Let's Give Credit Where it's Due and Spare No Bad Leader

“Good leadership is like climbing a builder's ladder. If you balance your feet in the middle of it, then your weight will be uniformly distributed and transferred equally to the two supports and therefore enables you to climb higher and higher.

Should you lean to one side of the ladder while attempting to climb higher, a turning moment will be induced at the side where you have exerted much of your weight, and thus creating an uplift at the lighter side where your weight is less and therefore the ladder gives way together with you - Casualty only, a case with your crumbled opponent!”, Eliseo Oyoo commented on Abim Development Forum last night.

What a precise, concise, crisp, candid and forthright statement! Mr. Oyoo was applauding and guiding Hon. Michael Ayepa who was sworn in to serve second term as legislator for Labwor Constituency in Abim District on Monday 16^th May. To me, Oyoo has made the last statement after the cutting of the cake.

Do we have anything to say against this engineer’s graphical communication? Not even the rodents, cockroaches, termites have no speechlessness at this point in time I guess.

Whatever unpleasant future events that may come our way, I want to put it on record that Ethur have never had a bad member of parliament since the 1980s.  From Felix Obura(R.I.P) to Obonyo J’Abwor (R.I.P) to Yafes Otim Omara and to Omwony Ojwok (R.I.P) and to Ayepa. Under these men, we have documented evidence of fundamental achievements for thur development. The rot that we have today majorly emanated from the Local council administration in Abim that obviously were grossly mismanaged because we had a wrong captain from the start of that administrative unit in our land.  

Last weekend while in Kotido, I had a verbal spat with a young man whom I empathised when he said a good leader of Ethur is “the one that makes people laugh and that is full of ‘jazz’ to every location, and has his sharp boys everywhere”. The senseless young man added that “…we need a leader who can put on any cloth, or uniform for any people…” 

I didn’t understand this innocent kid, although in between the lines you could tell that Abim young people were beginning to rely on very wrong individuals for mentorship back home. You could sense that instead of maturity in governance, there probably were leaders who behaved like comedians yet they held responsible positions that required being gentle and cool headed so as to guide the new generation sensibly.

My greatest disappointment and annoyance came when the chap shamelessly said that Yafes Otim Omara while MP did zero to Ethur just like Ayepa and Obonyo J’Abowr. He said that Omwony Ojwok was the only performer so far. Thank God that in 2016 we have changed the face of this madness in our land and now hope for the better.

Aside, I thought all the key men who were our MPs before had done great jobs that needed to be recognised. Felix Obura offered himself at the time when the Ethur very badly needed a unifying leader, given that Ethur were almost unknown. Obonyo was ably our legislator at the foundational moment for the development of legal instruments in our Country. Yafes is on record for fighting for the independence of Ethur at a time when his colleague Owiny Dollo was pushing for thur people to be included under the Acholi administration from Pader. Omwony Ojwok worked for another independence from the Jie through pushing for the district status. Ayepa is currently fighting for; Community health strengthening, people’s land rights, women and child protection through several bottom-top approaches.

Finally I wish to congratulate our newly sworn in MPs; Janet Akech and Micahel Ayepa upon accepting to lead Ethur once again.   I know that after the swearing in, what seemed like a very long journey is now looking very near. It takes coordination with the electorates and sharing in their challenges if you want to lead them well. May God offer you better direction.