Prominent businessman joins Machar, says Kiir serves interest of the few

JUBA – A South Sudan prominent businessman in the country’s Lakes state has joined the main armed opposition group led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, accusing President Salva Kiir’s faction of the SPLM of serving few people in contravention to the SPLM vision and mission.

Mathiang Mayom Akec, the CEO of Mustard Şeed Co. Ltd, a multi-purposes business entity  based in Juba and Lakes, said he had joined the SPLM with enthusiasm, but these feelings have faded away given the way the SPLM under Kiir has handled the country.

“Joining the SPLA/SPLM party as a child and student over 22 years ago was a crucial moment in my life. I have had my fair share of hardship and adversity growing up in a frenzied environment and was certainly not your typical Mathiang Mayom. But pragmatic SPLM values attracted me to the cause and over the years I have fought and campaigned for a party I believed in but variants factors finally restrict the visions, missions and values of the party we all believe in as a country and the people,” he said.

“These vital values are usurped by people who believe they can serve only the interests of few people without the contribution of the majority. We have had the SPLM government throughout the 9 years we have been sovereign and I have been a stunt supporter who judge in profoundness and consistency but this hasn’t been the case in the SPLM, all the drapes of change crumbled down because of poor methodology of handling different political situations within the party levels,” he added.

The businessman said “I had an interest in joining politics in Lakes State but close relatives in my own family and beyond frustrated my ambition to serve the great people of Lakes with what I believe, this made me to have a second thought of exploring my leadership potential somewhere else apart from SPLM.”

“With the above reasons: I Mathiang Mayom Akec do hereby give formal notice of my defection from the SPLM party to SPLM-I0 under the wise leadership of First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny. I wanted it to be known that I no longer wish to be regarded as a member of the SPLM party.

“I further declare that I am aware of the consequences of this act regarding the matter. My aim has always been to do my best for my country, that is why I resigned with a heavy heart from SPLM and joined the SPLM-IO.”