This week, the Twic East County Commissioner, Dau Akoi Jurkuch
announced during the Paramount Chief’s election at the County Headquarter in
Panyagoor that his administration banned the sell and/or the consumption of
alcohol at wedding ceremonies and other public gatherings. It is not clear what relation does wedding
ceremonies and public gatherings have to do with the banning of alcohol. But, I
suspected it has to do with crimes and/or outbreak of fights during marriage
receptions and/or other public functions.
However, even if this was the case, the commissioner
decision to ban sell and/or the consumption of alcohol at wedding ceremonies and
public functions is unwarranted. Jurkuch’s decision is actually a case of
liberty and freedom of choice violation. In addition, the commissioner decision
to ban alcohol at wedding and public functions is exactly the tip of the
iceberg of how this commissioner is out of touched, lacks knowledge and/or
unwillingness to tackle real issues facing the county.
Making the matter
worse, I see this decision as resurrection of sharia in the county in a form of
informed commissioner. Think about it ladies and gentlemen, what is a different
between Khartoum’s Sharia Law that banned us of alcohol during the old Republic
and this so called Twic East County Banned of Alcohol consumption during
weddings and public functions? Who knew that Sharia Law-like was going to
emerge out of Jonglei particularly in Twic East County?
Don’t you see the
irony here? What a sad beginning for Twic East County in Jonglei state? No. it should not be the case. People have to
stand up to this indecisive Commissioner and his ill-informed policies. Whoever is advising this commissioner, please
tell him to reason with his head. Tell him, if the reason for enacting this law
is his fear of crimes or fights during weddings and/or public functions, then,
you got it wrong Mr. Commissioner. You have incorrectly defined the problem for
these reasons.
First, infrequent fights that sporadically occur during
wedding ceremonies and other public gatherings in the county are not all
because of alcohol consumption. Instead, it is because of people who don’t
control themselves and boredom that that pervaded many people in the county due
to lack of jobs or works. If your target is those few individuals who drink and
cause problem or fight, you don’t need to deprive majority of people who use
alcohol and pose no threat to the public. What you need to do is make police
available at every wedding and public function to pick up those who drink and
cause problem, throw them to jail and prosecute them to the fullest of the law.
After all, is it not the work of the police to maintain civility at public areas?
Second, stopping or
banning alcohol at the wedding ceremonies and/or public functions is not going
to prevent fight from happening anyway. You know it in your heart that there are
other times that fight will break out among people in the county without
alcohol involvement. No matter what,
this law is not the solution. The solution is to hold those who few misguided
people who cause crimes and/or fights accountable instead of punishing good
citizens or banned older men and women from having few drinks during their
daughters’ weddings. You and your administration need to revisit this decision.
You are creating bad precedent for the state and the country. What’s next? Tell people they cannot sleep with were wives
on the first day of their wedding? Are
you going to tell us next we cannot eat outside our houses or? Are you willing
to turn Twic East County into an enclave of tyranny?
Do yourself and the county’s people some services. Focus
your energies, time and skills if any on matters affecting the county like
building roads, schools for the kids, hospitals, improving communities’
relationships and attracting investors into the county to create jobs the
countless people in the county instead of becoming a wedding police.
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