From a calmer mind than mine: This issue of South Sudan not having enough qualified and skilled workforce has always been overplayed. Sometimes government officials use it to justify their lackluster productivity and mediocre performance, foreign corporations use it as a ploy to import their workforce from their own countries, donor countries and aid agencies join the dance and repeat the mantra just because they do not know better and the East African workforce become cocky, seeing their jobs in South Sudan as their right by title. But when the government issues abrupt circulars as a way to challenge this sad state of affairs, they do it in a reactionary way, not the meticulous, legal and sovereign manner that informs these foreign workforce of their rights and obligations. The result is that Kenyan media goes wild saying that we are expelling the Kenyans, contrary to what the circular actually says. It is also possible that the circular will be locally abused and applied wrongly such that it could escalate to a diplomatic wrangle and South Sudan would be reigned upon to retract the order in the end and nothing will have been accomplished, no chances for South Sudanese to get employment, no laws in place, and anti-foreigner sentiments will rile up more young people who feel excluded from the gains of independent statehood. Jok Madut Jok (Sudd Institute) Let me add here these comments: GoSS and in particular SPLM needs to have a cohesive policy, a wider view... we applied for EAC... we were rejected... now we are on the verge of being accepted... and we pull this move? There are no omelettes without breaking eggs... cars do not hit 160Kph starting in 5th gear... you have to use 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively... Whilst we know most NGOs and donor projects fail... DFID, USAID, CBTF, JDT, GIZ, UNDP MDTF, the amounts wasted are legendary... and the only contribution they make to RoSS is in our beds and in our bars... There is no denying WFP, OLS, MSF, IOM, ICRC, (even VSF) and the giant amongst them all - NPA kept SS alive and fed, till independence. NPA, USA will not leave RoSS... China will never stop buying our oil... so RoSS has a chance to consolidate, refocus and improve... kick out the bad eggs (no names mentioned here PACT!!!) but step by step, stage by stage - there are many Junubi better educated and more knowledgeable than me, even warmonger Gat-kier Machar when he is not screaming KILLLLLLL like a wailing banshee is sensible... so calm down, take a deep breath, and start the process of eliminating the bad eggs one by one, do not throw the baby out with the bathwater! Daniella, Ruay Deng, Deng, Deng, Akol, Suzanne, Wek, Roshan, Lual, Beck,
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 18:39:51 +0000