An Open Letter to President Kiir: Introduce the Permanent Universals Basic Income in South Sudan

Machiek Akuocpiir Cayier 

South Sudan National Revolutionary Movement (SSNRM) 

Letter from: Secretary General, Machiek Machiek Akuocpiir, (SSNRM)

Mr. President, Salva Kiir Mayardit

H.E, President of the

Republic of South Sudan

Presidential Palace,

Juba City, South Sudan.

An Open Letter To His Excellency, President Salva Kiir: On Initiating The Permanent Universals Basic Income For All South Sudanese Households

Dear Mr. President, Salva Kiir Mayardit:

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 (PW) — My name is Machiek Machiek Akuocpiir Cayier, I want you to know that in December 2010 when you came to Yirol for your presidential campaigns, I was in Grade 7 of the Holy Cross Comboni Primary School in Yirol. Out of all the important aspects of your campaigns you have talked of the abundance of resources that would profit all South Sudan citizens if the secession of Southern Sudan was going to be a success following the Referendum that was going to take place in January 2011. You were the First Vice President of the Sudan and the President of Southern Sudan at the time of your campaigns.

You also talked about providing free education and improving the dire economic situation for South Sudanese when you retain your position as the President of South Sudan. That you were going to improve the conditions of the military forces of the SPLA after we as a people succeeds to have a new country; and we surely did succeed when we voted for separation from 9th January to 15th January 2011, but you did not implement most of the things you had in your manifesto, 10 years later.

I remember exactly what I was thinking of and what I was wearing when you arrived at Yirol Airport ahead of your Presidential campaigns, that you were indeed to be the President of South Sudan. I am not a registered member of your party, nor any other political party; but I supported SPLM at that time, as the core political movement that led to the liberation of South Sudanese from political marginalization and Arabs imperialism of the 20th Century.

I voted for you and for a separate nation, as I have witnessed for myself as a person born in the midst of the Second Sudanese Civil War, the conditions and the situation South Sudanese have been through prior to the signing of CPA on 9th January, in 2005 and during the interim period of 6 years in Sudanese history.

I want you to know, that today, I have ever felt highly proud of my country and it is entirely because of the liberators who made it possible such as Dr John Garang, you as a President of the Republic of South Sudan, contributions of the people like my father Maj. Gen. Machiek Akuocpiir, during the liberation movement and countless veterans and politicians, contributed positively throughout the years.

This December 30th, 2021, I am now 28 years of age, I excelled in my education journey as a university student, engaged in all activities of my dreams despite the shortcomings. This has been the plight of all South Sudanese.

Today, I am enjoying my good health state, my family, and the part of the world I stay in, but if I  happen to get ill, I can’t get better treatment in my country, this has been the situation of many people. It is in part one of the hardest moments in the beginning history of South Sudan as a country that has experienced a terrific civil war shortly after independence, most South Sudanese are aware of all these;  economic turmoil and rampant insecurity caused by the crisis that has evaded the country under your administration.

However, in the past 10 years following the independence of the country you are leading, Your Excellency, President Salva Kiir; you brought a decent approach in your leadership. But to finding everlasting peace in our country has been a challenge to all stakeholders in the peace agreement of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, (RTGONU). You speak with grace and emotion, this affects the people positively, but your presidency is aging, and you need to find lasting solutions to South Sudanese problems; this will be your legacy and it has always been my wish to the President of South Sudan.

I am wondering, how will the 2023 elections going to be like for you and all those aiming to run against you. My concern Mr President is for you to fight the problems of poverty, insecurity and illiteracy in our country through your administration. I would like you to initiate the concept of “Permanent Universals Basic Income for South Sudan” in your government before 2023. This is an economic model in which the government initiates the funding to everyone in every household to support them and elevate their status above abject poverty levels.

The Permanent Universals Basic Income can be as small as $100 USD per week or $400 USD a month. This will support children and adults to carry on with their dreams regardless of their earnings from their jobs. They will be able to stay in schools and study, some can even finish their degrees in time and will greatly contribute to the development of our country in the future economic sector. We have a relatively small population of about 12 million.

As per the World Bank Organization’s poverty index, 82% of the population in South Sudan is poor and I hope you are aware of this Mr President. Many people live for less than $1.90 USD per day. What if someone is caught by severe sickness, how would he or she survive in a dire situation when we don’t have a better healthcare system? I would like you to think about this issue and put it into consideration. For instance, if our GDP is $3.681 billion  USD per year, and the estimated PPP Is $22.092 billion USD per year, wouldn’t it be easier to fix the ideation of implementing the “Permanent Universals Basic Income” for all households? Isn’t it going to be reasonable to work this out with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning?

Your Excellency, President Salva Kiir, I am wishing you with all the stakeholders in the peace agreement to make 2022 a prosperous year in the lives of South Sudanese. Work out all the possible conditions outlined in the agreements and implement them, this will pave the way for South Sudanese in general and implement the “Permanent Universals Basic Income”, for South Sudanese, I stress this again in good faith, and thanks.

I sincerely hope you’re able to read this open letter that I wrote to you as a concerned citizen of South Sudan. I neither have done this before nor did I ever imagine the 18 years old me in 2011, thought of writing you a letter 10 years later, in 2021.

Sincerely,

The Author, Machiek Machiek Akuocpiir Cayier, is an Emerging and Awoken South Sudanese, Kushitic Jieng, Intellectual Elite, Poet, Philosopher, Model, Singer, Songwriter, Translator, Interpreter, Software Engineer, & a Science Communicator, who is currently an Undergraduate Pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering at the International University of East Africa, in Kampala, Uganda. 

He can be reached via machiekmachiekakuocpiir@gmail.com or machiekmachiek@protonmail.ch

The National Name Changes and Its Consequences: Revisiting of the Past, the Case of South Sudan

 

The National Name Changes and Its Consequences: Revisiting of the Past, the Case of South Sudan. 

By Machiek Akuocpiir Chayier, Juba, South Sudan

South Sudan Youths Revolutionary Movement/South Sudan National Revolutionary Movement (SSYRM/SSNRM)

 As the people, are we prepared and serious about abandoning the colonial history – what are the burdens that comes with leaving out vestiges of the colonial past, in the making of the national history?

I asked that question because our leaders are constantly jeopardising the situation of the country. 

In so doing, as of January 2011, the members of the steering committee on independence of the Southern land of the Sudan decided to name the new country as “Republic of South Sudan”.  

The people who later identified in large numbers as South Sudanese by virtue of the new republic’s name did not have any complaints whatsoever, not because they were ignorant of the past history and how to name themselves; but because they had no choice in decision making out of the many options that were available as the possible names of the country, South of the North Sudan.

Aren’t the people supposed to have the consensus on this matter today?

However, following December 11, 2021, there has been a debate on the web by South Sudanese about another ongoing debate of the Country’s name change; steered by the First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar in one of his meetings, with party members and other ruling elites, as the First Vice President was quoted saying; “South” is not a name but just a direction. So we will debate it what is it that we want to call ourselves. I hope you will accept my People’s Republic of Sudan”, reported by Eye Radio. 

Doesn’t this indicate that, there has never been any emphasis put across the importance of leaving out the traces of the colonial past from our connected history as the people? The absolute answer is a Yes!

The country’s name changes comes with a great prize; and this prize was paid by the South Sudanese who struggled during war of independence. The 99% who were later, lucky to see the light at the end of the tunnel; voted to become the sovereign nation 10 years ago. That is the process of history. But the decision making for the country’s name was left with the elites at the helm of power.

This generates another question, why didn’t the ruling elites, not leave out the vestiges of colonialism such as name of the country “South Sudan’, during their decision making, and choose a more indigenous name such as “Kush”, which was an ancient name for the people in the geographical are of today’s Sudan as a whole? The Arabs gave us the name Sudanese at independence of the Sudan.

The same way that the Greeks called us Ethiopians; all those people named us as the Black people and our people accepted their naming throughout history. 

When people want to identify themselves in a certain mannerism of name; there must always be an intrinsic value perceived in it, such as national identity and ancestry, that connects one to his/her roots back in history. People must know that, most African nations managed to revert to either their indigenous or ancient names on independence, only a few countries whose leaders had no firm principles of Pan-Africanism remained with colonial names. 

It is a good idea for us as the people to redefine ourselves in this post-colonial-era. When Sudan got independence on 1stJanuary, 1956, the indigenous people of Sudan in their diversity were not allowed by the colonial masters to decide for themselves what they could call themselves as the people, for many were voiceless. This included the people in the Southern region of Sudan; who are today, South Sudanese.

In conclusion, If anyone would want to change the country’s name from the current to the new one; that person must show the true national philosophy and the visionary mission for the people of South Sudan.  Let there not be reactionary leaders of the country. People should understand the situation of Swaziland on international stage and how  it’s economy has been affected since the changing of the country’s name by its ruling Monarch, the King Swati III. The exemplary effect is how the tourist intending to travel to the country have been failing to explore the country’s online markets after their portals and websites got changed to reflect a new name, eSwatini. Therefore, in history, we have learnt of so many nations that have the name change through revolutionaries, that overhauled everything.

Categories: Nation, Country, Republic, South Sudan, Name-change, Nationalism, Vision, Philosophy, Miscellaneous.

The Author, Machiek Machiek Akuocpiir Cayier, is an Emerging and Awoken South Sudanese,  Elite Intellectual, Influencer, Kushitic-Jieng, Poet, Philosopher, Model, Songwriter, Singer, Translator, Interpreter, Senior Software Engineer and a Science Communicator. He is currently an undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering at the International University of East Africa in Kampala, Uganda. 

He can be reached through the email below, machiekmachiekakuocpiir@gmail.com

Also published on Paanluel Wël Media Ltd.

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