Insecurity is a Risk Caused by Poverty: Should We Take Town to People?

It was not until Ms Awut Deng, the ex-minister of Public Service declared the need to pay well the local government administrators working under hardships, in August last year that I have realized how much poverty is slapping us left and right, especially our civil servants, at the lower level of government and those others who have large families to support. Perhaps this is why the grass root is suffering and corruption mounting.

In matters of government services getting closer to the people, it is important that the civil servants, who are supposed to deliver a meaningful service, are paid well. In turn, they will channel the government funds to where they are due and come up with private initiatives to support themselves. They can even join hands to open a private school or clinic. Or else for example, they will use their good salary to open up shops and help other people by bringing goods such as clothes, food etc. closer to them through markets – that is, if the villagers will have the money lent to them through micro finance and other financial cooperatives.

For the past six or so years, rural negligence and lack of development in the rural areas all over South Sudan was caused by corruption due to the lack of government initiative to pay well, the local government administrators. With independence of South Sudan seven months down, we encourage the government to do something to the civil administrators at the grass root before 2016. The civil administrators are slowly getting disappointed. Some will join the private sector that pays good salaries or come back to school in order to fit back into Juba and other higher atmospheres. Some of them have so far started to join hands with the MPs who are also crippled by low pay to misappropriate government funds, such as the Constituency Development Funds or the CDF to help themselves. Way back, I remember a commissioner, who because of little pay, ended up selling grains donated by World Food Programme (WFP) meant for the hunger stricken community down country. He used the money which he got from selling the grains to buy cows. With that crude means, he got married to a beautiful wife. Why did such a local government administrator have to sell the people’s food? Can we blame such a man or hold him accountable? No. He was not paid well and therefore, can he be held accountable? Let me elaborate with a personal story; when I was a small boy, my father’s brother took me from the cattle camp to the one of our many fishing rivers of Apuk Padoc, close to Bentiu in Tonj North County. One day, my uncle had gone fishing. For a whole day, I waited for him to come back. He was supposed to give me something to eat. But he did not come back in time and had not left for me something to eat. After straining with hunger for hours, I took an initiative.  I climbed a tree and pulled out a part of dried fish. I roasted it and ate it. Just as I was about to go to the shore to wash my hands, my uncle arrived. When he was told of what I did, he punished me for stealing. But I was not stealing. He had not served me before he left that morning. That was why I had to serve myself.  If we do not want our civil servants to behave that way, we better pay them well.  To help our people in the remote areas, it is better to serve well those we need to deliver services in those remote areas.

And to pay well the civil servants, it must come with certain conditions. Other bills should be tabled. For instance, a bill to hold the local government administrators accountable for the local revenues they collect. The local government administrators at the grass root, after they are motivated with good salary, they should be followed in the strictest sense, to make sure they do not steal public funds on top of the good salaries they receive. So, for those of us who were in the mood of jubilation over this statement of ‘good pay’ for the people working in remote areas,  we should bear in mind that such a privilege will come with a hook, holding us accountable for embezzlement of public funds.

Dr. John Garang, one might say was not alone when he led SPLA/M in those dark years but prior to his death, he had made some living statements. I am sure; he was alone when he uttered such thoughts. Although such thoughts appeared over looked for selfish reasons for the past six or so years, right now, they are filtering through slowly by slowly like the thoughts of Abraham Lincoln for America. For instance, when he said ‘take town to people’, Dr. Garang did not mean that Juba will be carried on the peoples’ head to the most remote areas of Baris, Madis, Dinkas, and Nuers etc. He exactly meant to say that, the development strategies that will be put in place by the government, will make people see no reason to come and congest themselves in Juba for the sake of better social services. And if you look closely, there are no better services in Juba either. It is heat, narrow roads, dirt and etc. For example, in order to drink clean water, you will have to buy exported water from Uganda. There is no enough energy in the city because the power that is being generated uses fuel or petrol. The common man in South Sudan is still living in pre-1800s European way. For example,  one has to carry two batteries to make sure his phone does not disappoint him while making important phone calls.

For purposes of clarity, let me bring to life three reasons why I think it is important to take town to people:

The widespread distribution of labour: with equal pay at all levels will help put our federation system on a strong putting. All the graduates who come from an area, say Apuk Padoc will go to Akop Centre and campaign for the positions of Payam Administrator, Boma Administrator or Commissioner, or even say governor of Warrap State etc. And this will apply for the rest of the states. This helps us avoid congestion in Juba and will bring less pressure on government. It will also help the peasantry to decide on who to bring to power as the MP, the governor or the president. There will be no reason to impose candidates on the people.

The civic education will be automatic:  many educated people in the villages getting similar services as their counterparts in Juba will educate people in their villages on the need to be peaceful; to engage in business enterprises; to respect the police and the law, and also to know one’s rights to vote and to good life. With time, everyone will be engaged in businesses and there will be no time for tribal violence. With businesses rising, people will be calmer, bearing customer attraction and customer service in mind.

Agricultural projects will be enhanced. People will be engaged in agriculture and since they are educated people, they will use modern agriculture systems. With time, everyone will be a modern agriculturalist in the village. And with plenty of food, birth rates will increase and the government will become popular.  By 2016, the SPLM-DC will have nothing to say about low development and corruption and Salva Kiir Mayardit will have no need to rig votes. The changes he has brought, by taking town to people have had a substantial ground!  The commitment of the civil service who is well paid and other services that have accidentally cropped up in the remote areas will make life easy for everyone. Those who do not have anything will be forced to work hard by the neighbour’s progress. With time, South Sudan will be a better place to live in.

Email:akuotgoor55@gmail.com