Citizens castigate VP Hussein for ‘disrespecting’ President Kiir, nation   

JUBA – Citizens are outraged after Vice-President Hussein Abdelbaggi was seen sitting while President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, as well everybody attending mass prayer at Dr. John Garang De Mabior Mausoleum, were standing.

During a mass prayer organized by the presidency to welcome visiting Vatican Secretary of State His Imminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Thursday, Vice President Hussein refused to stand up when the faithful including the president and his deputies were asked to stand by for an opening prayer.

A picture of Hussein circulating on social media sparked controversy with many citizens expressing furry on the South Sudanese deputy president for what they call ‘lack of respect’ to the nation and the president by one of his deputies.

One social media wrote that Vice-President Hussein shouldn’t have attended the national function in the first place if he wasn’t willing to follow the known protocol of everybody standing whenever the president is doing so.

“Why did he decide to attend the function [in the first place] if he wasn’t willing to do whatever the president is doing?” one activist wrote with furry, adding: “this is disrespect not only to the president, but to the people of South Sudan.”

While others attributed his decision to remain seated to his Islamic faith, one user said being Muslim shouldn’t be an excuse and pointed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, a devoted Muslim, who always go to Church during Christian festive season to congratulate his Christian citizens.

“This guy has misconceptions towards Islam. Imagine the Egyptian President El-Sisi often goes to visit his fellow Egyptian Christians in the churches but he follows the Christian tradition yet he is a pure Muslim by faith. Now where does Hussein Abdelbaggi brought his religion,” one user questioned.

One user said while the vice-president “is a Muslim believer, that doesn’t permit him to remain seated. The thing is that he is new in leadership. Leaders give respects to where it is due regardless of whatever you believe.”

Another citizen wrote with anger that the vice-president “has no sense” and “some of these people are childish because he has to stand to show respect even if he is Muslim.”

Another citizen however said Vice-President Hussein was right and should not stand in honor of other person’s religion.

“He is a Muslim. He cannot stand up for someone else religion. And that is called freedom of faith. You believe in what you believe and state is a different thing,” he said.

Another said Vice-President Hussein “is not a Christian and the prayer mean only to be Christian and that is why he remains seated.”