HUNGER IS ANGER

By Wenne Madyt Dengs

The following day after I wrote my opinion article “Better named jungle NOT Jonglei” my brain set on its daily operations and rested on this idea of HUNGER IS ANGER.

Too many sounds of guns, robbery and aggravated burglary are all symbols of scarcity of food and inadequacy of other primary human needs. It has been well put by one of the South Sudanese militants who was and is still presented as a liberal musician Mr. Panchol Deng Ajang that the alimentary canal is connected to the heart.

This is equivalent to what I thought of Juba and other sub cities in South Sudan. Panchol firmly said this in realism and pragmatism stemmed it to what he experienced and realized as a guerrilla during the long-term civil war in Sudan.

Coming to my personal point of view, I easily agree with him and I do remember it is very hard for anybody to laugh loudly after one stayed for two consecutive days without food their digestive systems will digest.

I am really worried because there is a high rate of rural-urban migration in South Sudan coupled with delay in paying the organized forces. It seems to some people that I am passing judgment on my own indigenous state but I am telling what I have at the bottom of my heart as an elementary son of South Sudan.

Juba is commonly known for its high rate of crimes and prostitution guessed to be done by foreigners but let me advise the people who have been so argumentative claiming that killings and robberies that have been happening in Juba are connected to foreigners.

Let me tell you, all the transgressions that happen day and night in Juba are attached to the security personnel.

Dear readers; one day I decided to attend a show at De’Havana night club in Juba. I spent my time enjoying the concert until it was 12:00 Am when my friend told me that we should go home. 

As we reached Munuki round-about, we got the security personnel with their pick-up garaged. One of them stopped us and told us to turn off our motorbike and he started investigating us. His first question was, “Where are you coming from?”

My friend answered him that we came from the concert at De’ Havana. As my friend was talking, one police came running from the other side and slapped my friend severely across his left cheek which sent him to crawl on the ground. 

The other police caught my left hand, took me a few meters away and asked for my Identity card? Then I showed him my three IDs including my certificate of nationality.

He looked at them and said, “You know I don’t have any problem but my commanding officer can allow you to go if you give him something.” When I heard that, I felt bad though giving him money was not my problem.

I gave him twenty five South Sudanese pounds only and he went to his colleagues who gathered around my friend. They talked in tongues and told us to go and never try next time. We went home.

From this memoir you can easily analyze who are responsible for the escalation of crimes in Juba and who is to be blamed? According to community policing policy, police are legally members of the community and accountable to the government and the community they serve.

The principal role of the police in democratic society is to maintain law and order and to detect crimes and report them to the line institutions.

What I have realized is negligence from the government towards the military and the organized forces. I know this has contributed to the escalation of crimes committed and I could remember according to the Bible that those who work are supposed to eat.

The police who work day and night securing government property and detecting crimes in the communities are always paid their salary every four months instead of monthly. This has created the vacuum of poverty in military related families which is rooted in delaying their salary.

It is not always easy to a hunger stricken person to be excited because a hungry person is an angry person.