Vice President Machar, with whom the United States may work for the promotion of peace, democracy, development, accountability, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts. Supporting the PCCA would be a good place to start.”.
Response
However, responding to the statement on Friday, Mr Ateny said Leahy’s statement contained an element of “ignorance” for he has no experience of the real situation in South Sudan and relied on one-sided information from the agents of the regime change.
“Senator’s statement has an element of ignorance in it because anyone who is not living in the situation of the Republic of South Sudan would think the problem of South Sudan will end with President Kiir and Dr Machar stepping aside. This is absolute ignorance,” Ateny said.
