“No failed leader should be reappointed,” analyst says, hailing Kiir’s quest for solutions
The academic appealed to the president to restore public confidence in his government by appointed visionary leaders in positions of leadership.
By Aguok Chok
The Principal of the College of Graduate Studies at the University of Juba, Dr. Abraham Kuol Nyuon, has praised President Salva Kiir over his search on his quest to find lasting solutions for South Sudan, saying any leaders who fail to deliver should not be reappointed to government.
He welcomed the president’s repeated calls for accountability and service delivery, but said this should be taken seriously by both leaders and citizens.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The City Review, Dr. Kuol reflected on President Kiir’s recent remarks during the swearing-in of newly appointed officials.
In his speech to the newly sworn-in officials on Wednesday, Kiir once again urged leaders to serve the people instead of themselves, to ensure fair justice, and to prioritize accountability in government institutions.
“All over South Sudan, no leader really wants to work for the people of South Sudan; they are working for themselves. And that is why it has become a problem to the president, because once you are removed, it means services are dismissed,” Dr. Kuol said.
He continued that in South Sudan, public service is often personalized. “In South Sudan, services are given to the individual. So, the position given to the individual leader, the money given to the individual leader, or the privilege used in your bank, is assured to be with some members of the public.
He pointed to the repeated extensions of the peace agreement as another sign of failure in governance.
“The current peace agreement was signed for three years. It was extended for two years, and again extended for two more years. We don’t even know how long to continue to extend it.”
“Does that extension benefit the people of South Sudan? No. Does it only benefit the people who are in the government? No,” Dr. Kuol stated.
He also commented on the President’s recent statement, during the swearing-in of the new Minister of Finance, where he said the ministers who served on the docket had not been reporting to him.
According to Dr. Kuol, this revealed that the state was captured by business interests.
“The minister of finance and other financial institutions are captured by the businesspeople. Which means indirectly, the chances are high that they are paying allegiance to the business people who give them kickbacks in response to the contracts that are given to them,” he said.
“When people are not performing, they should not only be fired, but also be investigated and made accountable for wasting resources and the time of people of South Sudan,” he said.
Dr. Kuol said according to the outlook, the president is not necessarily taking all the steps to appoint the people he wants, but most of them are brought in through lobbies.
“That is why you see somebody fired today without a reason and reappointed tomorrow without explanation.”
He appealed to the president to restore public confidence in his government and that accountability is the only way to restore service delivery.
“If the president needs to appoint people who are oriented and ready to make progress in the lives of the citizens. If they don’t deliver, we need not only to remove them but also to abandon them,” Dr. Kuol stated.
