11/18/2025
Interesting article from Ajak Deng Chiengkou
Dear decision makers around the President, my name is Ajak Deng Chiengkou. I am writing to request your attention and to offer sincere advice that I believe is necessary for the stability of our institutions and the protection of the Presidency.
For many years, our citizens have grown used to the regular announcements of decrees through the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation. The issue is not the method of communication. The real concern is what these frequent decrees have created within our governance system.
South Sudan now faces a pattern where officials do not stay long enough to understand their duties, plan their work, or deliver results to the public. Appointments are issued, and before an official submits a report or implements a single policy, a new decree follows. This rotation does not reflect performance. It reflects pressure, instability, and a culture of lobbying that weakens institutions and exposes the President to unnecessary criticism.
When people are appointed only to be removed a few months later, they do not learn their responsibilities. They do not complete plans. They do not finish budgeting cycles. They do not report what they have achieved. The public is left with no record of success or failure. The blame returns to the President, and the lessons that should guide future decisions are lost.
This instability encourages corruption. When individuals believe they may be removed in weeks, they rush to secure whatever they can because they fear they will not reach the next salary. They focus on survival rather than public service. They seek protection instead of planning. A government cannot grow when its officials are working under the fear of removal.
Recruitment must become a long-term process guided by clear expectations. Ministers, undersecretaries, and civil servants need time to plan, implement, and report outcomes. Without stability, the vision of the President will not reach the institutions, and the public will not feel the impact of government programmes.
History offers a lesson that should not be ignored. President Salva Kiir Mayardit stood with Dr John Garang in the 1980s when Dr Garang criticised President Nimeri for his excessive use of decrees. The message was direct. Frequent decrees weaken institutions. They tire leaders. They disrupt continuity. They introduce confusion into government. That warning remains relevant today and should guide the recruitment team.
The team surrounding the President must recognise the pressure placed on the Head of State. Every rapid appointment and every quick removal adds weight to his shoulders. The public does not question the recruitment committee. They question the President. They attribute failure to him, even when the cause lies in unstable recruitment practices.
It is also unreasonable for the President to handle the appointment of directors, inspectors, and other lower-level positions. Those should be delegated to ministers and undersecretaries. The President should focus on senior positions with national importance. When the Presidency becomes responsible for every level of appointment, it invites lobbying, manipulation, and political noise that distracts from national priorities.
Decrees must never become routine instruments. Each decree carries weight. Each decree changes a life, redirects an institution, and shapes public trust. When decrees are used excessively, they create instability. They encourage lobbying. They weaken ministries. The recruitment team must take this seriously and block individuals and groups who lobby for positions, because stability begins with discipline.
Lobbying is a normal activity in many countries, but the type of lobbying we see in South Sudan is not normal. It has become a political interruption. It interferes with the ability of government officials to work and destabilises ministries. The moment an appointment is announced, lobbyists begin planning to remove the same individual. They follow officials to hotels. They confront them at private gatherings. They fill offices with rumours. Some even approach families to influence decisions through emotional pressure.
This behaviour prevents officials from settling into their roles. They spend more time defending their positions than serving the country. They struggle to plan, to focus, and to implement the President’s agenda. Their energy is consumed by fear rather than by service. This weakens institutions, destroys morale, interrupts policy planning, and creates conditions that encourage corruption. It also disadvantages the President, because his appointees cannot deliver results while dealing with political interference.
Some may argue that lobbying is part of democratic practice. Democracy, however, requires structure and accountability. What we see in South Sudan is unregulated lobbying driven by personal gain. It does not strengthen government. It weakens it. Those who defend this behaviour must decide whether they support institutions or cycles of survival.
Recruitment in the Office of the President and across government must be based on long-term appointments, clear expectations, and stability. Decrees should be used only when necessary and accompanied by proper planning. The culture of pressure, gossip, and political interruption must end. South Sudan deserves a government where people are appointed to serve, not to survive. The Presidency deserves a system that protects it, not one that weakens it.
This advice is offered respectfully and with hope for a more stable, disciplined, and effective South Sudan.
Ajak Deng Chiengkou
