By: Mr. Aduoljohk, W. Makuek, Juba

September 15;

Our partners in development are part and parcel of corruption in Southern Sudan. Any deal on misappropriation of funds in public offices, nepotism, regionalism, internationalism and sectionalism are pure corruption sources that shouldn’t be left out and must be dealt with at all levels.

In Southern Sudan, it’s not uncommon to see a consultant in every Government Ministry as an advisor: many and I wonder what do they advice when our public is suffering in all aspects of basic needs and most crucially, on roads, Health, Education, Finance Ministry-- where a Taxation Department has been in existence without functions for the last three years now and no Tax Bill draft yet?

Revenue sources are dearly sought on daily basis for the badly need services and for developing Southern Sudan tattered infrastructure, institutions and the lives of people shattered during the twenty two years of the conflict.

A colleague told me that we, the NGOs, UN agencies and partners in development don’t completely give anything to any nation that is emerging from conflict, but rather we soil our hands by providing two to three computers to each core Ministry of the Government and that is all. "We just soil our hands and give lip services," as former UN Secretary General Kofi Anan admittedly said it in his farewell Speech.

When people are employed based on internationalism, regionalism, and sectionalism, shall the intended group of people benefit from what was meant for them?

Every corner of the NGO organizations, companies’ enterprises, partners in development are foreigner employees who are employed on nepotism, internationalism, regionalism and sectionalism. For instance, if a company comes from US, its employees are predominately from US, Europe the same, middle East, Asia and of course Africa for their imitation pursuit to catch up with the world of the 21st Century.

Time has come that all five fingers should be pointed at those who are making our development Projects delayed or none existent, as well as spending the little funds from pure and wholehearted donors in tented Juba Hotels, Wau, Malakal, Rumbek and elsewhere in the South; fuelling their executive cars that tatter the little infrastructure of Juba and other Southern towns on marrum roads.

Paper work and fabricated rooms are what our Development partners are busy doing in all our cities and towns.

It’s a common phenomenon that GOSS Institutional structures are not strengthened to deal with the badly needed basic social services in all its aspects at all levels. Should GOSS only shoulder the blame? NO.

The world at large is aware of the state of Southern Sudan as Late Dr. John Garang put it during the Olso, Norway, Donors Conference in 2005, that “Southern Sudan has never had any tarmac roads since creation.” Many analysts, journalists, economists, well-wishers have described Southern Sudan as a desperate state that that world has ever witnessed. These groups have accused GOSS of enormous corruption when the GOSS President has openly said “zero tolerance to corruption” in his administration that starts from nothing.

Our partners in development have too taken an advantage of the current state to sabotage or spend what was given to them to assist such a situation in good faith to paying their so called consultants triple salaries than any consultant elsewhere in the world could be paid for consultation.

Sudan is not the only country in the world that has been devastated by civil war but among those other countries of Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe. If all consultants are paid salaries that range from US $ 15,000 to US $ 25,000 as net pay per month, countless benefits, holiday and R & R leaves and weekly flights to Nairobi, Kampala and other places and accommodation in tented Hotels in Juba that exceeds world common imagination of tent renting, what would be left for development then?

On the 26th August 2007, an MP of Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly was quoted as sayin, “Southern Sudan needs Laws and bills desperately to promptly narrow the vacuum created by civil strife for the last 22 years.” He went further to blame Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development for delaying the needed Laws and Bills. Judiciary of Southern Sudan could not tackle the rebellious situations created during the conflicts in Sudan and South in particular where ethnic (tribal) clashes are on daily panorama.

Can both Institutions of GOSS continue being finger-pointed at as the sources of all the jammed prisons with people having murdered or caused social crimes over Southern Sudan and most especially in Lakes State, Warrap State and Jonglei State where cattle raiding became the source of clashes?

In our midst are our partners in assistance or support who have a hand in our despair and among them are all companies that are contracted by GOSS for service delivery especially roads as is witnessed in Juba city roads being daily leveled.

All USAID contractors of Louis Berger Group that advice Ministry of Roads and Transport on modern road building and Bearing Point ECA Ltd which is also entrusted in strengthening core Institutional Structures of GOSS such as Legal Affairs which should have trained Ministry personnel in Legalization to draft the needy Laws, bills of Labor that should have set guiding principles on employment for both internationals and nationals in both private and Government sectors in Labor, Public Service and Human Resources Development Ministry, Bank of Southern Sudan (BOSS) in setting Conventional Banking system that should be directing all private banks that are randomly situated in Southern Sudan without any direction, Information and Broadcasting Ministry that should have inserted an article that protects Journalists in their quest to guide against public interest being taken off their way, Finance Ministry where the national taxes go into individuals’ pockets because there is no bill that should guide against the collection of taxes in every direction of the South.

Tax Exemption letters are given even to the companies known, 2005, 2006 Budget called " BLOCK GRANTS, accumulating Ministry budget approved where there was no spelt out of how to spend the GOSS lost billions of dollars thus came an aftermath where some GOSS Ministers got a chance to scoop public funds into their private account, hence " CORRUPTION came about and this was all ill-advice by Bearing Point ECA Ltd consultants, that has also got an exemption letter that someone within the Project uses to ship in cargoes for his own business deals and went ahead to direct other companies to get an exemption when they are supposed to pay service fees to GOSS as they operate in Southern Sudan.

Is capacity building a solid part of support or assistance by our partners in development? Yes it is. Is it being given: NO. GOSS needs more vigorous assistance to set her structures on move.

In Rwanda, President Kegame had called for all NGOs, UN agencies and any partners in development for conference and directed them to get scattered nationwide and not to just jam in the city as is the case in Juba today. Rwanda is among the most progressing nations of today in development for they have not been directed by NGOs and development partners which is witnessed in Juba currently.

Our partners should do as the intention was or otherwise they leave us alone.
We need revenues from Finance Ministry that this Tax Bill be in place. All Laws from Legal Affairs & Constitutional Development GOSS to settle all the cases pending with people in prisons, Banking Conventional system for running our Banks, Information & Broadcasting Ministry to have all State connected in getting news so that such uncalled news of Sunday about our President Salva should not be repeated.

Labor Ministry needs to avoid double face payment of GOSS employees, random NGOs foreigners employed to give a chance to the nationals to benefit from their Peace dividend, Ministry of Roads and Transport to urgently put in place a proper setting for paving up our roads in the South.

In conclusion, SSLA MPs should know that Bearing Point ECA Ltd is responsible for Laws, Bills of Labor, Taxation Bills among others that have been delayed for nearly three years because the company brings in unqualified chaps who can't do the job as well as keeping the funds in their accounts for their personal business.

USAID should be contracting Non-profit making institutions to implement on their Behalf such as NDI, IRI, JSI and not companies like Bearing Point Ltd and Louis Berger Groups.

The Author is a Southern Sudanese in Juba: South Sudan.

aduoljohk@yahoo.com