12/12/2024
ECONOMIC DEPRESSION: WHAT SHOULD SOUTH SUDAN DO ABOUT IT?
By Mengistu Mayardit Maker
South Sudan is now in a very dark place, both literally and figuratively. Its 64 tribes, its citizenry, will disagree just about on everything—even on this obvious fact. But if there is something that they can now all agree on it is that: our morale and economy are broken. Our standards of living now rank among the worst in the world. And this is not just some abstract statistics. This means the majority of our fellow South Sudanese now go to sleep with empty bellies—something that should be ghastly shocking for a country endowed with oil and minerals.
So what should our country do about this economic doldrums we are in?
Well, the solution is quite simple. It needs to reopen an alliance with the West, which as you know dear reader, runs the IMF and the World Bank. To achieve that we must firstly minimize our ties with the East—especially Russia. And I’m not suggesting transforming an ally into a foe. I mean minimize!
After doing that, we have to state it positively and honestly to America and her Western allies that it was not very wise of us to have alienated them in the first place. That although we have our values and are steadfast in their defense, we are not delusional to think we can now claw our way out of this depression without their assistance.
Having admitted that fact, we have to prove it to them that this is not just theater, that we are willing to walk the talk.
To do that we have to establish or empower already existing institutions, be hostile to corruption, lenient on the media and the press, encouraging of girl-child education and women empowerment, perceptive of human rights, and transparent with our foreign aid and loans.
This, I can say with absolute conviction, dear fellow citizen, is the only road now left. Not taken, we will find ourselves in an abyss. And that will be very soon.
