Kiir’s letter to corrupt officials
Wednesday, 06 June 2012 07:08 Interviews >>> . On the 1st of June, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, sent 75 letters to current and former government officials, accusing them of embezzling $4 billion US of state resources. In the same letter, Kiir reiterated his government's stance zero tolerance to corruption, saying the high-level of corruption in South Sudan puts his government at stake. "... the credibility of our government is on the line" President Kiir bemoaned. President Kiir also offered the so-called corrupt officials amnesty if they refund the money they stole, the letter said. Kiir's letter has created confusion among the people of South Sudan and made them wonder why the President is protecting those so-called corrupt officials. Frequent questions raised why these officials can't be prosecuted instead they are being offered amnesty? Radio Miraya hosted the minister of Information and Broadcasting, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, to explain some of the reasons behind President Kiir's decision. "...what is important about the President's letter to 75 officials is not about how much money has gone into wrong hands. What is important is that the government of South Sudan has taken very serious measures in order to curtail the incidents of corruption in our country. I think this is a very important step," Marial said. The minister started with the economic situation in the country Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: This is a worldwide situation. As you realized, food prices have been rising in different parts of the world for various reasons. We know that our food prices have risen, first of all, because we import most of our food, and that is why the government has urged its citizens - with plans from the Ministry of Agriculture - that time has come when we should begin to work hard and produce our food. Gabriel Shadar: Is this increase in prices related to lack of hard currency which can be interpreted that the government is not giving out more funds to the banks and traders who go and purchase these essential commodities for the citizens - which is why people say that the government has no money? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Well, that is not true. Recently, the government has provided over 100 million dollars so that this money is diverted to give it to traders who will be concerned mostly with things which are essential commodities for the people. The government, through the Central Bank, had provided that money. What we realized is that the people who were receiving this money were diverting a lot of these funds for other purposes. An example is that one of the fuel. The fuel traders were being given this money. They would bring in the fuel, hide the fuel and sometimes put it into water tanks and sell deliberately causing shortage in the market. I can assure you that the government has enough currency in order to take care of essential commodities, especially food. What the government needs to do now is to make sure those who access the hard currency allocations must make sure that they buy the products which are intended for, and mostly the food products that our population need so desperately. I can assure that the government will continue providing those funds. It was the control and misuse of those funds that has caused the situation. You know we buy our food from East Africa, mostly we buy it from Uganda and then sometimes from Kenya. Food prices in those countries by the way have risen. It is not like it used to be. You remember that of the East African states, Uganda was one of the countries which food prices were one of the lowest in the region. Now, in Uganda itself, the food prices have risen. The hike on those prices and coming in without a proper bilateral sort of coordination of trade methods and practices, where, for example, if we buy products from Uganda, then the Value Added Tax in that country is not included, made the merchants and traders to buy these products including the VAT within Uganda. When it comes here, the price becomes so high. There is shortage of food items. You know the issue of availability and demand of products usually will increase the food prices. Some of these things are challenges which I believe can be solved as we proceed. Also, the scare that the country was at war. As you remember when the Republic of Sudan declared war on the Republic of South Sudan. When a country is in war, usually it causes economic panic which actually contributed to the situation. People started to hoard products thinking that there may be lack of these products when they hear the border between the Sudan and South Sudan is closed. Border areas like Upper Nile region, like Unity state, which used to get their products from there are no longer accessing products. So, this entire environment automatically can cause a rise of prices. However we believe it is a temporary issue that can be resolved as we go ahead. Ali Surur: We have received a report that Salva Kiir sent out an impressive letter asking government officials who have siphoned funds to return them. He guaranteed them anonymity and redemption if they do so. First of all, do you know how much money we are talking about here? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Well, when it comes to money everybody gives his story - we know whatever happens. But what is important about this is not about how much money has gone into wrong hands. What is important is that the government of South Sudan has taken very serious measures in order to curtail the incidents of corruption in our country. I think this is a very important step. The president has said in many occasions in parliament that we are going to take very strong measures as far as corruption is concerned. Why this is being done is simply because of what we have experienced in our country corruption is all over the world – as you know in East Africa, in Africa, in Asia, in America in Europe; it is all over – we as a young nation can nip this vice in the bud by taking appropriate measures. In the light of that, you have seen he has put down the anti-corruption commission which is led now by a very well-known capable lawyer. They have come up with plans and principles through which this anti-corruption commission can work effectively to curtail and monitor the incidents of corruption, and out of that, the president moved ahead and he said: for any funds which are stolen or taken or misappropriated in any way, indeed, attempts must be made to recover. And in that, he has written letters not only to advisors and ministers but even to director generals so that anybody who has acquired funds in that manner is supposed to be a stolen fund. That is why he encouraging everybody who has done that to return these funds into the coffers of the government. That is one thing. Secondly, he has also written to countries in Africa as well as in America and Europe, where there are banks where such a large amount of money is being taken into – you cannot keep under your pillow; this is a type of money that can only be kept in banks like we know all the stories of money recovered from Switzerland, from other countries, from America, from Europe – so that those countries can assist the young government of South Sudan to identify South Sudanese citizens who may have those funds in placed in those areas. If they are beyond what we imagine to be what they should get, then this information should be passed to the government of South Sudan. Ali Surur: What is the response of those countries to whom he has written; have they responded positively as to whether will be returned back? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Yes, (but) not money, those countries will be ready to make available any information they have. You have also to be careful that these citizens have got constitutional rights unless you have proven that they have stolen. So how you say it is also important. These countries will look into their laws which guide their banking system. They have agreed to cooperate with the Republic of South Sudan within their laws and will be able to make (information) available if there accounts of citizens of South Sudan, not necessarily those in the government; even those private business, their reports will be made available and once they are available, one will be to ask officially: how did you access this funds? If you have not returned it officially that means you will be in possession of these funds. And will still be identified by the government and by that time you will be asked how you have accessed these funds. Really, it is an exercise which we is a healthy exercise. It is building a foundation for a young state which is ten months old to try and really get rid once and for all of this vice of corruption and I think all of us should work to encourage that and we do it in a civilized manner according to law, according to our constitution. That is why the government was insisting that we must have constitutional sort of practices which avail the government in order to hunt down these culprits who have taken people's money. So I think the president has taken the right decision. He is moving in the right direction. The fact that he has put confidentiality; it is another way of encouraging these people. But if you have not seized the advantage of being encouraged to deposit the money back quietly into the account, you can still be traced. That is why if you have not done that that money can still be traced through the other countries where that money is put and then you will face the law after the period is over. I think it is the first of its kind experience in the world and I think the people of South Sudan should be proud of their president who has taken a measure that is not found anywhere in the planet, earth. Gabriel Shadar: Do you think it is a good idea; don't you think that will encourage impunity? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: You see, it is not whether the idea is good or bad. The aim of this 'idea' is to encourage people to recover the funds. What we need are the funds, really not somebody's head because you can get the head and yet not get the funds. But if we can recover the funds and you give that leeway, that encouragement, I think it is a good way of recovering these funds. We are told already now that the chairperson of anti-corruption commission has recovered like $60 million US dollars of funds through mismanagement, through funds taken wrongly, and I think that is very important. That is why they say: faster you have been given this leeway and you fail to bring any funds, and should the other methods which are being used to identify the funds which are stolen, and you become one of those, then you should face the music definitely. So I think initially, it is good. You have to encourage a method on how you think you will be able to recover funds. You know, most of these funds are connected also with the 'Dura saga'. So people with 'Dura saga' are known all over the world. So the personality of the people really is not something which is a big deal. We know who were involved in the business of Dura, and that went across the board I can tell you within the Republic of South Sudan and those are huge funds. So a time frame has been given by the president so that it will be possible those who are genuine and love their country will return these funds. Those who fail to return these funds, we have the other methods within the government through the cooperation with the other countries and the banking system to identify what has not been recovered, and those are the people who will face the music. So it is not encouraging as you would see. Machiek Makur (caller) from Rumbek: If those people who are charged of corruption refund the money back as the president asked, what would be next step? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Well, they will be held accountable through the courts of law. The government will prove that these people have taken the funds. They will be accountable for what they have stolen. "come here gentleman or gentle lady: this is the money you have. Where did you get it? Can you tell us? If they don't explain that they got this money right, then the court of law will take steps immediately against those people definitely. Gabriel Shadar: Some of the consequences of that is the president is saying about $4 billion are unaccounted for, and because of that and the recent apparent financial crisis allegedly one of the factors fueling the high increase in reported insecurity in Juba and other states. Honestly citizens get killed, and just two days ago a senior government official was killed on the Juba-Nimule road. Is the government in control of the security situation that is resulting from these disturbances? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: I think the government is absolutely in control. There are always criminal cases that will happen in any country. There is no doubt about it. If you see the statistics of crimes committed in some of the capitals today, you will not believe, even in New York. Look at it: how many people get shot in a day, get robbed and get killed. If you go to Johannesburg, for example, you see the report it has the highest criminal rate in the whole world. Even in the Vatican, they are involved in corruption. So these issues of crimes in a country like the Republic of South Sudan, which is facing a lot of challenges, and by the way, you should congratulate the government and the people of the Republic of South Sudan that they are overcoming, where you have the Republic of Sudan, a self-pronounced enemy of the Republic of South Sudan that is attacking it, bombing it, flying over its territory and is able to have self-restraint, self-defense. There is a sort of wanton, indiscriminate closure of borders, harassment of our citizens, throwing out citizens being airlifted, all these, and still the government is able to manage this type of environment. The challenges are tremendous and I think what we are doing we must begin to surprise the world, surprise everybody that this country has come to stay and it will be there, a member within the United Nations and within the African Union despite the tremendous challenges we face. So the issue of crime is a normal incident that happens in situations like we are having today. The incident in which that police officer I understand was crossed on the way to Nimule will be investigated by the police. It will be investigated by the law authority. It will be found out what is the cause of that insecurity and if those are identified, they will be definitely brought to book through a court of law and punished for what they are doing. We need to strengthen our police system. We need to strengthen our law enforcement agencies. It is part of the challenge that we have got to do and these are the things you need to grapple with. Gabriel Shadar: Even I think it can lead the Ministry of Interior to put more regulations and travelling on highways, like Gier Chuang's vehicle was attacked on Bor road. I think the regulations for travelling during the night or early hours in the morning should be restricted because there is no adequate information and there is no adequate communication system and monitoring to see what is happening on the highways. Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Absolutely, I agree with you. Absolutely those are the logistical support you need to strengthen our law enforcement agencies. Gabriel Shadar: Sudan Armed Forces announced last week that there were 169 policemen in Abyei to maintain public (order) but later said that it pulled out all its troops deployed in the contested area, including the police, which you disputed. Can you clarify this issue – at the moment what is happening? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: The Security Council resolution 2046 is very clear especially it should be clear to the government of the Republic of Sudan and the government of the Republic of South Sudan. We on our part even before this resolution responded in May 2011 to withdraw South Sudan Armed Forces, that is the SPLA from Abyei, and we did that a 100 percent in the presence of the international community. When resolution 2046 came, it said clearly that the Republic of South Sudan is still keeping police in Abyei; that it is the SPLA dressed in police uniform; and unless these people are withdrawn, the SAF will not move out. Well, we concurred and complied with the resolution 2046 and withdrew our police in the presence of the United Nations Interim Forces for Abyei (UNISFA) and in presence of UN agencies and the press. The requirement was still both for the Sudan as well as South Sudan to withdraw both army and the police. Now, after we withdrew our police, SAF was still in Abyei if you remember we protested. We criticized the Security Council. We criticized the African Union; here are we, we have withdrawn our military, both police and military out of Abyei. Why the Sudan government should continue to sit and has not complied with the 2046 resolution? Anyway, after they were asked by the Security Council, they withdrew SAF and instead they left the police there and we said: well, if the police were to be allowed to stay, why was the Republic of South Sudan asked to withdraw its police? So Sudan must remove its police from Abyei simply because this police during the invasion there were no police from the Republic of Sudan. What they actually did; they took a part of their army and dress them in police uniform and they left them inside Abyei and we protested. It was later on that they agreed to withdraw their police from Abyei. But even with that withdrawal, the numbers could not concur with the numbers they have given before. They were telling us there were over 200 police. Now the number they have withdrawn are about 66 or about 69. What about the rest? It means the rest are still walking in Abyei dressed in civilian clothes. So you can never trust what the Sudan will always do, especially following what they say. So we shall see. The time will go on. Otherwise we welcome the decision for the Republic of Sudan to withdraw from Abyei because Abyei is a contested area; it has a solution that has not been implemented. Ali Surur: You accused the Sudanese army of violating the Security Council resolution by violating South Sudan airspace and named Maj. Gen Adam Mohamed as the commander of the new forces deployed in Abyei. What evidence do you have? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Definitely that is a known fact. What we are simply saying is that the commander in that area was still inside Abyei and what they claim to be the police are military Sudan Armed Forces dressed as police, and that is why we asked the Security Council for this people to withdraw and we have been proved right. That is why they asked them to withdraw. So if they have withdrawn with their commander, may be next time you will meet him in Khartoum but was the commander in charge of SAF in Abyei. That was the person in charge. It is not a secret. He was the person responsible for the SAF who were still there. Gabriel Shadar: We understand that Abyei has been literally raised to ground, the town itself. And in Abyei town they say there is just a mosque there. What is the prospect of the people returning back? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Well, the people will have to return. That is their land. Definitely the people will go back there. Look at our people, who are coming from Khartoum, all over the north, you have seen some of them. If you visit some of them at the river site here, they are sitting under mango trees but they are happy. They are back home. Home is always home. I can assure you the people of Abyei were bombed out of Abyei. Their structures were destroyed. Their property was looted. They were de-possessed of all their property. They had to be running for their lives. Now, the SAF and the police are out of Abyei, they have a right to go and build their homes. They have been spent the last two years under trees, with heavy rains falling over them, with their children dying of Malaria. I think our people will definitely go back home. Of course, these are some of the things that when the situation is brought to normality have to be considered; how to resettle these people. It is the duty of humanitarian agencies to be concerned as it is the raining season started. In South Sudan now it is raining heavy likewise in Abyei. Therefore, the humanitarian agencies will not only provide food and medicine to these people but must consider providing them with shelter so as to protect them from the rains. They have been spending the rest of their lives under the trees in Agok and other areas of Warrap state. So we are happy that the people of Abyei can again go back to their homes. Even if they are devastated and destroyed, it will have to be built. Gabriel Shadar: Regarding the talks in Addis Ababa, we heard Sudan has rejected the proposal of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) including Heglig or Panthou as one of the contested areas between Sudan and South Sudan. Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Well, that is the nature of the Sudan as they have been since we started talking with them, especially this regime. Since 1989, when they came into power, they were rejecting so many articles that we needed to talk about which were disputed areas. Panthou is a disputed area. There is no doubt about it. There is a lot of evidence. And I think it is healthy for Sudan to consider itself because this is an issue that if they honestly believe it is their territory, why would they be scared to discuss? It would be easy for them to prove to us that Heglig belongs to Sudan. Gabriel Shadar: You know they want to secure the oil there? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: Yes, that has been their intention. Look at the areas that are being contested . If you go to Western Bhar al Ghazal, look at Kafia Kingi; look at Hufra nias. They want to claim those areas simply because of the minerals in those areas. Now you come Whitley Mundri strip, the Malual strip for example, because of the grazing area and because of the water which they have for hundreds of years getting free grazing from our people, they claim it. This is because of the resources which exist on those areas. Go to Abyei itself; it is because of oil. Go to Panthou; it is because of the oil. And that is what we have been telling them, that look Sudan, if it is about oil, we can sit and talk about it. If you need the oil, which the almighty God has placed within the territory of the Republic of South Sudan, we can always discuss it. We won't see them starved definitely because we were one country once. There are rooms where you can come to an understanding with your neighbor and try and reach a settlement. In our own beliefs, like they say in the Bible 'do to thy neighbor as u do to yourself', that is 'do to your neighbor as you would want it to do it to thy self', we have that principle. We won't do something harmful to our neighbours in Sudan that we would not want done to us. I think it is a principle. So the issue with Sudan is greed; greed for resources which are not theirs and that is really very unfortunate. And if you have a neighbor who is having resources which are enormous, the best thing is to publish good relations together. You open your borders. You trade. You do business and especially if you have technology. They have companies. They are manufacturing products. Where are they going to sell them? It is good that they establish good relations with the Republic of South Sudan so that they can really have –in fact, incidentally by the way, if you look at it they can get back all our dollar money through their products. If they establish good trade, we will buy their salt, their sugar, and their coke, whatever. So they are not being realistic with themselves. Ali Surur: August 2 has been set as the deadline for reaching an agreement on all outstanding issues between the two Sudans. What happens if there is no breakthrough? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: When the Security Council 2046, through the African Union Peace and Security Council, said that the two parties must report back and start negotiations within two weeks, what did we do as the Republic of South Sudan? We were already there even a week before the second week was over. We were ready. And we they said now we should negotiate all the outstanding issues within three months and that it should be ending on the second of August, we said there is no problem because we believe we could negotiate these things within two, three weeks if the other side is genuine because the truth of the matter about these cases is known. If you talk about oil, what is the problem there? We are simply saying, look, Sudan cannot block our oil. They cannot take our oil without permission. It is too expensive for us to pay $36 per barrel as transit fees. We are telling them: give us the commercial market price and we are even able to increase that market price. We are even ready to go to near than $1 a barrel. Once they do that, and they again say they will not again take our oil without any permission and they let our oil that we are exporting, we will immediately open up our oil and let flow through. But that will not stop us from building our alternative pipeline because we are supposed to develop further because we have more oil in this territory. And we believe discovering more oil fields, we will need more pipelines so that we can divert our oil to places which are nearer. There is a huge oil deposit in Block B in Jonglei state, for example. If we get oil from there, it is easier for us to transport it through Ethiopia and Djibuoti. We have got Kenya, for example, which is nearer to us. We have the LAPSET which is a big market for us to the rest of Africa and Asia. It is nearer to us. It is not saying will stop exporting our oil through Sudan if the price is right and reasonable. Is that a big deal? If Bashir bangs the table today, let him have the guts and the strength and say: look, I want your oil. If he gives us the right charge, we will open up the oil. So our citizens should know that we were already actually back to the wall, absolutely. They issue of Abyei; what is so big about it. It was transferred by administrative order to Khartoum. All they need is to issue another decree to go where you come from if they don't want to hold a referendum. The security arrangements: they are saying that we are involved in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. That is not true. That is why in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, we agreed on the protocol of the two areas. So the solution is there. It is a political situation. It is not a security situation. It is not a war situation because a political settlement agreed by both parties is already there. Should it take a big deal? They should sit down with those guys. They are their citizens. So, realy, the 2 August is quite right. We can even finish a month before that. John Milla (caller) in Gurei, Juba: what will our government do in case the SAF insists on remaining or roaming in the areas of Abyei? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: There is a Security Council Resolution 2046. They say that we must get the solution before August 2. I can assure you the Security Council will identify who is the one causing trouble, not bringing the solution. We will make sure that when that time comes, we will not be the culprits. It will definitely be the Sudan. If that is not done, then the Security Council and the African Union will take steps. That is the way. There is now a back door. If we fail, then the African Union together with the Security Council will impose a solution. Kur John (caller) from Wau: It clear the government of Sudan is now under full control of Heglig and they have started the production of oil there. So what could be the reaon of needing Heglig if the resources that are there are depleted by SAF? What is the reason of making people to die in the first place and it is clear now the oil there is being drilled? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: The SAF have been sitting in Panthou, which is Heglig, since the 9th of January 2005. They have been there for the for six years. We left them to stay there because we believe that this issue can be resolved through peaceful means. And while they were staying there, they were taking our oil and we believed that this thing can be resolved peacefully though dialogue and that is why we listened to the Security Council when they asked us to withdraw on the promise that this thing can be handled by negotiations. But after all, our claim of Panthou is not because of oil, let me tell you. It is because it is our land. Even if there was no oil there, we were going to claim it. We claim it because it is our territory. It is Sudan which actually is trying to rob Panthou, which is Heglig, because of the oil which is there. Now, if they took our oil, which worth 700 million dollars by force; without permission; stealing it in broad daylight. What is the little 70,000 barrels a day they might be filtering out of Panthou. Whether there is oil or no oil, Panthou is our land. If Sudan claims that it is their territory, okay, let us talk about it such that they prove it to us that it is their territory. Angelo Mum Chol (caller): Why did the government of South Sudan not possess war aircrafts in the last six years? Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: During the last six years, we were sub-state within the Republic of Sudan. We had the interim arrangement. Our constitution did not allow us to have our air force separate from the rest. So it was not possible, even to buy from anywhere wasn't possible. Now that we are an independent state, we can be able to acquire and build our air force, build our national army without any problem. So it was not ignored by the government by then, but simply because of the constitutional arrangements, that is one country, two systems that was published and where we agreed to have two armies but we were both committed not to purchase arms, not do things like that within the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
