An Open Letter to Gok Community and Bor County: Official

Details: Category: Commentary; Published on Thursday, 12 December 2013 20:05; Written by The Leaders of Gok Sub Communities in the U.S.; Hits: 21637

800px-Jonglei Map svg

Dear Gok Community and Bor County, This letter is a statement of opposition from the Gok Sub communities Leaders that will explain our reasons for opposing the separation of Juor Gok from Bor County. These sub communities chairpersons met several times and decided on 10/06/2013 to create a written statement, which this letter represents. The following list outlines our opposition views:

The unity and organization of Bor County is impacted by this separation. All individuals in opposition are citizens of Bor County and are therefore seeking to separate from their own community creating disunity, disorganization, and discontent within Gok community and Bor County’s people at large.
The leaders of the separating group are against Bor County’s leadership, so this represents a personal attack rather than a simple need for separation.
This separation proposal should come before the General Assembly, which is the approved process law rather than coming from twelve individuals within Gok.
The dissenting voices do not represent the more than one thousand members of Gok community living in the United States because they are only twelve people. The entire Gok community has not discussed nor has it approved this separation proposal by these twelve.
Gok was hijacked by few individuals to legitimize their hatred toward Greater Bor and Bor County leadership. These were the people who pull Juor Gok out from Greater Bor because the president of Greater Bor did not give Gok community financial position. They always claim that they are for the unity of Bor County but that is not true. May 25th each year was chosen by Bor county leadership to conduct its community meeting on yearly basis. Now, look the same individuals also schedule their meeting next year at very the same day of Bor County.

The Gok sub communities’ chairpersons are willing to discuss the concerns voiced by the opposition group. Three meetings were organized for this purpose. Despite three attempts to meet with them, they have not been willing to participate in such a discussion. This shows a lack of willingness to compromise and indicates that the group is not concerned with the unity within Gok community and Bor County at large. They appear to be concerned only with their own interests rather than with the good of their fellow Bor County brothers and sisters. Consequently, this division still goes on.

Now the final from these sub communities leaders decided to write this letter in opposition to the separation of Juor Gok from Bor County. This letter will be sent to all members of Gok community so that everyone will be informed of our position. We do not believe that the opposing voices represent all of Gok’s people.

These Gok chairpersons propose that the opposition group be dissolved and that its members remain within Bor County until South Sudan’s government grants county recognition. At that time, the opposition group can present its proposal to the General Assembly of Gok in order to ensure that all of Gok’s members have a voice in this decision. This type of action is based on the democratic principles that all South Sudan’s citizens voted for when South Sudan became a free nation.

Yours truly,

Chairpersons of Gok sub communities

Enclosure: Signature List

We the undersigned disagree with the proposal to separate officially from Bor County. We agree with the rationale outlined in the October 06, 2013 to which this signature list is attached.

Name	Signature	Subcommittee Leader
Achiek Mabior Lueth	Koch	Chairman
2. Nyiel Dot Duoi	Adol	Chairman
3. Mawut Ayor Riak	Gwalla	Chairman
4. Bol Riem Dut	Gol	Chairman
5. Dut Leek Deng	Adumwuor	Chairman
6. Alier Anyuat Deng	Ater	Chairman