President Kiir’s refusal to work with Dr. Riek Machar is letting down South Sudan

By Apioth Mayom Apioth, North Dakota, USA

“IGAD feels there are little acts of insubordination by Machar towards the president which will create another problem if they are forced to work together. They have to agree to work together on their own. In the United States, the law is such that the party leader or the president is allowed to pick his own Vice President. That allows him to pick the person that works well with him. They know through experience, that you can’t have two competitors for the top job being president and vice president. It hardly works. You can’t force it either. A Vice President is someone who is happy to play the number two role. Dr. Riek Machar doesn’t like that role hence his issues with President Kiir. So the real issue was not a tribal one, it’s just two people that don’t work well together.

 

Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) — It is essential for our dear leader Salva Kiir to create a conducive working relationship with Riek Machar because our lives might just depend on it. Politics unlike culture which takes an enormous amount of time to make a substantial change is an emotional animal. It changes from one second to the next without sending a warning signal. Riek Machar has been in this galactic political arena for over thirty years.

He was first believed to be a spiritual anointed leader by Ngundeng, and now he has become the leading opposition figure in the land. Political success just doesn’t happen by pure luck and serendipitous wishful thinking. An intelligent political thinker must first and foremost play his/her cards of wins and losses very well; he/she must at all times knows that she would never win all her initiated games; that is why it is always essential to be a shrewd schemer whose game plans are hard to shake off.

 Is Salva Kiir afraid of losing the presidency to Riek Machar comes the end of the transitional period? Is that why he is refusing to share a spotlight with Riek Machar in the Transitional government? Another essential element that an intelligent political thinker must control at all times is the political sentiment. Political sentiment is another emotional animal that must continuously be fed by consistently doing good deeds to the general populace.

The Legal Implications of UN Sanctions on the Republic of South Sudan

By Tong Kot Kuocnin, Nairobi, Kenya

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Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) — As the conflict in South Sudan continues unabated, the international community in collaboration with regional blocs led by the IGAD, took central stage in bringing together the warring parties to a negotiated political settlement of the conflict.

However, given the inability of the parties to the conflict to strike a sustainable and implementable peace to alleviate and lessen the suffering of the vulnerable people, mostly children, women and elderly people, the international community has embark on the use of threats of arms embargo, individual and economic sanctions as well as freezing the accounts and assets of the parties involved in the conflict.

The US has been leading this crusade of sanctioning individuals from both parties to the conflict who have been seen as obstacles to peace as a punishment mechanism to deter frighten them as well as a hammer to forcefully persuade those peace destroyers.

The central theme of this article is to analyze the legality, implications and effects of sanctions under the UN Charter taking South Sudan as a case study.     

From Seiri to Shitsuke: The Secrets to Japan Enterprises’ Success

By Morris Madut Kon, Kyoto, Japan

Pyramid Continental Hotel, Juba, South Sudan; photo by Emmanuel Ariech Deng

 

Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) — Japan is regarded as one of the world’s most innovative nations. Its dominant automobile industries lead in the developed world and their auto-products are conspicuously present in all the corners of the earth; from the famous Pennsylvania Avenue of Washington DC to Ayien Amuol Village of Twic State, “the car in front is always a Toyota”. Needless to say, Japan hasn’t always been where it is today, and their enterprises haven’t always been successful, not until they decided to incorporate the idea of “Kaizen Philosophy” or “continuous improvement” and the FIVE “S” in their management systems…and as we shall see below, South Sudan enterprises, like the rest of the world, have a lot to learn from this philosophy.

The 5S method is a tool for continuous improvement in “lean management” processes, whose task is to create a highly efficient, clean, and comfortable working environment. It is a collection of 5 simple guidelines that allows you to control the workplace visually. Enshrined in Japanese philosophy, the 5S tool encompasses five basic elements: Seiri (selection), Seiton (systematization), Seiso (shining), Seiketsu (standardization) and Shitsuke (self-discipline).

Contextualizing the Legal Underpinnings of Federalism Debate in South Sudan

By Tong Kot Kuocnin, Nairobi, Kenya

Do Not Confuse a Camouflaged Call for Confederation for Call Federalism

Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) — As South Sudan slipped back to war in 2013, the debate on federal system of government resurface once again as it went silent when the country gained her independence in July 2011.

This incessant debate has again been triggered by the fact that many South Sudanese leaders who have swallowed these bitter pills when the region was struggling to succeed from the north have felt unease with the way the country was being governed.

This debate on the system of governance in the country has been fueled by the continuous transitional periods which began shortly after the country’s independence from the North in July 2011 although certain elements of federalism appears to have been enshrined in the transitional constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011.

In this article, I shall labour to bring to fore, the contextual understanding of the legal underpinnings of federal debate in South Sudan, which, according to many South Sudanese is the best pill to do away with imbalances many claims have been besetting South Sudan.

Why the Bretton Woods Institutions Need Policy Re-alignment in Africa

The Changing Realities of African States: Why the Bretton Woods Institutions Need Policy Re-alignment

By Morris Madut Kon, Kyoto, Japan

The true size of Africa

Introduction

Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) — In the aftermath of a devastating World War II, nations were left crippled by debts, overspending in acquisition of military hardware and hence barely able to stand on their feet. There was a desperate need for reconstruction and restoration of international trade flows. An urgent meeting dubbed United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference (better known as the Bretton Woods Conference- named after a US town in New Hampshire where talks took place) was convened between July 1^st and 22^nd, 1944, attended by representatives from 44 countries.

The United States delegation was headed by Henry Morgenthau and Harry White, the British delegation by Lord John Maynard Keynes. These two delegations directed the work of the Conference and their countries maintained a significant influence on the institutions. While most of the proposals initially put forth were ultimately abandoned, one of the them saw the light of the day, id est, the creation of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), otherwise known as World Bank.

An Open letter to the Commissioner General of South Sudan National Revenue Authority

Dear Dr. Attipoe Olympio, there is a need for your administration to base the recruitment of 600 employees on merits and qualifications

Congrats to the Central Bank of South Sudan (BOSS) for the timely introduction of the brand new 500 note – say what you may, but it will surely reduce the risky business of carry huge sacks of 5ssp and 10ssp and 20ssp around Juba, which often attract the dangerous attention of the unknown gunmen and the dogged creditors. FREE AT LAST

Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) — First and foremost, allow me to appreciate the steps and efforts which you have taken in reforming the non oil sector in South Sudan. The steps and initiatives that you are undertaking will lead to immediate reform of our non oil sector if implemented. We the youth have commended your efforts to develop the economic sector of the young developing nation.

Your appointment to the position of Commissioner General of South Sudan National Revenue Authority is a key step towards economic reform since you are an expert who has experiences in the similar field and therefore we wish you a successful and prosperous period in the office.

Dear Dr. Attipoe Olympio, I really appreciated you for announcing the intention to recruit over 600 employees to work in South Sudan National Revenue Authority. The announcement which you have made to the public has indicated that you are an anti-corruption official who is sincere and open in carrying out the national duties.

An open Letter to the people of South Sudan

By Awuol Gabriel Arok, Juba, South Sudan

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Monday, June 25, 2018 (PW) —National dignity and respect are the costless tools that can reshape and guide South Sudanese into prosperous South Sudan.

In a every social setting, respect and acknowledgement of good work done enhance social cohesiveness and progress, it is a core responsibility of the citizens to respect their Leaders, the Army and the Organized Forces in order to foster team work, accomplishments and importantly for complimentary and smooth wheeling of national unity which must also be reciprocated to the civilians.

It is therefore, depressing and cheerless when leaders bunch themselves according to interests, if there is a significant call for such than it is the local representatives who can do so in line with nationalization of national resources and services, unfortunately when the leaders at  the national level troop themselves according to their areas of origin and constituencies the furthest the citizens are scatter and divided among the political shelves.

Peace with Shared Sovereignty: IGAD has Finally Decided

By David Mayen Dengdit, Denver-Colorado, USA

Sunday, June 24, 2018 (PW) — In the last couple of weeks the citizens of South Sudan have been taken through hope and despair by the country’s politicians. After the abysmal failure of IGAD Revitalization Forum (and its unscrupulous envoys) to build a consensus among bitter members of the warring parties, heads of state have now taken over. Instead of those useless talks, the new initiative by IGAD’s heads of state and government decided to force a face-to-face meeting between the main protagonists in South Sudan’s senseless civil war, President Kiir and Dr. Riek.

Before the face to face meeting was held a few days ago, IGAD countries had bizarrely scrambled over which of them should have the honor of hosting that “breakthrough” meeting.  Addis, Khartoum, and Nairobi all had sought to host the meeting which eventually fell to Addis first, Khartoum second, and Nairobi third, in that precise sequence. Kampala, where final decisions are taken, has hosted the two leaders before, so it is not in the race.

South Sudan Peace Revitalization should strengthen Separation of Powers

By Roger Alfred Yoron Modi, Kampala, Uganda

Sunday, June 24, 2018 (PW) — This week, IGAD released a “Revised Bridging Proposal” on the High-Level Revitalization Forum HLRF of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan ARCSS.

The proposal provides that governance during the next Transitional Period shall be guided by principles and considerations including separation of powers and functions between the legislative, executive and judicial arms of government, as well as maintaining effective checks and balances in the exercise of executive power.

The principles and considerations in the “Bridging Proposal” are indeed steps in the right direction. However, they are not enough. More explicit provisos for their effective realization should be included.

The State of Separation of Powers in South Sudan

Separation of Powers is a fundamental doctrine of constitutional law requiring that the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government be kept separate to prevent abuse of power. The rationale is also to have each branch possessing certain powers so as to check and balance the rest of the branches. No branch is to infringe upon the powers of the other.