Hon. Edward Dia says he coordinated delivery of humanitarian aid to his people who were suffering and marginalised, but one thing remained a challenge- land grabbing,and has been a headache to date

By James Chatim

Hon. Edward Dia, Former Member of Parliament for Jebel Lado in Central Equatoria Legislative Assembly. [Photo: Courtesy]

Former Member of Parliament for Jebel Lado Payam in Central Equatoria State, Hon. Edward Dia, is confident he delivered the much-needed services to his constituents during his tenure in office, but one thing has remained a terrible headache to the locals.

During his time in office, Dia says, he coordinated with partners to bring humanitarian assistance to his constituency, especially to the communities residing in the islands but remained marginalised since the larger Sudan era.

Speaking to the City Review in an exclusive interview, the former lawmaker said the area, located along the Nile northwest of Juba, has suffered many challenges, including rampant persistent flooding, neglect, and rampant land grabbing, what has pushed the resident communities to the edge.

To help address the humanitarian challenges, Dia says he coordinated with the State’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) and other humanitarian organizations and took the officials for an assessment tour of Erdalowaga, an area in Jebel Lado, to witness firsthand the suffering of his people.

“The islands were full of water. When they saw the situation, they felt the could visible see that the people were suffering badly,” Dia says.

After the assessment, the government and partners responded in three phases. The first phase was the delivery of a mobile medical program by doctors in vehicles. Secondly, they delivered clean water. This included piping and water treatment materials. And, third, they distributed food.

“This was big. Nothing of a kind had reached this region. They were seeing a government-coordinated humanitarian support right before their faces. I played an instrumental part in the success of this project,” Dia says, elated.

Despite his efforts to address many of the endemic issues locally, land grabbing was a hard nut to crack, and still remains a challenge to date.

Dia says land grabbing in Juba has remained a big blow in communities.

And during his tenure, he encountered the rough side of grabbers,some of who were very harsh on resident communities. He failed to persuade government agencies to end the vice.

“I stood with the community until the last moment. But I failed to make government authorities stop the land grabbers. These are my people. They are suffering,” Dia affirms.

The former legislator says if land grabbing was handled properly and as per the law, the rising cases would have been solved amicably. Unfortunately, tribal leanings and communal politics got on the way of the law,and the situation escalated into what it is today.

Dia remembers knocking many doors he though would help. But hope only turned into despair.

“I knocked on all government offices, but they were silent. The only office I failed to reach was the office of the President, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit. That is my only regret,” he said.

Dia says three villages in Jebel Lado fled their ancestral land and are currently living on islands, with nothing to survive on.

“If I had succeeded, all land grabbers would have been removed from Jebel Lado and land returned to owners. This was the right thing to do,” he added.

On allegations that MPs disappear with the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), Dia denied receiving any money, saying for two years he never received a dime.

“Yes, I’ve heard these claims by the public that members of parliament pocket money meant for constituency development. For two years (that I served), I did not see anything (funds from the national government). There was no CDF. No development funds came.”

“Since we left government, we have seen nothing. The government talks about CDF at national level, but for us in Central Equatoria, we did not receive it,” he stated.

On whether he will contest in the December general elections, Dia said he is yet to make up his mind.However, he said he is just a call away when the people want him back to the fold.

“I want to finish what I started – to remove land grabbers and restore dignity to Jebel Lado. It is the people to decide,” Dia told this publication.

Utilities

“Yes, I’ve heard these claims by the public that members of parliament pocket money meant for constituency development. For two years (that I served), I did not see anything (funds from the national government). There was no CDF. No development funds came,” Hon. Edward Dia, Former Member of Parliament for Jebel Lado in Central Equatoria Legislative Assembly.