South Sudanese Opposition Criticizes Presidential Family’s Donations, Citing Institutional Undermining

Dr. Gai Chol Paul, the Chairman of the People’s United Forum (PUF) delivered a pointed critique of donations made by the President’s family to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Ministry of Defense. While acknowledging the apparent generosity of the contributions, which included food items and a handpump, Dr. Paul argued that these acts ultimately undermine the integrity and functionality of state institutions.

“What they have been doing, like recently, the President donated food items to the SSPDF. I hope it was a good gesture, and many people can just appreciate it. Even me, I can appreciate if the President donates something to any unit. The same thing, the daughter of the President, donated a handpump to the SSPDF. They are all good gestures. They are helping the SSPDF and the Ministry of Defense in general. I think it is a good initiative. However, the donations are not on a good point.”

Dr. Paul’s central concern stems from the incongruity of private wealth exceeding that of the state. He questioned the source of the President’s family’s affluence, particularly given the persistent budgetary struggles faced by government bodies.

“First, there is nowhere on this earth where an individual is richer than the country. The family of the President should have not been richer than the Ministry of Defense. So where does the family of the President get money? Money that the Ministry of Defense could not get? Personally, I see it as a mockery to the Ministry. Because if the President’s family is richer than the government of South Sudan, then what does it mean? They are supposed to eat their money. I don’t know where they got it, but they’re supposed to eat it in hiding, instead of mocking the country.”

He characterized the donations as a form of mockery, highlighting the irony of the President’s family appearing financially superior to the Ministry of Defense itself. This, he suggested, erodes the credibility and dignity of public institutions, reducing them to a state of beggary while individuals accumulate substantial wealth.

To rectify this situation, Dr. Paul proposed that if the President’s family genuinely desires to contribute to the public good, they should channel the money through the Bank of South Sudan. This would ensure equitable distribution across government institutions via the established budgetary process.

“The government institutions in the country have been reduced to beggars. Because every fiscal year, the ministries and the government departments don’t get their budgets. The budget is always in the paper as numbers, but they cannot get the cash. This situation has made all the government institutions vulnerable. And the individuals, they are very rich. Now they are starting to mock the country, the government institutions, the public institutions, in the name of donations. So, if the family of the President, if they have realized that they have taken the money from the public, and the public needs the money, if they have realized that they need to bring back the money, they are supposed to channel this money through the Bank of South Sudan. And every government institution will just get their shares through the budget which was passed last year. Every government institution has their budget. What is not there is cash. And the cash now appears in the family of the President. If they have decided to return the money back to the peoples, let them return the money through the Bank of South Sudan. And every institution will request their account through the Ministry of Finance, and they will withdraw their money.”

He emphasized the unsustainability and detrimental impact of the current system, where financial resources are concentrated within a select few. Drawing international comparisons, Dr. Paul pointed out that even the world’s wealthiest individuals do not surpass the financial capacity of their respective governments.

“I’ve already said before, there is nowhere on this earth where individuals are richer than the government. Even Elon Musk, the richest man on this earth, his total net worth is less than a quarter of the American Department of Defense’s yearly budget. So where did the family of the President become richer?”

This, he argued, underscores the anomalous nature of the President’s family’s wealth relative to South Sudan’s public institutions.

Dr. Paul also addressed the chronic resource constraints faced by government employees. He cited the difficulties ministries encounter in procuring even basic office supplies, a problem he noted has persisted since 2016.

“My message to the government institutions in this country, I’ve been interacting with different departments and ministries before I became a politician. I’ve known the pain that you have been suffering since 2016, up to now. Even simple things in the office, like paper, printing paper, or what we call office consumables, are always very difficult. So, if somebody goes there to the ministry, and you even ask for a paper or a policy, you cannot get it. You will hear a director or inspector saying, “We have nothing, we don’t have support, there is nothing to print the paper”. It is very heartbreaking that this situation has been continuing for long.”

This lack of support, he argued, renders government institutions vulnerable and ineffective.

He further described a recent parade of senior SSPDF officers as a humiliating spectacle, suggesting that displays of loyalty should not come at the expense of dignity and self-respect.

“Now you allow yourself to be mocked, like what happened to the whole SSPDF. The senior officers just stand in the sun for a parade that people are showing, the borehole, just a borehole that costs $10,000. It is very, very, very painful. I know that you are showing yourself to be loyal, it’s not bad. Loyalty is part of discipline in the organized forces and the army but does not allow you to be abused by individuals. That one is already an abuse; it is a mockery.”

He asserted that the donations constitute a form of abuse and mockery, exploiting the very institutions starved of resources.

Dr. Paul’s message to the army leadership was a call to awareness of their rights, urging them not to be used as pawns by those who have deprived their departments of necessary funding.

“So, my message is going direct to the army leadership, you should know your rights. If there is no money, it is better you stay and keep quiet, instead of allowing yourself to be used like altar boys by the same people who have starved your department or your ministry. The same money that they are trying now to donate to you is your own money. If there was money in the account, you could have withdrawn your budget, the budget which has been passed by the parliament and signed by the president. But because there is no cash, you have been left to suffer.”

He implored the President’s family to refrain from public displays of wealth and to utilize their resources discreetly, without deriding the nation and its institutions.

“So, my message to the family of the president, if you have your own money that you got in the way that you know, just keep quiet with that money, use it for your own good, use it in secret. Don’t just come and mock the country, the public institution that you are donating something to them. You should even feel ashamed of yourself. How come you become richer than the public institutions, the government itself?”

Dr. Paul concluded by calling for an end to these ostentatious donations, which he and many South Sudanese perceive as a form of public humiliation.

“So, this thing needs to stop. I don’t want to see it again, and many South Sudanese, we don’t want to see it again. Just eat your money in secret.”

He urged the President’s family to respect the dignity of public institutions and to address the underlying issues of resource allocation and financial transparency. His speech serves as a potent reminder of the need for accountability and integrity in governance, and a call to restore the honor and functionality of South Sudan’s public institutions.