Nyok Malual Mayik, the commissioner of Pigi County who was recently dismissed from the National Democratic Movement (NDM) party, said his dismissal was illegal.
The embattled county commissioner said he will continue to discharge government duties as usual, despite dismissal from the party which nominated him to hold the position.
Mr Nyok was dismissed from his NDM party along with Mayendit County Commissioner Dr. Gatluak Nyang. The NDM party, led by Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, is a signatory to the 2018 peace agreement under the umbrella of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA).
Radio Tamazuj caught up with and sounded out the embattled commissioner.
Below are edited excerpts.
Q: A few days ago, you and the commissioner of Mayendit County were dismissed from your party, the NDM. So how did you receive the news of your dismissal?
A: I am aware of this dismissal. This did not just start a few days ago; it has been there for the past two weeks. Many people received the news with shock via the media because the leader of our party decided.
After the war erupted in Sudan in April, citizens and even leaders from South Sudan decided to come home, but Dr. Lam Akol decided to leave for Ethiopia, where he thought he would run the party through social media. As party leaders, we are not happy with that. We asked him to come to Juba several times because there are many issues to be settled in the party, let alone the so-called dismissal.
The majority of political parties are actively engaged in the country except for NDM because Dr. Lam decided to exile himself since the unity government was formed. I hope that we will address this issue soon.
Q: Before your dismissal, you were asked to resign from your leadership positions by the party’s High Executive Council (HEC), which nominated you for the positions, but you refused to do so. Could you tell the public why?
A: First, the HEC has had no sittings before these decisions. We are even part of this body. No meeting was held in Juba. Dr. Lam and those close to him made all the decisions. We were not investigated for charges framed up on us. In fact, the charges are baseless and the HEC did not hold a meeting. So we are basing our position on our suspension and later the dismissal on this. If there were genuine charges at all, we could have been investigated.
We are serving our people. Mayendit County commissioner and I are busy welcoming the returnees from Sudan. We are in a humanitarian crisis. It is unfortunate that such decisions are made in the middle of this crisis. Of course, we were nominated by the NDM to serve the interests of our people, not individuals.
Q: You were nominated by the NDM, but now there is a rift. Where did it all start?
A: Reasons vary for all of us. Dr. Gatluak Nyang, the Mayendit commissioner, Yuanis William, the RRC chairperson for Upper Nile State, and I. For instance, through WhatsApp, I was accused of having visited Atar Payam, a former-controlled area. Of course, Atar is under my jurisdiction. After Agwelek forces left, I was accompanied by county heads of organized forces to the area to see for myself the situation of the locals. I did this with the consent of the state leadership to which I am accountable. Secondly, I was accused of not cooperating with party members in the county and that I was not working in the interest of the NDM. Finally, they said I was summoned to the office of the NDM Secretary-General to discuss the above reasons but I refused. This is not true.
Q: Were you in communication with Dr. Lam before your dismissal?
A: There is no communication network in Pigi County. So I had to go to Bor to reach out to Dr. Lam. In our communication, he asked why I refused to resign yet I was nominated by them, saying that they have the authority to remove me because they themselves brought me to serve in the leadership position. My response was to what reasons I would give for my resignation. There are no complaints from the state government or my community. But he insisted that I should resign because he had issued the order and that he was the final man in the party. That is where we disagreed.
Q: What is your stance now after all the disagreement?
A: As I stated earlier, our party is in a crisis. The crisis has nothing to do with the three of us. So if there should be a stance, then it should be that of the party. The party will have a decision contrary to that of Dr. Lam. Party leaders within the country are the majority. In the coming weeks, you will hopefully hear of our stance.
Q: What do you mean? Will there be a split or defection?
A: I do not agree with the choice of your words. The party is present in the country, but Dr. Lam has exiled himself. He is detached from the peace process and the SSOA leadership. So, the meeting will only decide his fate and not the party as a whole.
Q: When is the meeting?
A: Coordination is going on with the NDM secretariats in the states. So in not more than a week, the NDM party will make a decision.
Q: What is your final message?
A: Our message is an appeal to Dr. Lam. He should come to Juba instead of causing confusion in the party. I see that if the party members sit, their decision may not be in favour of Dr. Lam. Thank you.