They are being truly tested nowadays. Is the church teaching them? Are parents talking about good behaviour and respect for others? What has shifted? Where is the fear of the lord? Where is the fear of being cursed if one doesn't esteem their elders or vulnerable people?
No wonder our country is no longer progressing. The youths are our nation's backbone, but they are proud and busy debating things with no marginal benefits. No wonder the government is falling.
The nation has failed to progress because institutions refuse to hire competent employees. We should employ our best and pay them well; this will help control the brain drain. Today people fear sharing ideas that can benefit the nation because they worry that they will be taken out of context. The practice of hiring and firing without explanation or justification is facilitating corruption and misappropriating funds. Employees can’t be blamed because they worry about being removed from their position and losing their bonus. They are employed today and tomorrow they are out. There is no job security so they chose to steal money from the institutions.
While at the SRRC Nairobi, Kenyan office, I had a meeting about the May16th celebration, which was organised under my leadership when I was the chairman of the New Sudan Student's Union in Kitale. In 2005, my maternal uncle, the late Elijah Malok, received a phone call in which I heard him warn Kenyan government officials that South Sudan is not an extension of Kenya. This was because the government under President Mwai Kibaki wanted most of the staff to go to South Sudan under the pretext of ‘capacity building’. Elijah told them that there were only a few positions in South Sudan for foreigners, such as truck drivers and doctors.
In another discussion, the Honorable Kuol Manyang and I had a fruitful meeting. We agreed to keep people from different countries from taking over the private sector because our diasporas would be potential investors. Dr. John Garang had the same view. However, as per the records, the private sector in South Sudan is run by non-South Sudanese, which is why young people stay without a job. I shared the same concerns with my maternal uncle, Elijah, immediately after the death of my other maternal uncle, Dr. John Garang. He agreed that lost boys/girls were the potential investors. How do you attract the diaspora fronts to invest in a country while insecurity is everywhere, and opportunities are taken by non-South Sudanese and a few generals in uniforms?
We should feel free to express ourselves and explore new ideas to improve the private sector. South Sudan is wealthy, and we must fund educational institutes for research and development. The private sector must be given a chance. I want youths to quit playing games and start doing what will bring food to the table.
South Sudan can benefit from youths who have acquired knowledge in various countries. They must be given a chance without fear and intimidation. We should free our journalists and let them do their job without arm-twisting and constraints. Otherwise, it is unappealing and dangerous to be a South Sudanese newsperson.
26 years later, many South Sudanese and I are still out of the country. God of the people, ancestral God, we need peace and prosperity.
