By Arkangelo Bol Mawien

John F. Kennedy, the former President of USA, once said ” never ask what the country will do for you, think of what you will do for your country ” scholars on the world and other public intellectuals may explicitly argue the duo of this popular quote of President Kennedy. They believe that there are indeed individuals with such sacrificial idealism in this modern world and at some point, others tend to say the word was made to win the hearts of American Capitalists who may in one way think of their wealth and prosperity of their businesses than that of the nation. Yes, I too confirm that there exist some people today with altruism, though few.

How does a man work for a country over his own needs and wants? I previously debated such a question in public debate and I won the conversation and I thereafter continue to do it as far as our country is concerned.

For years now, the country battles different wars, be it economic or political. Of course, those wars might have affected the running of day to day activities and delivery of services but we kept our eyes on individual citizens who emerged unexpectedly to make reforms in spites this trying times of austerity measures imposed on us by enemies of progress.

Gen. John Akot Maluth of DNPI, appears to be one out of millions the President should trust for both good and bad times, a man who never fail the trust of his Boss and the subordinates, a man with selfless attitudes and creativity, a man of integrity who with little, does wonders, a man who has enough time for office than his family, who leaves office as late as 6 and 7 PM to see things done. I stand to be corrected, but since his appointment, many reforms emerged in the Directorate of Nationality, Passport, and Immigration, which in my thought came as a result of his commitments to the duties assigned to him by President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit.

In short, the DNPI office of today is by far different from the DNPI of those days. The bible says, “give to God what belongs to him and give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” my direct applaud to Comrade Salva Kiir, the President and Supreme Commander of all Organized Forces for his best selection. Gen. Akot indeed didn’t disappoint his President and will never do in my point of view. He will standstill for his government and the people. Having made keen observations,  I realized that from the infrastructural appearance to duties of DNPI, things have changed with the presence of Gen. John Akot Maluth.  His undeniable achievements and record-breaking legacy will remain to be used by generations, among other things, Gen. Akot with his hardworking team, brought forth the following achievements.

1. Installation of best Machines that meet international standards.

Over the past years, the country has been using manual machines that take weeks and months to print Passport and Nationality, we have heard reports that others died queuing up as they wait for the passport to travel abroad for treatment and other emergencies, I was shocked to see the best machines installed, I manifested that machines are multi-purpose machines which print 100 passports in a less than 10 minutes. I made in-depth research and came to know it’s only South Sudan and Hungary in Europe that managed to installed these machines. Over the years, people spend three to four weeks or month to access their Visas, passports, and nationalities, but Gen. John Akot made the work easier for us

2: On the same note, I discovered that Gen. John Akot Maluth has installed a modern surveillance cameras at Juba International Airport which never existed for the past 6 years before his appointment. These security cameras, when  I returned from one of my trips outside the country, I was properly checked. I learned these modern cameras exposed whatever the passenger carries upon arrival and at the departure.

3: Gen. Akot Maluth Kuel, who is known for his spirit of hard work, has built a big tower of three-story building with 17 offices within the HQRs of DNPI office, none of his predecessors has done that. throughout all these years, those small buildings in the compound, don’t accommodate all offices, and was difficult to execute other duties, now, there seem to be enough spaces for offices in the HQRs.

5: He bought another tower in Kator, a building comprises of 21 offices, meant to be the head office of the newly established Directorate of Civil Registry.

6: So far, Gen. John Akot Maluth has introduced the online system of processing passports and nationalities in many embassies in foreign countries. This modern technology, however, challenged the previous one, where embassies keep files in Memory Cards and travel to Juba for Printing, it was indeed unsafe for national documents to be kept in memory sticks. One time in recent days while I was in Nairobi for my private journey and had misplaced my passport, it was easily coordinated online and I received my new passport in lesser time, I remember spending a month in 2016 to have my passport issued, at some point, I missed few examination papers because my passport wasn’t issued on time. I assessed that the new online system is connected to the system of the HQRS and therefore, any passport and nationality and other data inserted there appear in the system of headquarters. I  went further to investigate and came to realize this modern online system was neglected in the past for its complexity although it’s the fastest and durable one a country like ours could have used for her activities in a foreign country sufficiently, couple of years ago, no one had that unique idea. Nevertheless,  It didn’t take Gen Akot Maluth a hard time to materialize such a noble idea. South Sudanese who are staying abroad are now enjoying the services of this great statesman durably. As usual,  Gen Akot initiates several reforms in Immigration Departments across many embassies.

7: in 2019, the nation witnessed general registration of aliens for the first time in the history of our country. This idea was penned down by this resourceful man to help the government identified all foreigners in the country. he deployed all qualified officers in different centers in Juba to register all foreigners residing in the city, thus, this plan of course is believed to have assisted our intelligence to sort out all foreigners living in the country illegally and such individuals were dealt with in accordance to the law.  Juba today is free of intruders who previously commit night crimes. I am aware all their identities and businesses have been made visible through that registration.

8: as we talk, machines for passport and nationality of ten states are said to be in Juba and will be dispatch shortly to replace those outdated and dysfunctional computers which his predecessors could not change for years.

9: in the similar note, Gen Akot Maluth has established a Directorate of Civil Registry  and in April last year, this Directorate was officially inaugurated by H.E the President for the first time in the history of our country. Civil Registry Unit handles all registration process and procession of National ID and other important documents

10: when I applied for my nationality last year, I went home with unforgettable testimony until I returned a few months ago,  only to find out that all the messes I saw physically in 2016 have been cleaned up by Gen Akot Maluth.

I was made to stand at the enrollment section for hours in a certain tiny room made of cartoons. I couldn’t breathe because of the heat I had in the room; hence, today the room has been bulldozed and rebuilt from cartoons to concrete house with air condition. I guess the officers working there and South Sudanese applying for documents must have a reason to praise their Gen. John Akot Maluth for making this place a conducive one. I wonder how the enrollment section could have looked like in this time of Covid-19 if it wasn’t made perfect for use.

11: As I was traveling outside recently, I paid close attention to my visa and was slightly different. An independent report indicates that Gen. John Akot Maluth has introduced the best visa ever. In the past, you might have seen how insecure our visa used to be. However, with his rich mind, he changed the old one that was made of six security pictures with new one that comes with 18 security pictures. The only old could easily be forged compare to this well secured modern visa.

12: within the limit of the resources available, Comrade John bought the best type of computers which are currently at the borders in Nimule. The new computer machines, purchased from Germany, are the standard ones for security check at the border today. These computers easily detect anything passengers bring, they scrutinize all the documents to identify the authenticated and fake papers.

13: Gen. Akot has also established three stations. One in the Business Union, Gudele, and Nimara Talata. These three stations are now helping other residents of Juba who find it difficult to reach the HQRS to get their passports issued. The stations are close to the people and it isn’t hard anymore to access services on time.

Most of the achievements above happened through the commitments of Gen. John Akot Maluth. Those who came before him tried their parts but  General John Akot performed outstandingly,  I and any patriotic citizen, may have a reason to send this appreciation for the services he delivered to the people of South Sudan.

Martin Luther the King once said ” if you can’t fly, at least run, if you can’t run, move, if you can’t move, scroll, never stop, do everything necessary to keep you moving ”

At this point, Both President Salva Kiir and his Director of DNPI,  General John Akot Maluth might have not been flying, but surely, they were moving with good speed. This trust should continue. Enemies may throw unhealthy words against you here and there, but I believe in the wisdom of President Kiir, keep moving together majestically with John Akot Maluth and you will do wonders to the people of South Sudan. Keep the light shining and let expect more out of your wisdom.

Abraham Lincoln says “if you want to test the heart of man, give him power” Gen Akot Maluth, once given power, he works with ultimate commitment. I read his story and a lot more can be said about his wealthier brain. He leaves a legacy behind every institution his boss assigns him. He was one time assigned as police commissioner for defunct Gogrial State and he did a marvelous job to contain the security of then volatile State of Gogrial.

Such sacrifices are innate, yes, you can be a degree holder and qualify for a job, but to excel brighter requires personal commitment and loyalty. Surely, the appointing authority might have seen this particular wisdom in you when he appointed you for that position, you and President Kiir deserve an appreciation as well for your services to the people of this country.

As I conclude, I leave this piece of encouragement for you, though I may not know you physically, I remind you of an African proverb that says ” it’s only a fruitful tree that gets stoned by many bypassers, but not an unproductive tree” just know, any word thrown against you, take it with good faith because you are a fruitful person.

By Arkangelo Bol Mawien,

A Concerned South Sudanese

Reachable via: bolmawien@gmail.com

Disclaimer!

The above opinion belongs to the author, I don’t represent any Institution; any attempt to paraphrase the real meanings and distortion of any information in the content will never be acceptable and the writer may thereafter downplay and decline the responsibility.