Jikany-Nuer community accuse SSRRC chairperson of “lying” on their behalf
ArticleComments (1) EmailPrintSave May 1, 2013 (JUBA) – Members Jikany-Nuer community in Juba including lawmakers at the national legislature have described as "desperate lies” a statement issued by Peter Lam Both after their meeting with president Salva Kiir. South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir (R) and South Sudan’s Vice President Riek Machar (L) listen during the announcement of the results of the voting in Sudan, January 30, 2011 (Reuters) Peter Lam Both, the current chairperson of the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC), made a statement on the state-owned South Sudan TV on Wednesday, accusing the vice-president Riek Machar of evoking the “problem” with Kiir. Both, who made the remarks shortly after the community leaders met with President Kiir on Wednesday, did not give details on why he thought VP Machar was the trouble maker. But Both was likely alluding to reports of the unfolding controversy within the ruling Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) regarding the party chairmanship. The SPLM has been preparing to hold its convention this year in which it will either confirm Kiir as its chairman or decide to elect a new chairperson who will also run in the 2015 presidential elections on the party’s ticket. Machar, who is also the SPLM deputy chairperson, declared his intention in the last SPLM Politburo meeting to compete for the party’s top post while also criticizing Kiir for what he described as his failure to provide guidance and vision to the party. The VP also rapped his boss for being unable to navigate the nation through the state-building process as the ship’s captain by not tackling the rampant corruption, overwhelming insecurity, poor economy, tribalism and ineffective international relations among others. Machar’s unusual criticism is widely believed to have prompted Kiir to issue an order last month withdrawing all unspecified “delegated powers” which were previously given to his deputy. The Jikany-Nuer community, disturbed by the ongoing political atmosphere, called its members for a meeting which took place on April 21. The participants adopted a resolution calling on Kiir and Machar to play peaceful politics and prevent a leadership crisis. Among the attendees was Gatluak Riek Jaak, one of the Jikany-Nuer members in parliament who represents SPLM in Maiwut county. MP Jaak dismissed Both’s statement made on TV stressing that it did not reflect what was actually discussed with the president. “We were surprised to hear the unfortunate statement by Peter Lam Both on SSTV, falsifying our resolution. His statement was untrue and [only] represented his personal view, not the position of the community,” Jaak said. He said the community’s decision only called on the two leaders to confine their politics to the party arena without involving the army or polarizing communities in South Sudan and not to allow the usual party politics to affect their constitutional duties. MP Jaak noted that Both was merely a presidential appointee who neither represents an administrative constituency in the Jikany-Nuer community nor holds a community position in Juba. “Peter Lam might have been tempted to mislead the community and the general public with the hope that he may see favor in the eyes of the president and get a ministerial position in the next expected reshuffle,” MP Jaak said when asked about what could have prompted Both to make this statement. Another MP in Juba parliament, Chuol Char Deng, who represents Nasir county of Jikany-Nuer community and also attended the meeting with Kiir, told Sudan Tribune that the resolutions they presented to Kiir carried no accusations against the president or his deputy. He described Both’s statement as "very misleading". MP Char who availed to Sudan Tribune a copy of the communiques they presented to the president during their meeting with him, said he was surprised that the “self-appointed” Both, dared to make untrue remarks on behalf of the community. Char further explained that the resolutions were signed by the chairperson of the community David Koak Guok and Secretary General John Wiyual Nguot, who should have been the ones with the capacity to speak on behalf of Jikany-Nuer community if needed. Koak and Nguot, in response said they were disturbed by Both’s “irresponsible” move. The Jikany-Nuer community after meeting Kiir had also planned to meet the Machar in the next few days to present to him a copy of the same resolution, he said. In reaction to the statement after hearing it on SSTV a community member in Juba, Duol Tot, also accused Peter Lam of misleading the public. “I am not surprised that Peter Lam came up with such a misleading statement as there are rumors of an imminent cabinet reshuffle by the president," Tot said. "Somebody like Lam may take the opportunity to pretend that he is a loyalist to the president in order to get a ministerial position. These are some of the people who will continue to mislead our president and cause him to miss true public opinion if he listens to them,” he said. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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