By Dak Buoth Riek-Gaak
Specifically, the two outgoing EALA MPs namely Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Hon. Kim Gai Ruot had made inerasable and indelible marks at the East African Legislative Assembly.
Hence, they do not need to apply a fresh, for they fulfilled their legislative duties and leadership expectations. They do not need to be subjected to another rigorous process that is time consuming. They should be exempted and given direct nomination. They should be spared to spend this ample time researching on fundamental issues requiring legislation at EALA parliament which is expected to commence in the next coming months.
The Legendary 19th centuries Nuer prophet, Ngundeng Bong was once quoted as saying ‘‘Jeek mo nen ke raan kel’, meaning there is nothing bad like one person seeing something alone while others don’t see it. I really see a need for the SPLM Party to look into it that the duo be exempted and issued with a direct nomination. This suggestion is not new nor is it surprising to many of us. In fact, it’s a normal practice in a party politics that the high-performing legislators are sometimes given a direct party ticket. In an actual elective politics, distinguished parliamentarians like Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Hon. Kim Gai Ruot can be elected unopposed.
More often than not, the performance of a legislator/s is rated or measured by their closed proximity to the people they represent and the motions they moved and passed in parliament. Evidently, Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Hon. Kim Gai Ruot are leaders with progressive ideas that are people-centered.
In Latin, they say ‘‘res ipsa loquitur’’ meaning the thing speaks for itself. I can say that Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Hon. Kim Gai Ruot are active and articulate parliamentarians whose tract-records both inside and out parliament speak for itself. For instance, on 4th December 2019, Hon. Kim Gai Ruot moved a motion on setting up Emergency fund to support victims of flood and other natural disasters that continue to rocked and ravaged South Sudan, and the entire East Africa community.
Relatively, Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar was instrumental in the motion that saw South Sudanese law graduates in Kenya being accepted and admitted to sits for their bar examinations without discrimination. Around 2017, Kenya’s Council for Legal Education refused to allow or admit South Sudanese law graduates including those who were born and started their primary school in Kenya to do bar exams in the Kenya school of law. At that time, Honorable Gideon and other progressive lawyers such as Counsel Nelson Havi worked around the clock, to make sure that this open discrimination doesn’t continue.
It’s common knowledge that Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Hon. Kim Gai Ruot are humorous and humble parliamentarians with good rapport among diaspora based South Sudanese students and community organizations in the East Africa community. I know for sure that they have open door policies. They are always available for retail and group conversation to share notes on various aspects. In line with this policy, their phones are open to all and sundry.
Unreservedly, I can attest to the fact that they promptly response to pertinent issues which their fellow nationals are grappling with. You would hardly find Honorable Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Honorable Kim Gai Ruot missing in any South Sudanese organized event like funeral and fundraising.
They often devote and donate to individuals and group initiatives. This mean they don’t take their positions as a burden but rather as an opportunity to serve the needy ones with the privileges and the places that they occupy.
I know Honorable Gideon Gatpan more than Honorable Kim Gai, because the former hails from my home turf. Honorable Gideon Gatpan, a former primary school teacher is soft-spoken unlike Honorable Kim Gai who is outspoken perhaps because of his training. But one of the traits they shared is that they are easy-going.
In 2017, Honorable Kim Gai caught my attention when he made numerous contributions to the South Sudan Students Association in Kenya (SSSAK) despite him not being the main guest during the event held at the University of Nairobi. On that day, I didn’t know whether or not Honorable Kim was uninvited guest, because to me, he appeared greatly humiliated.
I recalled he was the senior-most Leader by virtue that he was the EALA MP, but the main guest was a little known former Northern Bhar El Ghazal state minister, South Sudan embassy education Attache, and the spokesperson of the newly formed South Sudan United front (SSUF), my good friend Dr. Sunday De John. Nonetheless, Honorable Kim sat quietly on the last seat. Eventually, he stood up and surprised audience with contributions including laptops.
That gesture distinguishes him from other South Sudanese politicians, who without being exalted first cannot attend the function let alone contributing materially. Equally, Honorable Gideon is a peoples’ person.
I remember in July 2021, he honored the invitation by the Liech community Association in Kenya (LCAK). He traveled all the way from Arusha to Nairobi to attend a funeral prayer of one of our war veteran and freedom fighter. He came along with honorable Kim and Honorable Thomas Dut Gatkek to console and condole with us. For such an occasion to be graced by three sitting members of parliament was not something to be taken slightly. On that very day, we felt humbled and honored by these distinguished Honorable legislators.
These are just but a few instances of memories that show how these honorable members are darling to us in their times at EALA. In view of foregoing, I insist to mention that these gallant parliamentarians should be given direct SPLM party tickets as a sign of acknowledgement of their significant legislative works.
Of course, I’m sure and confident that Hon. Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Hon. Kim Gai Ruot will be shortlisted and eventually emerged winners if they reapplied again. The two are not political novice. They are young and energetic political leaders that are pro-youth and education.
I believe they are loyal cadres who met their SPLM party obligations. I think they have passed their loyalty test by virtue of the fact that they served and represented their people with decorum and dedication. At times, loyalty is directed to the people and not necessarily individual party leaders. Academically speaking, Honorable Gideon Gatpan Thoar and Honorable Kim Gai Ruot are individuals worth emulating in South Sudan. The former is about to complete his doctorate, and the latter completed his bachelors of law degree at the University of Khartoum.
The duo are not only learned but progressive intellectuals that are competent to represent South Sudan in this competitive EALA Parliament. At EALA, Honorable Gideon is senior to Honorable Kim, for he was a perennial parliamentary committees’ head.
As I narrated, SPLM should give them direct tickets with a view to give hope to the incoming legislators that they will be awarded with direct nomination should they perform well in their first term at EALA; If given direct nominations, they will take to EALA wealth of experience and knowledge of legislative drafting.
Despite my confidence that they can still win if they reapply, I’m however, afraid of some retrogressive party officials that have perfected the arts of preferring mediocrity than meritocracy in South Sudan. This unseen pro mediocrity group might decide to team up and bring lazy persons that are ideas bankrupt through dubious means such as bribery, patronage and tribalism.
So, for these and other reasons, I’m advising the SPLM party to motivate and encourage its EALA nominees by way of awarding a direct ticket to their high performing parliamentarians like Honourable Gideon Gatpan and Honourable Kim Gai Ruot.
The Writer is the chairman of Liech Community Association in Kenya, the views expressed here are his own, and he can be reached for comments via eligodakb@yahoo.
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