Unity state governor lobbying for relocation of Rubkona county headquarters to Kaljak – official

JUBA – Unity state governor Joseph Nguen Manytuil Wijang is lobbying prominent Leek community politicians in the government to accept and advocate for relocation of Rubkona County headquarters to Kaljak Payam, several sources have told Sudans Post.

The lobby, a former senior government official in the defunct Northern Liech state said, started last week when prominent state government officials were at a dinner at the house of former deputy governor of  the defunct Northern Liech, John Juor Yoach, in Bentiu and were informed of the governor’s intention to relocate Rubkona county headquarters to Kaljak at that event.

“There was a dinner last week at the house of John Juor Yoach who is formerly the deputy governor of the defunct Northern Liech state. There, someone informed us that the governor was intending to relocate Rubkona County headquarters to Kaljak Payam which is between Mayom and Rubkona county,” the senior former state government official told Sudans Post on condition of anonymity.

“Of course this is not an official issue to discuss on the media, but the governor is lobbying for the relocation of Rubkona county headquarters to another location so that a city Mayor takeover in case the County is allocated to the SPLM-IO,” the official added.

The official could not  disclose if John Juor who also served as the deputy speaker of the defunct Northern Liech state parliament was the one who disclosed that informer, but the former lawmaker is a long-time ally of the Manytuil.

The official said many of those in the dinner expressed  discontent and disagreement over the alleged relocation plans saying none would agree should the case be true saying “I am sure the governor is doing that lobby but none of us would agree with him if things materialized.”

Senior state government officials in Unity state could not be reached for comment.

Rubkona County headquarters is located in Rubkona town which belongs to the Pakur Payam of the Chiegang Leek sub-section. Its relocation is not the first time to be discussed as it happened in the pass.

In January 2007, then vice-president of the Government of Southern Sudan and the current First Vice President of the independent South Sudan Dr. Riek Machar Teny had proposed its relocation to Kaljak Payam.

The proposal sparked anger and condemnation among the Rubkona public with Machar leaving that plan a few days later.

“Evil plan”

Vocal social media users from Rubkona county have took to social media to express their disapproval and anger over the matter.

Wiyiy Chuol, a Khartoum-based social media activist from Rubkona county called the relocation bid an ‘evil plan’ saying none of the government officials there do not have the power to chose were their county headquarter should be.

“Rubkona has its own citizens and prominent personalities in the parliament, military and politicians within the both parties (SPLM-IO and SPLM-IG). They should be the very people who would decided on our behalf instead of others,” he said.

Tor Madira Machier, a Cairo-based journalist from Rubkona wrote on his social media Facebook page that the plan would cause further harm to what he said is a already fragile inter-communal relations and will definitely jeopardize the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement.

“President Salva should be mindful of the Bentiu reality in light of Nguen Manytuil’s governorship and intervene so that Nguen —who has already destroyed the social fabric among the people of Unity state — is prevented from doing further harm to the already fragile inter-communal relations between Unity state communities,” he wrote.

He further added that the citizens of Rubkona county “should be the decision makers and not the NCP remnants that are working hard disintegrating our communities to please Sudan.”