OPINION:Open letter to Madam Angelina Thomas Kuma Khan Jal

March 20, 2020 Opinions

My humble advice: Why Angelina Thomas Kuma Khan Must Resign from ministry of defense with Immediate Effect for the wishes of this peace agreement to become successful

By Kuong Ruach Jany,

Hon Angelina Teny, the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs

March 20, 2020(SSNN) — I am hereby advising Madam Angelina Thomas Kuma Khan Jal to resign from her new ministerial post with immediate effect. A move like that is not something new, the recent changed in the Republic of Sudan could have taught us a good lesson. When the former minister of defense of the Sudan, Awad Ibn ouf chairman of the Military Council of Sudan, immediately resigned from his new position as an interim Military Council of Sudan, due to the reaction of Sudanese populace and this became the success of the Sudanese revolution. For Angelina persistence to remain on the position will total be a recipe to the failure of peace agreement and disintegration of the Movement, SPLM/A-IO and as a result may lead to obliteration of the R-ARCSS and the safety of the SPLM/A-IO Leadership in Juba.

Angelina position in the Movement IO, as the chairperson of the National Security Committee has been the problem and was subject to criticism’, this slipped the vision of Dr Riek Machar since, not doing anything about it till now, having Angelina Thomas being the chair of security Committee of SPLM/A-IO without good reason. Many of us including the SPLM/A-IO, commented and advised Dr Riek of inappropriateness of that selection to the leadership and is contrary to the objectives of the movement and the fight against corruption and nepotism, Ignoring the move, has played a major reluctances and checked the sharpness of the leadership and became a disaster for the movement and bypassed the foresight and future calculation in how this lead to success rather a disaster for implementation of the peace agreement. The Angelina issue in the movement had caused the movement dearly. Many members quitted and defected from the movement IO as Angelina was insensitive about it and moved on.

It is not healthy and advisable for Angelina being a wife of the chairman, taking advantage for a sensitive position in the movement SPLM/A-IO. None of the liberators in the liberation struggle has not done this only for the first time with Angelina. Taken from Dr John Garange de Mabior as Mama Rebecka Nyandeng de Mabior concern, could only assisted him. Bill Clinton with Hillary Clinton had to wait till Bill Clinton tenure end, the same of Michelle Obama. Madam Angelina had the best quality as a strong woman to assist her husband Dr Riek Machar all the time, but not to be an inheritor or a successor of Dr Riek himself. Great leaders were brought down by their wives, because they were insensitive about how their wives behave and could destroyed their legacies. The Great leaders of Africa, the most educated president Robert Mugabe legacy was brought down by his wife Grace Mugabe, Angelina move is similar to that and totally, will cause Dr Riek Machar his legacy if not his life.

We had been critiquing the government of corruption and nepotism but the Angelina moves had go beyond normal. The SPLM/A-IO was born to bring a total change of political system and good governance in the Republic of South Sudan and cannot be derailed by such decisions. It says ‘’behind a strong man is a strong woman’’, Angelina reversed that say now and Dr Riek Machar legacy is in jeopardy and will be weaken by Angelina ambition for just to being fame. With this my advice to Madam Angelina Thomas must resign within 48 hours with due without delay. The leadership must review the list and reverse the outcome of this crises, it is not only Angelina postion that is irritating but the entire selection list seem not to be as the result of consultation of Dr Riek Machar which delayed the announcement of the national unity government. This move of Angelina appointment to the ministry of defense is a recipe and a catalysts of destruction of the R-ARCSS. President Kiir should put on hold all these wrangling that will weaken the peace itself. Such type of outcome was not the work of Dr Riek himself, by Angelina to the ministry of defense and other selected ministries. Angelina turned around and came up with this list she generated by herself. This list of IO is not the trends of wider consultation made by Dr Riek Machar to the IO populace prior to the announcement of names decreed by the president Kiir.

If this behave cannot be stopped and discourage, The R-ARCSS will be gone to the dustbin, it seems the security arrangement which was the hope for all the IO supporters, expected to be the most appropriate objectives if implement, may not take place which will be the failure of the peace agreement, and the blame should not go to Dr Riek Machar but Angelina Thomas. Many generals from IOs defected to the government, well there is only one government of the National Unity, and there is no need of exchanging sides any longer. President Salva Kiir Mayardit should co-operate and discourage such mass defection for that melt down the peace agreement and vis versa to IO as well. The government of president Kiir should obey the agreement and discourage any crisscrossing declaration to the government or to the IO, which make no sense as there will be only one government one country one people.

I appeal to all the SPLM/A-IO not to resign, by doing so you are not helping the peace agreement, rather being part of failure of R-ARCSS. Angelina Thomas must resign without delayed and all the comrades, Generals led by General James Koang Chuol Ranley and other Generals who defected to the government of Kiir Mayardit due to their disappointment and accusation of SPLM/A-IO being a family enterprise should reverse their decisions of their resignations and declare annexation to SPLM/A-IO, and Dr Riek Machar, the chairman and C-IN-C to apologised to all the defected generals and accept their reinstatements.

Angelina move has repeated itself from 2016 when Taban Deng Gai was sanctioned from his senior reward for a senior position, instead a position not of his choice by Angelina changing the list and as a result at the last hour.

Resigning and defection from IO because of Angelina move would only help destroying the peace agreement therefore becomes a disaster. All the military leadership and political members of IO should remain focus and do not loses track, stick together under the spirit of the SPLM/A-IO for the implementation of the R-ARCSS

This peace agreement was backup and driven by the UN, AU, IGAD and IGAD PLUS and should not be left to the warring parties to dismantle it as they wish like the 2015 one, but pressure the parties to be serious and not to balance the blame on them as usual, where some of the parties get away with it by wrecking the peace without having political will for the implementation.

I have strongly taken this position as a son of Dok-Nuer and an advisor on Political Parties Affairs in SPLM/A-IO. For more information on this article, you can reach me through my email at penjoktong@hotmail.com and I will welcome any query that maybe.

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