By Gama Hassan Oscas In a controversial move, the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) of South Sudan has recently passed the National Election Act 2012 (Amendment) Bill 2023. This bill, which is now awaiting presidential assent, has far-reaching implications for the country’s democratic process and has sparked intense debates[Read More…]
OpEd
Is our path set at birth?
There is something called a quarter-life crisis. It is part of life. You are going to wake up one morning and find yourself mired in a trap so hard to escape. You could be a hard-working person and still fail at something. Maybe you are in your last year at[Read More…]
I can’t wait to become an old to teach other old men
I’m longing to become an old man, but it seems impossible. But all I have to believe in is Nelson Mandela’s quote that “It seems impossible until it is done”. My getting old seems impossible, but it will surely come. The saddest part of my longing to become old is[Read More…]
Parliament’s Troubling Decision: Undermining Democracy and Fueling Discord
By Gama Hassan Oscas In a startling move, the South Sudan Parliament passed the National Elections Act 2012, Amendment Bill 2023, which has raised serious concerns about the future of democracy in the country. This bill grants the elected president the unprecedented power to appoint 5 percent of legislators, undermining[Read More…]
When you chase life and you are left farther behind
I have been to the hospitals, and I have also shared a room with a dying person. I have seen families struggle with virtually nothing to save the life of their only son and most times, it ends with tears and pain. Most times, it is not about how much[Read More…]
No leader has yet understood why Pope Francis chose a Fiat car instead of a V8
By Malek Arol Dhieu Six months later after His Holiness Pope Francis was ushered into the most prestigious car, V8, but refused and entered a taxi car to shepherd him to the Presidential Palace, none of the leaders, especially the President and his five Vices, took time to ponder over[Read More…]
Win or lose, survival of the fittest in a savaging world (Part 3)
This time, I was traveling to a certain part of the country. I want to see my mother and siblings there. It has been three years since I left them to look for greener pastures, but it has never been easy for me. Mum has always prayed for me to[Read More…]
Don’t sell your future for the present
By Abraham Kuch Luiny Akuot In ancient days, birthright was considered something very special, making the firstborn to be given blessings. Even in our day, it’s the responsibility of the first son to take over when the father is dead or weak. For instance, Isaac had two sons, Jacob and[Read More…]
A lesson in accountability: The removal of the Acting JCC Mayor
By Gama Hassan Oscas In a striking move aimed at curbing the rampant abuse of power by public officials, Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony issued a gubernatorial decree on Friday, revoking the assignment of Emmanuel Khamis Richard, the commissioner of Lainya County, from being caretaker mayor of Juba city council. This[Read More…]
Win or lose, survival of the fittest in a savaging world (Part 3)
This time, I was traveling to a certain part of the country. I want to see my mother and siblings there. It has been three years since I left them to look for greener pastures, but it has never been easy for me. Mum has always prayed for me to[Read More…]
The clash of powers: Who holds the right to announce the conduct of elections
By Gama Hassan Oscas In the turbulent landscape of South Sudan, the question of who holds the authority to announce the conduct of elections has ignited a fierce debate. On one side, we have the ruling party, vociferously proclaiming that elections are an absolute must come December 2024, while the[Read More…]
Villas abroad, limousines, deep pockets, the opulence of Africa’s ruling elites’ children
Somewhere between 2015 and 2020, it was announced that a young girl in the name of Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos the ex-president of Angola was charged with money laundering with a fortune of unknown origin. Dos Santos has a net worth of $4[Read More…]
Laziness means resting before tiring
The world has become so lazy that success which was created to be achieved through hard work is now achieved through laziness means such as superstition. The laziness and hurriedness of 21st-century children have led to much dependence on magical powers to speed up their successes. The emergence of illuminati[Read More…]
Why I think God is still on holiday
When I look in the mirror in the morning, I see myself and sometimes, I don’t. I feel like there is someone I haven’t become. And each day, I try to put one leg ahead to find this person, and then the second leg keeps getting farther behind. I run,[Read More…]
It is interesting when a short-sighted person fights with a farsighted one
A week ago, a short-sighted man exchanged blows in the form of words with a person who told him, you would have future problems if you do this and that. How fighting erupted and the wrong occasion on which they fought tells people that these people have been in a[Read More…]
The country has not failed, it is the people
If you are a hopeless South Sudanese, you will be hopeless until you are hopeless no more if you do not accept the truth that South Sudan has not failed, it is people who have failed. But it is not everyone who has failed, it is people entrusted with the[Read More…]
In a Sisyphean struggle, you find a rock worth pushing
In life, I wonder a lot when things are not working out. Most times I feel like something has gone wrong somewhere in my life. Maybe God is no longer interested in my struggle. Maybe he doesn’t want to pick and fix my broken pieces. For others, it means something[Read More…]
On Monday, shocking news from Tonj town of Warrap State states that a mother hammered her daughter’s feet with a 6-inch nails over an accusation of roaming around the area. The woman’s actions show irresponsibility in the family. She is not a serious mother at all. The question is what[Read More…]
Leaders should be exemplary; be compassionate, meditate, listen to yourself, exercise self-awareness and practice confidence rather than making utterances. Leaders should be empathetic, understanding and caring: but being so doesn’t mean others taken advantage of. Also, leaders should be role models to other people to emulate. Taking us back to[Read More…]
Five years of the R-ARCSS: Need to redouble efforts as the end of the Transitional Period edges closer
By Amb. Maj Gen (rtd) Charles Tai Gituai, CBS Today, 12 September 2023, we mark five years since the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was signed, ending years of internal armed conflict between the warring parties. Five years of relative[Read More…]