Date: Sunday, Aug. 31, 03

Joshoa Opal:

NCA Peace Convention

 Brief introduction and instructions of the meeting:

The Convention session was started by Mr. Lam Banguot with words of encouragement in a form of spiritual doctrine. Gatbanguot also gave chances to the whole floor for everyone to take a quiet minute for memory of our people in Nasir, who gave their lives for sake of Nasir and unity. Gatbanguot briefed the Assembly with some believed and congenital encourage able words about the unity. And finally, he handled the floor to Mr. Lock Gatkuoth, who happened to introduce our police officer, who came to supervise our meeting, and he has also introduced and welcomed the Chairman of the Convention, Mr. Joshua Opal Lual to take a leading role.

Lock Gatkuoth also illustrated the fact of having the convention by stated that this time is a time for Nasir Community Association and people to have a unity of love and hope. In addition to Lock, Mr. Joshua started the meeting by briefing the Assembly with the great used of the unity. Mr. Joshua introduced some conventional hints –the unity vision and the forgiveness meanings. According to Mr. Chairman, "Do we believe that someone somewhere will come and tell us how to organize ourselves?" “I don't think issue like that could shift and end the mission of our association”, he appended. We can form a paradigm to reverse tend of disunity, Uncle Joshua put it.

The longer our meeting will last will be for three ( 3:00 ) hours. "Will you please like this meeting to only last for that hours"? Mr. Chairman asked the masses. Our convention agenda will mainly touch the points that we are here for. These are the guidelines or instructions for the convention and are as followings:

1. Speaker must rise up his or her hands

2. No one will interfere while some one is given a chance

3. There will be three representatives from the both side

4. No one is allowed under the influences of any kinds

5. All the issues with sub due to the current must be followed

6. Security is already in the place --prepared by the committee members

7. Action will be taken immediately if these guidelines are violated by any person

8. Nobody is above the laws

Agenda:

1. We all know from the year of two thousand and two (2002) that there was a problem, which we should need to talk about. This problem has caused our coming here today. Now, we want to ask you a question, and the question is: How are we going to unite since unity is the only way for a society like ours to exist? Lady and the gentlemen, how are we going to reunite the Nasir Community, Mr. Chairman asked this question? This question must first be replied by representative members from either side, and then, he opened the floor for speakers.

A. John Joack Kang Hothnyang : Do not put the meeting in the motion, bring up the issue of the convention up the floor, and then we will discuss it, Pal's side.

B Khak Banguot : Tell us what you really want the community to do. And he continued by asked a question: Is this a discussion or a negotiation? Mr. Chairman asked the floor to see how many people will support whether or not the NCA convention would be for either discussion or negotiation. Then, the polls showed that majority were supported negotiation. Gatluak Puot : As an independent person, made his own suggestion on how to reunite the community by stated that two men, Koang and Pal, must leave the leadership for seek of reunification.

Mr. Joshua : Nasir will come together-- that two groups must drop at least one thing. What do we think would each group drop? The committee suggested that President Koang will drop the court issue while President Pal will drop an addition added one year. According to Gang Lual, no need for the community to remain without leader. Koang must go and his group should join the mainstream, he suggested. In contrast, Gatluak Puot again argued that the community will not stay without leader. Elders will organize the community till time comes for us to reelect a person. These two men can rerun again if they wish, he added. Mr. Khak Banguot, on Koang's side, agreed with Gatluak Puot and commended that these two people should go in order for the community's unity to success.

Wei Chuol: The three years that we have purposed, according to our side, must be completed. We should follow the laws, he added. No matter what, we are not going to reduce even one day or single minute from Pal, Wei stated. David Kui Paduil, on the other side, Nasir needs reformation. We have to reorganize the law or even interfere and rewrite proposals to be forwarded for short period for our community to function; otherwise he pointed that, unity will mean nothing. Mrs. Chuol Luochjock, mother of Dech Kuek, gave some advices directly to women and men about unity and forgiveness.... Nyagai Kun asked both Koang and Pal Gatkuoth questions and suggested the fact that these two men must leave offices in order for the community to reunite. Our point is clear as stated before. Kak Banguot : Issue of who does what is not the topic. We must let these men go in order to bide hormonally, he added.

John Joack said that we are going to reunite. He proposed that we should all go back to what caused the division in order for us to come together. According to Mr. John Joack, the additional one year to Pal is not the problem. Everything Koang group has done during the years of the division must be handled to the mainstream NCA, Pal's side and then, by December of this year, majority vote will decide about the year of Pal. Nyachuol suggested that Pal and Koang must just drop their leader positions and then we will combine all the funds contributed by each side. Man-wal More also suggested that these men must leave their leaderships or Pal could leave it for Koang. Joack Dech: Our position is clear: If there was someone to join other, is not us. In order to come together, the vice president will continue for next three months. Or we will give authority to the elders. Our resolution is that we are not going to follow Pal, even one second.

SECOND SEASION (TWO PARTS) AFTER BREAK TIME

Mr. Joshua Opal Lual : There is no where in the world that the president of any organization should be told what or how to do anything. Similar to that, we are not going to accept that paradigm. We must work for the unity, which is the only success of our people or children. What is it that would bring us together if we can not understand one another. The unifying of this community is the way to go.

Nyakhan: Our coming here is the happiness of our organization. I have the same problem similar to those two who we are talking about them today. As Mr. Joack Dech stated, we are going to end up the issue simple by dropping down these men from the leaderships. I will talk on behalf of our organization that we have even said that NCA name and people are like nothing. There is nothing else better than dropping these men, she added. Nyayien states that when two men drop as Jesus did by committed that, this community will unite. You must step down brothers, she appended. Nyaruach Gatluak blamed the Assembly for taking unnecessary positions. According to her, NCA problem is not only for Pal and Koang Gatluoth. The problem is what caused the two groups to divide apart. We will go back to America government for assistances to show us how to lead the community if you, the men failed.

Dak Ruach: I will pass my greeting to those who organized this convention and again, I will also like to thanks the young men and women. It is time and it will be a time for you to decide for the future of our community. We, the Nuers, have a problem. Anytime we have unreasonable issue, we believe to end it up the similar day. This problem is not for today. It has been discussed so many times in the past. In the year of 1999, I have told you that time have come for us now to stay apart. My resolution is, let us discuss the issue. Let us not focus only on Koang or Pal Gatkuoth. We must reschedule the meeting one more time. Let give more chance to discuss this issue again brothers and sisters. Khor Cambang : Because we are all Nueer, that is the reason for me to come here today brothers and sisters. I cannot be here today if it was not for that purpose. If I was the one who in fact claims that he has been elected, I would end this problem today. But, because I am not the person, it would be impossible to handle the problem myself. I am not challenging you. I know everyone of you knows who I am. I have done enough to show that I am a Nuer and I can help Nuer brothers. He has also encouraged groups by future events, such as help brothers and sisters at home.

Mr. Joshua Opal : I respect individualism. Daniel Gratuity: I don't want us to leave this build without having a positive resolution. I think brothers and sisters that the corrections we always give to our brothers Lou Nears and Gajaak while we are in unity is better. Mr. Joshua Opal : Let give chances to our two brothers, Koang & Pal: Koang: Mr. Koang Gatkuoth asked Geng Duol for the position of the NCA today. How do you see the progress of NCA today? Just say yes or no. The conclusion is that I do not see any other ways else to end this unbelievable problem. Let us, Koang and Pal, be dropped in order for our community to unite. Pal on other side: If there are any reasons for you not to like me for what I did wrong, today, I should step down. But, if there is no one to come up for any issue, I will not. Because it was me and Koang who have the problem, there was no way for both of us to organize to the issue, he added. Pal continued, if this is the way you wanted our community since then to exist, let us go as it is. I will not step down even for any single second!

Youth Leaders, Wiyual Majiok : The problem is not for the two people, Koang & Pal. It is us. No one or two people should be allowed to destroy the mission. NCA is not like the military organization. We cannot support the issue of dividing the NCA into groups. Youths are still working hard. We formed this club for the purpose of NCA, and not for anything else. I believe that we are going to bring NCA together. Let go for solution to decide about one unite. Yien Minykuany: Let us look for the caused of the problem from how it was started. The solution will be there if we can go back to the caused of the problem in order to find the solution. Jany Tut Jiek: If you will not come up for the good resolution, Chielang will be alone. Riek Puok Riek: Two men must be dropped down and then we will organize a team that would look back to how this problem started. We cannot judge these men while they are still in leading. Nyaguandong: Our two brothers must come down now without delaying minutes. We are strong people to decide the future of our organization. Koang Bakual : Two groups must decide on reorganization to select members to represent their sides together with elders, while two men are out. Chuol Gai Biel : These lines are the caused of the disorganization. If NCA should be divided because Koang Gatkuoth did not pass the election, let it be divided. We will not come together as one body for the purpose of the condition. Rev. James Kuajien: Refereed his comments from the Old Testament Bible by suggested that the only solution would be for us to accept these two men to be dropped down.

Committee members : Mr. Lock Gatkuoth: We have faced many problems for the cause of this reunification issue. As an individual, I would suggest that we will go back to the beginning of this problem. We would look for some kind of assessments and then, or we can take decision from the voting members to see whether or not people would agree with the dropping decision. Otherwise; however, we would reschedule the meeting. Thok Riek Chom: I would thank Mr. Joshua Opal for everything we spent or did together- in Gambella for example and as well as other places. According to Thok, there is no other issue to comment on than to tell Koang, who claimed that the election was stolen to go and leave the elected leader. This was no true, he added. There was no election that was stolen. Koang Gatkuoth must step down!

William Deng Tut: The only choice that I have selected is to be a church teacher or teacher. I always like to see all of you together. There are people who have committed to loose their lives for the sake of NCA. With all these in minds, we cannot just only stand on meaningless topics. Do we all think brothers and sisters that those who died because NCA are not like us? “Are we better then them”? Mr. William emotional asked this question? NCA is lost because NCA is already been destroyed by people. Do we also want to do similar thing? I do not think this would be a good way. Anyone wishes to destroy the community. If the community has to have different kind of people, and therefore, we must go and take all suggestions you have suggested. We will appoint members from both sides and they will come and work together with us to reorganize the NCA.

Mr. Joshua Opal Lual with a close mission: What I will take back to Canada will be greeting from you. The meeting will be closed with no final resolution. Therefore, I will not comment on anything. I will call on the pastor for conclusion. Finally, Rev. John Keak came and closed the meeting with words of praying.

Thanks

Recorded By Gatluak Ter Thach