In Leer 'Church'

Last Tuesday, at 9:30am, I took Br Denis to the Malakal airport to check in on a World Food Programme flight to Juba. We were gruffly told ‘no check in’ – go to the WFP office. We eventually ascertained that the Malakal Airport Manager, not following correct procedures, had tried to get on a WFP flight the day before but had been turned away. So in retaliation he declared the airport closed to all WFP flights on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, Sr Luchita, returning from Colombia had been sitting in the Juba airport from just after 8:00am waiting for her flight to Malakal. If it were not my phone calls, she would have had no idea why her plane was delayed. By 12:30pm, the dispute had not been resolved and all intending passengers at both airports were finally told to go home. This is Sudan! 

You meet some wonderful people in Southern Sudan. In the recent August 30 edition of the USA National Catholic paper, America, a correspondent wrote of two Bishops visiting the USA:

‘You have to look up to the Sudanese bishops because they maintain their faith despite what they’ve been through. Witnesses to their country’s horrific civil war, they nevertheless have ready smiles and gentle humor….  Bishop Rudolf Deng Majak, president of the Sudanese bishops’ conference, and Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur, auxiliary bishop in Khartoum, retain hope for peace in Sudan despite the likelihood of war.’  

The Bishops exercise a leadership of service and preach peace. Unfortunately, too many people, choose instead to exercise a leadership of power and control over others. These are often referred to as ‘big men’.

The most common exercise of abuse by officials at all level is by graft – taking advantage of the ‘power ‘of the position to demand extra payment for a service one is already being paid to deliver. Too many ‘big men’ use their position to further their own greedy ambitions rather than deliver a better deal for all.

When the CPA celebrations were held in Malakal in January 2009, the roads were greatly improved. In fact, enough funding was provided for the roads to be sealed. It never happened. The money was diverted into private pockets and now the roads are back to mud and slush. One BBC report estimated that 40% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Africa goes into corruption. The rapid westernisation of tribal Africa into ‘countries’ has not been matched by the development of an infrastructure of checks and balances.  

‘Big men’ simply get away with preposterous actions and abuse of their positions by the demanding of bribes – or by the use of force. It seems to be, in their thinking, the way business is ‘normally’ done. Ironically, the one good thing I can see coming out of the huge amount of graft and greed is that it may help keep the peace. Too many big men are doing too well to want to go back to war. But what about fallen ‘big men’?  That is a danger.                     

Br Bill