By Adv. Juma Mabor Marial
Nairobi, Kenya.
Sometimes, people have to be honest and avoid emotional reactions to the extend of exaggerating the whole situation.
I have been reading a number of disenfranchising social media messages since the sacking of Dominic Majok Makuei yesterday from his 1st Undersecretary docket at the Ministry of Trade and Industry with most of the Commentators from my community alluding to the theory that his sacking is deliberately made to humiliate not only him but Agaar as a community.
Yes, three weeks minus weekends of service after appointment is such a very limited time (two weeks) as per the common practice but this should not be construed to mean that his removal is made on the basis of trying to humiliate him and/or the entire Agaar community.
There could be more unknown circumstances surrounding his limited term of service than all of us could guess!
Looking at the recent and current appointments, Agaar more than any other community in Lakes State (Wulu, Yirol and Cueibet) have got the lion chair in Kiir’s government including the powerful Ministry of Finance and Planning which is being headed by two Agaar (Dr. Marial Dongrin and Muolana Agok Makur), the many undersecretaries like Muolana Beny Gideon, Dr. Kuyok, Amer Mangar Majak, former Undersecretaries Hon. Kuol Ayulo and now Hon. Dominic Majok. The former Deputy Minister David Marial Gumke and different Advisers at different Ministries from Rumbek not forgetting Commissions and other important government Parastals which if add together, can make Agaar Community more represented more than any other community in our state and therefore the argument that Agaar are being targeted and mistreated in Kiir’s regime is in my conviction a misplaced anger.
Our disunity and/or lack of community organization can be blamed as one of the reasons why some things happen to our surprise but again this is an internal conversation that we should have instead of finding scapegoat in the President who has by all accounts extended to our community the longest olive branch which should in essence makes other neighboring communities within our state and/or South Sudan jealouse.
Going forward, I appeal to all of us to one, avoid using Dominic as a sacrificial lamb to unleash our individual grievances against the President to the limelight because political changes are normal routine in the game of politics and Dominic is by now conversant with this since he is already a baptized politician ( should be a Civil Servant but in our context, Undersecretaries are also called/themselves Politicians) no matter the time he has spent in the corridors of politics;
Secondly, let’s separate issues, any disunity among Agaar should be addressed separately instead of mixing it up with the recent developments, last but not the least, let’s continue to lobby for more positions instead of concentrating on some of the positions that our own people holds because as Jesus said, in my father’s house, there are many rooms, the same applies with the government, there are also more positions that can take all of us based on our competences.
Furthermore, I wish to advise my brother (in fact my Counsin) Dominic Majok to dissociate himself with this cheap narrative that he has been sacked by the president because he is Agaar or he is being humiliated. Politics is a game of ups and downs and whatever has happened maybe another concrete stepping stone on your brighter political career. So keep in there and remain steadfast.
In conclusion, Kiir loves Agaar and that is why he has continue to appoint them into all very strategic positions in his government from 2005 until now. Let’s not undermine the good gesture that he has demonstrated to us through our own prejudices.
