An Open Letter to Hon. Dak Duop Bichiok, Minister for Public Service and Human Resource Development in South Sudan

By Peter Wek Ayom Wek, Juba, South Sudan

Thursday, 20 November 2025 (PW) — I hope you find this open letter in good health and high spirits, you’re Excellency, I am writing to bring an important matter to your attention and respectfully request that we meet and hear later on for your completion of the biometric payroll in all ministries.

On 18 November 2025, your voce appeared at 8 pm on (SSBC) radio in the evening, says the biometric payroll should be set up to clean the public sectors and eliminate what so- called “ghost workers” that initiative was a good strategic plans but it’s not easy the way I saw, many people working in to different department and different positions within the same government, that one is a defilement and abuse the future of the young graduates in the country.

Where do they practice their career?

Eight years ago, for the duration of Hon James Hoth Mei’s tenure as a Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development, I wrote an article and published it on different companies, including the Sudan Tribune, and the PaanLuel website in the US. That article was concerned about the employment of South Sudanese Graduates.

Perhaps, the period of the article was published in the morning, Hon Minister Hoth was responding very well on the South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation (SSBC) in the evening hours around 6 PM in South Sudan local time, his message to the youth seemed like a baby born and appointed person as a Minister or Undersecretary in any Ministry.

The nation stood on one leg that things should be changed in the different sectors, government and private sectors, because the private companies are controlled by foreigners to the extent of lower positions, like cleaners.

But his message to the nationwide was unnecessary till to dead as I speaking, there may be and specific positions to the local people to upholding for hundred percentage, but it wasn’t happen here in South Sudan, that’s why some youth join a social ill such as “Alcohol, Fornication, and danger Drugs” at the day and night because there is no work, including handwork.      

My appeal to you as a Minister of Public Service, and Human Resource Development is that, take responsibility for developing policies to guide the overall management of the public service across all the government’s ministries, departments and regional administrations, with the aim of imparting a performance-oriented, results-based on culture in the public servants, in order to ensure the deliver quality public services; and effectively managing the human, financial and physical resources of the Ministry for the execution of its mandate.

Human Resource Development is rooted in the country where the citizens should uphold their lives, by getting opportunities to work in both government and private sectors if the “Human Resource rule of law abides.”

The responsibility of the Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development is unlimited; they regularly take care of the workers, through to local people and the foreigners who are investing in the country by setting up the “Labour Rule of Law” effectively.

It appeared, and I asked myself when I saw some positions supposed to be upheld by the local people were controlled by the foreigners, but if the “Labour Act” 2017 should be followed up, then the local people must have ninety-nine percent (90%) in any foreign company investing here in South Sudan.

The issue of “Ghost Names” is also one of the major challenges affecting young graduates in getting an opportunity. Now we are going to see how Hon. Minister Dak implemented the role set to uphold biometric payroll in the different Ministries.

The illegal recruitment is rampant in the ministries without the knowledge of the Minister of Public Service and Human Resource Development. It may appear that the officers started from the directors to the top were used to recruit their people, including sons and daughters through the window, which was a violation of the Labour Act 2017.

As your role and responsibility, you might have set the robust policy framework and anti-corruption norms and standards to guide all departments in every ministry for eliminating ghost employees and oversee a biometric verification of all government employees to confirm their existence and rightful place on the payroll.

The role involves collaborating with other agencies, such as the Ministry of Finance, the Auditor-General, and law enforcement, to investigate and prosecute those involved in breaking the Labour Act 2017

This initiative is hard in other countries; it may involve enforcement and Sanctions when ghost workers are identified. The Minister ensures that appropriate action is taken, which can include freezing salaries, terminating services, recovering funds, and initiating disciplinary or criminal investigations against the “Country’s Labour law.”.

The purpose of this “Open Letter” is to highlight a significant concern that the “Wish People” are sheeting the fools in a secret way. Your youth graduates are suffering on both sides, such as the private and government sector, including the Government’s Oil Companies.

With great respect

____________________________

Peter Wek Ayom Wek

Via: email; [email protected]

If you want to submit an opinion article, commentary, or news analysis, please email it to the editor: [email protected] or [email protected]. PaanLuel Wël Media (PW) website does reserve the right to edit or reject material before publication. Please include your full name, a short biography, email address, city, and the country you are writing from.

About Post Author