Refute Response of the Petition against the Removal of Local Chiefs by the Commissioner of Twic East County, Dau Akol Jurkuch
TO: H.E. Kuol Manyang Juuk, Governor, Jonglei State. CC: Hon. Diing Akol Diing, Minister for Local Government, Jonglei State. CC: Hon. Mama Rebecca Nyadeng de Mabior, Presidential Advisor on Gender Affairs CC: Hon. Deng Dau Malek, Twic East County MP, SSNLA CC: Hon. Dau Akoi Jurkuch, Commissioner of Twic East County. CC: Twic East Community. CC: Ayual Community Date: 3, August, 2012 Your Excellency Kuol Manyang Juuk and Hon. Members we greet and salute you in the name of Ayual community. We are still in a celebratory mood because of the first anniversary of our independence from the Northern oppressors. We salute and recognise the efforts of our martyrs led by Dr John Garang de Mabior and the leaving heroes like H.E President Salva Kiir Mayardit and yourself our dear Governor. Ayual community was part and parcel of South’s Sudan struggle evident by the fact it contributed a higher number of its son than any other section in the Greater Bor region to the first well trained and professional SPLA division Khoryom. We say thank you to our sons and all freedom fighters from all South Sudan communities as well as the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile State. Your Excellency governor and Hon. Members it is with sadness that we acknowledge that Ayual community name has been in the spotlight for the last few years for the wrong reasons. We are profoundly dismayed and disappointed. One of these disappointments is that a certain group from within the Ayual community sent a document to your office titled “PETITION AGAINST THE REMOVAL OF LOCAL CHIEFS BY THE COMMISSIONER OF TWIC EAST COUNTY HON. DAU AKOI JURKUCH” and dated 25 JULY 2012. We acknowledge people’s right to freedom of expression as stipulated in the constitution of Republic of South Sudan. However this freedom should not be used to defame and tarnish the name of a community, organisation or any individual. We are writing this letter to inform you that the petition underlined above has created a lot of anger and sense of outrage in the community. We, Ayual people both in diaspora and at home feel betrayed and humiliated by a very small and blind group. It is a group that expect favours because the Commissioner is their son. We condemn this way of thinking as the commissioner indeed does belong to all county communities and would be unethical to be otherwise. Imagine your Excellency Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk what Jonglei state would be like if you treat Greater Bor Dinka and Ngok Dinka better than Lou Nuer, Gaweer, Jie, Murle and Anyuak communities. We believe time for preferential treatment for one’s own community over other Southerners is long gone and would encourage our leaders to apply a fair go for all irrespective of tribal, clan or religious affiliations. The unjustified allegations and insults against the Commissioner do not reflect on the position of Ayual as a community but rather from a frustrated group that is not willing to cooperate with the State and county authorities. The government policy of changing local chiefs was done all over Jonglei’s eleven counties and has been tragic in some cases such as the lost of three lives from Adol community. So is the disarmament policy which probably took the SPLA soldiers to Ayual’s land. Your Excellency Governor and Hon. Members, we concerned members of this great community are writing to your high office(s) to categorically reject unsubstantiated claims by our frustrated brothers that their petition is but thee one voice of Ayual in diaspora and South Sudan. We are appalled and astonished by their attempt to soil the image of our community as an indiscipline and uncooperative society that does not understand and respect government policies. We are going to refute some of their claims and clarify the community’s true position in this letter. Claims of petition as one voice of the Ayual community We would like to categorically rebut that the petition against the removal of chiefs was not the voice of all Ayual community inside and outside South Sudan. Quick facts first Ayual is a community of over 20,000 people with bulk in South Sudan but significant presence in North America, East Africa and Australia. How can a very insignificant number of individuals pretend or claim to be acting on behave of a community of over twenty thousand people? We will justify our referral to them as insignificant in the next few paragraphs. These few individuals did no consultation on the views of Ayual community at large. We believe in thrashing out or discussion and debates within our community before going public but this manipulative camp is good at rushing to the media with petitions that are damaging to the image of our great community. They were quick to point fingers and even wrote a petition against the then Commissioner of Twic East Hon Diing Akol Diing when the first conflict between Ayual and Dachuek erupted in 2010. They have repeated the same mistake now and hence the need to rebuke their actions. Most people whose names appeared in the petition were not informed nor accorded their right to privacy and became outraged at this disgruntles for example the following quotes from a law graduate from our community mailing-list “It is with dismay that someone put my name in this petition without my consent and will. My people, despite all the odds, we must at all material times act with prudence and honesty. This means by no far would any man prudence would allow himself to be part of those who are building mountains out of the anthills. In that ant-hills being built, I shall be of no part of it howsoever”. Name withheld for privacy issues. There were a lot of outrageous messages from those whose names were included in the so-called petition without their consent and knowledge. This indicates the level of ignorance and short sightedness of our lost brothers who claims to be campaigning for the rights of our community while they are actually abusing the rights of others. Your Excellency Governor Kuol Manyang and Hon. Members we would like to bring to your attention the names of these lost brothers who are tainting the image and driving divisions within the Ayual community: 1 – Atem Dhieu Garang. 2. Lual Bul Manyok. 3. Bol Garang Bol. 4. Peter Magai Bul Ayual. 5. Kuer Bol Bul. 6. Bol Bul Bol They are all diaspora residents and were the brain behind the one sided petition (the views of ex-head chief Bol Manyok Duot against the commissioner). There are credible sources from Ayual’s villages that these guys are currently inciting violence against those perceived to be commissioner’s supporters (presumably his clan Panwiir) and refer to them as collaborators, traitors and sale outs. This is why they want the chief to be reinstated so that he can deal with the traitors. We condemn this dangerous and intimidatory behaviour as no one will benefit from the loss of lives. In that regards we request the county authorities to be vigilant and monitor the situation carefully. We are very concerned that an insecurity which has been brought under control in many parts of Jonglei is likely to raise its ugly head in Nyuak Payam (especially within our Ayual community) due to our visionless brothers. Your Excellency Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk and Hon. Members we have strong reasons to believe that the above mentioned individuals are indeed inciting hatred and violence within the Ayual community based on their previous actions and violent backgrounds. Upon receiving the news of the first confrontation between Ayual and Dachuek in 2010, Mr Kuer Bol Bul launched a daring attack on a church sermon in Sydney Australia the following Sunday armed with knives, hammer and other weapons. His target was a clergy from the other side to the conflict Mr Deng Duot. He was eventually restrained by the congregation and police called into the church to question him. Some of our audiences know this fact. The other two culprits Mr Atem Dhieu Garang and Bol Garang Bol were also involved in similar altercation last year (2011) in a Canberra church, Australia. They encouraged their youngsters to attack Church-goers from communities they had differences of opinion and eventually the church had to be split. In addition mr Atem Dhieu Garang caused a violent confrontation within the Ayual community back in Kakuma, Kenya. Our community is very respectable and well recognised all over Greater Bor region and there is no way we can authorise irresponsible and violent people who lack skills in conflict resolution to act on our behave. Doing so will be in the contravention of our dignity. One of these guys Peter Magai Bul Ayual of John Dau Foundation has been involved in the so-called Jonglei Peace Initiative to bring peace between Dinka, Murle and Nuer communities but what a shame that he’s working against peace and the dismantlement of his own community and Nyuak’s Payam. Can somebody please tell him that “Charity begins at home? Ayual diaspora is working hard to bring development to their citizens that have long suffered neglect and marginalisation like all Southerners under the brutal and genocidal Khartoum’s regimes. However this vision is under a very serious threat because of the actions of these lost folks. We urge Twic community to condemn and hold them responsible in case of a misfortune within Ayual Section. Anglican Church and the freedom to worship This is what we know about Anglican. The birth of the Anglican Church in Twic East, Nyuak Payam in particular was in the watch of every chief in the area. The communities of Nyuak Payam welcomed the Anglican Bishop, Rt Rev. Peter Bol Arok in Wangulei with open arms and few directives. That he (bishop) will occupy only churches where 2 third of the majority agree to be members of the Anglican Church. He was solidly welcomed by many churches in Wangulei and others refused. He was also requested to be given places if rejected in some churches in which one of them is Alieet. See the photo that involved two Bols and many chiefs in recognition of the Anglican Church. The place where the Aliet church is built was fairly given to Anglican Members in 2006 immediately at the reception of the Church itself by owners of the area. Members of the church used to pray in a house built with local materials which were decided to be replaced with concrete building in 2009. Members contributed their money to fulfil the dream and were ready by May this year. However this group together with ex-head chief Bol Manyok conspired to scuttle the church’s construction process. The chief issued an arrest warrant and five persons including three clergy members who are also members of this community were incarcerated for days before they were bailed out. This action stirred a very serious and heated debate especially within the diaspora with overwhelming number condemning the chief’s move. The Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, Part Two Bill of Rights 23 provides for the protection of religious rights. Religious Rights 23. The following religious rights are guaranteed by this Constitution: (a) the right to worship or assemble in connection with any religion or belief and to establish and maintain places for these purposes; (b) the right to establish and maintain appropriate faith-based, charitable or humanitarian institutions; (c) the right to acquire, possess and own movable and/or immovable property and make, acquire and use the necessary articles and materials related to the rites or customs of religion or belief; You can clearly see how the law protects the individual right to worship. However the ex-chief drafted his own laws against the supreme law of the land and ignorantly denied individuals their right to assemble, own places of worship. We acknowledged that the second fighting broke out in Wangulei main church unfortunately but could have been anywhere because the two conflicting communities were already in a fouled mood following the first confrontation which sadly caused death of three brothers from Ayual community. This tragic and fatal event should not be used to attack religious rights and freedoms of other members and we don’t support the view those extremists and troublemakers. Currently the fact remains that all priests who were available at the site are now already under custody to face the judgment in the court of law which will determine their fate (free or guilty verdict). This was interpreted as complete and indefinite shutdown of churches under the umbrella of Anglican our chief. The county administration probably saw that there is a clear injustice being enforced by Chief Bol Manyok and his associates against children, women and elderly who make up the congregation in Alieet. We respect the religious rights and freedoms of other members of the community and condemn an attempt to deny and prosecute individuals based on the religious affiliations. Denial to religious rights and forced Islamism was one of the mistreatment people of South Sudan stood up arms. Recommendations 1. We are kindly requesting our government in Jonglei state to treat the 25 July 2012 petition as a voice of uncooperative ex-head chief Mr Bol Manyok Duot. 2. We urge all local chiefs from Ayual community to embrace and cooperate with the state government policies. 3. Ayual local chiefs should respect and allow Anglican church members to freely practice their right to worship 4. We urge Twic community elders and intellectuals to convince ex-head chief and his group to step down peacefully and let another relative take over. 5. We request the relevant authorities to release ex-head chief from the army if it’s against his will to serve in the national army. 6. The security forces in the area should be vigilant and on alert to avert any violent confrontation. 7. We call upon our brothers who are inciting hatred and preaching violence to immediately cease this kind of reckless behaviour. Nobody will benefit from loss of lives. We strongly denounce it. 8. We urge our media mad brothers to respect the name of our community. Instead of rushing to public websites let discuss issues affecting our community thoroughly first. 9. We ask for the respect of elders and strongly condemn the rude and undisciplined language that was used against the commissioner of Twic Hon. Dau Akoi Jurkuch. Conclusion Your Excellency Kuol Manyang Juuk and Hon. Members, we believe the commissioner is working hard to bring tangible benefits and development to the county and therefore the call for his resignation is not the view of all Ayual community. Twic East County is composed of 5 Payams and we believe the resignation calls by a clan based group would be discarded as they did it against the previous commissioner. Any leader that does not implement the agendas or side with our brothers is “corrupt, irresponsible, out of mind, inexperience, dictatorial, liar” and all kind of insults. We condemn this kind of undiplomatic language used by this group in their petitions against innocent leaders and elders. Ayual community would write a responsible and diplomatic petition calling for the resignation of the commissioner if there was a need for it. We are also stunned and shocked that our frustrated brothers used the names of innocent elders who can’t read or write English to sign their so-called petition. Some of them may have political differences with the commissioner but there is no they will utter insults as done by this diaspora based and supposedly educated authors. This is an attempt to destroy their integrity and reputation. We condemn this way of exposing their good names to public. You brothers seem to have forgotten our philosophy of “wet yiec ngie nga”? Literally meaning who knows what’s in the stomach or inside. Let’s stop portraying as ourselves as a negative and media crazy community if we want to be respected. Written by concerned Ayual members around the world Any question concerning this refute petition can be direct to [email protected] COMMENTS, PLEASE CLICK HERE Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author(s) and do not represent those of the website. -- 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
