In Memoriam: Hon. Philiph Chol Biowei, MP for Twic East County, South
Sudan, 1942-2011
Written by Gabrial Pager Ajang and Williams Ajang Diing
Monday, 21 November 2011 21:55
TRIBUTE - South Sudanese and friends converged at the Dinka
Congregation Lutheran Church on Saturday November 19th, 2011 in
Rochester, Minnesota. They all came to mourn, encourage, and comfort
the family members of Hon. Philiph Chol Boiwei, who died of heart
failure back in Juba, South Sudan, in September 2011. He was 69 years
old. The elder from Kongor Community, Ajang Aguer, echoed that the
“South Sudanese Community lost a politician, satirist, son and a
father”. He told those gathered that his death is a tragedy. We have
lost a man rich of wealth of knowledge, and young people could have
benefitted from him, he added. During the opening prayer, Alier Deng
Philip delivered a vindication from the Bible as well as the eulogy.
Deng said the Apostle, in the light of the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, declared in the that great chapter on the resurrection:
"But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this
mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying
that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. "O death, where is
your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is
sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:54-57).”
Philiph Chol Biowei Was born in 1942 in Kongor at Pakwuor village,
Twic East County. He quickly was named Chol (Dinka for replacement)
because his previous three brothers had died consecutively at the
point of birth. As a replacement, he indeed did what could have been
possibly done his three who were deceased. He was first and foremost a
true son of the land who cared about his family. He was a patriotic
politician who loved his country. He was a satirist. Choldit was a
remarkably skilled orator who used his skills of communication to
create persuasive paradoxes, a gift which occasionally left
individuals rethinking their deeds. He was very conservative in
traditional values but a liberal politician. He was admired for his
appealing personality, characterized by a jaunty, affable and folksy
charm. Hon Choldit was married to three wives. He married the fourth
wife in honor of his sister who was never married. He is now survived
by four wives, eleven sons and nine daughters.
Education, Career, political Activism and legacy of Choldit
In 1953, he went to Malek elementary primary school. After graduating
with primary certificate, he was accepted at Tony Intermediate in 1961
and graduated with honors. He attended the Khartoum Technical
Institute from 1965 to 1968. He enrolled at the University of Khartoum
in 1969 and graduated with honorary bachelor of art in 1975. He
completed his master degree in Anthropology in 1977, and immediately
became a lecturer at Khartoum University from 1976 to 1980. His
ambitions combined with determinations, and good public service earned
him immense respect. In 1978, he was employed as director in the
ministry of cooperation and rural development and promoted to an
assistant director in the same ministry.
Hon. Chol joined the Sudan People Liberation Movement and Sudan People
Liberation Army in 1984. He remained as a hardcore supporter of the
SPLM/A during internal divisions in 1980s and 90s when the war
intensified in the south, which was consequently hampering potential
peace settlement or advancement of the SPLA forces to the government
of Sudan controlled territories. Hon, Chol was known of his Political
Activism, before joining the SPLM/A. He was politically active during
the first Anya-Anya War, while he was student in secondary school and
at the university. He was strongly opposed to the digging of the
Jonglei Canal and against all policies of Sudan government. After
joining the SPLM/A in 1984, he attended SPLA political and military
training; was promoted to shield three in Ethiopia in 1985 where he
graduated as captain. Hon. Chol was first deployed in Itang Refugee
Camp as Deputy Camp Administrator and later asked to be deployed with
Jamus Battalion as Deputy Commander at the rank of Alternate Commander
in Southern Blue Nile, where he served until 1987. He was later
deployed in Youdu, Magalatoria, and Nimule Corridors
internally-displaced camps in Western Equatoria as SRRA Secretary from
1992-1995.
He worked closely with Chairperson of the SPLM/A Dr. John Garang till
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005. He was sent by
Dr. John Garang for short diplomatic training in South Africa. Hon.
Chol strived to work alongside President Salva Kiir to implement the
six protocols in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and to ensure
smooth campaign for people of South Sudan to hold referendum on time.
He would voluntarily continue to go to village after village, town
after town in South Sudan to inform citizens about the significance of
voting for secession and risk involved if one were to vote for unity.
Hon. Chol was appointed as deputy chairperson of the Anti-Corruption
Commission for the government of South Sudan from 2006 to 2008. He had
served at the privilege of the current president of the Republic of
South Sudan to confront this evil. Corruption is now recognized to be
one of the Republic South Sudan greatest challenges. It is a major
hindrance to sustainable development, with a disproportionate impact
on poor communities and is corrosive on the very fabric of society. He
also served with honor and dignity as an advisor in the ministry of
petroleum for the government of South Sudan. He died of heart failure
on September 29th, 2011, while serving as Member of Parliament for
Twic East County. During his campaign for Twic East constituency, he
was known for his paradoxical understanding of democracy. He attacked
opponents’ abilities and severely replicated it with his genuine
honest debates loaded with great sense of humor.
Here are some of his famous quotes:
I. A dog that goes hunting with a woman never kills.
II. Two individuals standing with two legs are staring
at me with four eyes;
III. Leadership/politics cannot be distributed like cow's
meat and etc.
Hon. Choldit used to joke with the late Dr. John Garang and at one
point, Dr. Garang told told him: “Choldit, you will be sent as
ambassador indefinitely," making reference to the sound:
"Chool-biowei.”
This memorial service tribute was prepared by:
Gabrial Pager Ajang; [email protected] e-mail address is
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William Ajang Diing ; [email protected] e-mail address is being
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