By Pal Chol Nyan*
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| South Sudan's minister of petroleum. Picture by Reuters |
The President is under siege by his own inner circle. They are taking him for a long ride. They work hard to display him to the world negatively. The recent statement by one of his ministers is very disappointing and must be treated with the contempt it deserves. The very man whose own economy is booming seems to have forgotten that there are kids scavenging over left-overs, people concentrated in UN camps, mothers embracing kids begging and so on and so forth. Is that how a country with an economic boom looks like?
I believe His Excellency, the president, is not in the know about what has been said. It goes without saying that the president has, on different occasions, made it public that there is an economic crisis and that he is working around the clock to strike a deal with the opposition for peace to come. What begs the question is that, if the Head of State admits that there is economic collapse; how is it that one of his ministers countered him by saying that the economy is booming?
I thought the minister was going to tell us about the environmental hazards in the oil-producing areas and how to combat them. There are cases of deformities seen in babies and reports by the local authorities there that there is a public health concern. It shouldn't also be a one-man show to address it. The Ministries of Health and Environment need to be consulted and involved. It is causing biological hazards.
The inflammatory statement by somebody, who has guaranteed his food security for as long as he lives on earth, is an insult to those who sleep with empty stomachs, literally sleeping with our hands. The government employees go for months without salaries and parents cannot pay school fees. Where is his booming economy if I can ask?
I don't want to talk about the expansion of the government or that people are incited to go to refugees camps. It is just about preaching to the converted. It is time to work collectively to bring peace to the country. Your happiness is yours.
He or she who says that the economy is booming is celebrating the sufferings of the masses of South Sudan who cannot even afford a meal. There is nothing booming; what is booming are bombs outbursts and wave of rebellions.
Stop discussing or defending positions. Bring peace now and the economy will be booming in the real sense of the word.
The author is reachable @palcholnyan2016 @gmail.com
