Paul & Friends   Peace, joy, and unity among friends!

Dear brothers and sisters, fellow citizens of Duk Padiet at home and afar,
please accept my humble greetings in the name of our beloved community, the
Dukridge and its inhabitants. I am truly inspired today to share my personal
thoughts without offense or hurting your ears and feelings.

My people, when the Sudanese first civil war launched in 1955-72, our community
played a significant role in liberating the South from the tyranny of Islam. Our
people fought tirelessly without turning their backs to the enemy until peace was
reached in the presence of our uncle Paul Awel, in the Addis Ababa Agreement of
1972.

People of Duk Padiet worked together and collectively fought their common enemy
and triumphantly overcame them. If an enemy became aggressive and approached our
territory with disregard in those days of our highly respected chief Monykuer
Mabur, and even in the days when he handed over the throne to his son, our
intrinsic chief Manyok Monykuer Mabur, we were living graciously knowing only raan
ater da in the border.

When the Sudan People Liberation Arms/Movement, took up arms against the Khartoum
regime in 83, our people were the very first to join the revolutionary war of self
determination, and I vividly remember, our uncle Joel Maker Deng was among the
Founding Fathers of the SPLA/M. Battalion 4 and 5, and so forth ,were composed
of mieth ke Hol. None of our seniors and juniors, high and low ranking members of
our community took unnecessary action which would have had spoiled the reputation
of our community. I am personally very thankful for their roles in the Movement,
from the very first day the Movement was formed to the last day of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed.

Hundreds and thousands of mieth ke Hol lost their lives in the battle field,
fighting and dying without any hesitation while the wild beasts fed on the human
flesh of the dead. My brothers and sisters, what could we do to commemorate our
heroes and heroines who have fallen asleep for the common good of our community?
What could we do to help let their living vision pass from generation to
generation? If I could visualize the disaster of 1992, which first started in Duk
Padiet, I could still reflect on the horrific death of our people although I
wasn’t there. The extermination of our people’s lives sounds like mythology to
others, but they were real difficult situations that our people have gone through.

Dear alum of Dukridge, I am writing to you as an individual, as a son of Pan-Hol,
I am writing to you as a brother and a close friend. I am particularly writing to
these one-hundred and eighty five (185) members of Duk Padiet in America, Canada,
Africa, and Australia. I am writing to you concerning the future of our community
and its next generation to come. Dear friends, I am writing this to you as part of
the solution, and regard you as problem solvers to the current situation in Duk
Padiet despite your preferences. In the history of Duk Padiet, we never ever had
chasms among ourselves, we never took up weapons such as spears, shields and
rifles against ourselves, however our main targets were our close allies who
attempted to manipulate our Toch. In the past, we loved ourselves and treated one
another with respect and courtesy.

I said earlier that I am writing to you as problem solvers and a part of the
solution to the recently emerged differences in our community. I have an open
ended question to each one of you and you need to answer it in a way that might be
applicable to you. As a son or daughter of Pan Hol, what do you think about the
anarchy in Duk Padiet? What do you think would help to bring our people’s
prospectives together despite their internal and external differences? Every other
society is enjoying their liberty, why not us? Our great people who were highly
respected and known were assassinated simply like that for no reason. The killing
of our own people lowered the reputation of our community in the eyes of other
communities. However, our differences might harm and jeopardize the future of our
community if we don’t take the legitimate account to resolve them.

Duk Padiet is the richest community in Jongle State, we have a lot of natural
resources, minerals and valuable resources such as liet e kueer nhom and so on.
We’re a more dependable and approachable community than others. I am humbly asking
you in the name of God, the creator of our human life, in the name of God who
knows all our desires, and concealed needs, to pray brothers and sisters for
solidarity in the community, for peace and reconciliation, for forgiveness, for
acceptance and the various needs of our human lives.

There would be no Hol if Duor is not a part of Hol, and there would be no Hol, if
Pathel is not a part of Hol, and so on and so forth, our togetherness helps us in
so many ways which I could not count, therefore we need one another brothers and
sisters. Please, lets work together. Our differences will take us nowhere. We’re
one family, siblings of one father and mother believe it or not; we’re one. Lets
relinquish our sectional and individuals’ differences and let us give love and
peace a chance to flourish in our midst.

For those who might be in foreign nations, please let us try to preach harmony and
an integrity to our people if you get a chance to visit home. They should know
that what happened has already happened and nobody wants to hear it or for it to
be repeated again. I am very disheartened for the loss of innocent lives. Please
pray for peace.

The future of the church in our community needs to be respected by every member
regardless of age and sex. Your relationship with God and the church is a personal
phenomena and it need not be enforced by others. Our community is a growing
community and we shall accommodate as many churches as possible if there are ways
and means. The church is where love, peace, needs and forgiveness are practiced
not harm and hatred. Being a Christan is a call and a full life discernment, but
if God calls you to be an Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran or Catholic, then go
for it and don’t bring confusion and conflict among the innocents. I have a deep
faith and a respect toward other denominations, if they do the will of our true
God. Dear church leaders, I am kindly begging your pardon to lead God’s people in
the ways He wants them to be led. You need to sit and workout possible solutions
for God’s people. Despite your residential location, you need to follow the Christ
example of stewardship.

Politicians, I am also begging you to represent Hol’s citizens equally either in
the parliamentary procedure or in governmental forces. However, you’re
representing the community not yourself or your family. And remember, seniors and
juniors officials, you’re our eyes and ears anywhere you’re deployed, after six
years and during the self determination period, we shall vote and we as the
community will vote for the person that will do the will of the community and not
his own will.

Students, I am encouraging you from the bottom of my heart to take more steps to
finish high school or find trade careers that would help you and the community in
the times to come. Don’t lean back, time is not waiting! Everything is achieved
through hard work and perseverance. Question: Can a success in one area in your
life compensate for failure in another? Think about it. Hereafter, I am truly
delighted to hear you guys doing academic wonders, which is a fundamental value of
our community. Please keep up your good work at school.

Teamwork! I am challenging you to develop a sense of a teamwork. We need to help
and work with whoever initiates a project in the community. We need to work
closely with Bishop Machardit, Akech Deng, Paul Mator, Mapiou Mun, and the leaders
of our community since they’re not following their own interests and benefit, but
the benefit of our community.

In conclusion, I would like you to pardon me if I hurt or offend your feelings in
one way or another; please I ask for your full forgiveness.
Our community needs our hands whether you’re at Duk Padiet or in foreign nations,
whether you’re spiritual or political leader, young or old, man or a woman, we all
need to contribute and share ideas, input and suggestions for the common good of
Duk Padiet and its inhabitants. It’s our responsibility to consolidate
misunderstanding in our community. Remember, focusing on our differences will lead
us nowhere. Please, lets work together and learn how to forgive and forget. May
God bless Hol da now and forever.

Thank you
Deng Dominic
dengdominic@hotmail.com