“A PUBLIC RESPONSE” By Machar’s Former Spokesman
By James Gatdet Dak,
April 4, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — A clarification on my job…First, I am doing fine… I want to publicly and briefly respond to the ongoing public social media topic of discussions about my lack of a ministerial position in the R-TGoNU.
I have tried to ignore that for a very long time but because the topical postings have persisted on social media, I thought it would be good to inform or clarify it, lest some may fish in its seemingly murky water to try to make a point.
Well, in preview, I did not apply for one of the scarce ministerial positions!😂
James Gatdet Dak, former Spokesman of Dr. Riek Machar Teny(Photo credit: profile)
Many people for months now—since February—have been sending me private messages. They have been asking me why I had not been appointed as a minister. They questioned and criticized almost everything in the selection or nomination processes for the appointments.
“If you don’t yell and kick like others, you would not be appointed to a high political position. People are grabbing positions,” they would also tell me. I kept on replying to them privately, telling them that there is “next time”, and that I might have a different interest apart from being a minister or MP.
I also told them that I have not been removed from my previous position as Official Spokesman or Press Secretary, only that I felt I wanted to change this role. I have discussed it with the leadership.
Of course, for different reasons, majority of those who have been communicating with me do not want me to return to this previous role as Press Secretary. Some say I should be promoted. Some say the position of Press Secretary is risky and has no money. Unless I get appointed to a high political position, I may not get money to take care of my family, etc., they told me. You cannot even build a decent house or buy a private car for your family, they say. A very familiar concern, right?😂
I am not however sure if other Press Secretaries in other institutions or countries will agree with the above concern or assessment. Some seem to be better off.😂
Well, I tried to manage those private communications ‘privately.’
However, what has now prompted me to respond publicly today is the continuous public postings on social media since February about the lack of a high political position.
Some people make it a topic for discussions on their respective facebook timelines. Some do it out of a genuine concern and sympathy, but others do it out of a mockery and agitation.
Repeated questions like: “Why is James Gatdet Dak left out of the cabinet? Why instead appointed some less qualified people? Why not considered the suffering he went through? What is the criteria used in selecting individuals for the positions, etc?
They could not even ask me what my interests are!!!
On the other hand, my family or children also want me to visit them first or stay with them for sometime in a far place after many years of not seeing them or supporting them as a bread winner.
Well, I thank all those who genuinely wished me a “High Political” position. But I always say there is “next time.” No rush!
Sarcastically, can someone tell me when the Republic of South Sudan 🇸🇸 will come to an end, so that people rush for ministerial positions before the dateline!? I guess not. It shall remain for hundreds of years if not thousands of years.
If you are a diehard politician, and you don’t become a minister this time, or even during your whole lifetime, maybe your child or grandchild will, in case you pass that politically charged gene and ambition to the child. 😂 Take it easy!
And besides, there is plenty of ‘political luck’ in South Sudan.😂
And for those of ‘lucky you’ who have accumulated money, why not do some private business or go and farm in your villages? Why stir up dust?
I can even become a preacher in a church, or run a charity organization to help the poor if I had the material wealth! Is that not a high calling more than politics?
I am one of those who think that having no high political position should not make one a disgruntled element, and begin to curse others unnecessarily. Life is not about political positions.
And for now, the focus seems to be on combating the coronavirus (Covid-19), and rightly so.
Sorry if I have disappointed friends and facebook friends who had high expectations about me. Please understand that there is always next time.
To me, and in the case of South Sudan, peace matters the most, even without a high political position.
James Gatdet Dak is a former Spokesman of Dr. Riek Machar Teny, he can be reached through his email at gatdetdak2013@gmail.com
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