It would take a child long time before that child start to walk if he or she is not trained to walk. This is the case of South Sudan. We have just got our independent from South three years ago and we have not yet established our systems, and we are now thinking of joking East African Community that are well established six decades ago! We must not fall into a hole that we are seeing with our naked eyes.

Yes, East African countries are our good friends for long, and we must acknowledge their support to our cause in the past, but we must always remember that each and every country is concern of its people and the economic, political and social interests of these people.

South Sudanese must remember that in a regional block as such, participating countries compete and share resources and matters of common interest to create remarkable balance in the sectorial operations. For the sake of South Sudan that just emerged from the civil war three years have no qualified and enough human resources to compete in the region. For example, currently in South Sudan, the leading Country Directors of the NGOs are either from Kenya, Uganda or other nationality because we do not have enough such qualified individuals to lead these organizations. Assuming we have today accepted to join the block, that would give East Africans the privilege to work anywhere in the participating countries; what do you think will happen when majority of South Sudanese fail to get jobs because they could not compete with other participating countries whose education systems are developed and systems well established? I am sure it will result to chaotic incidences like what happened to South Africa few years ago. We must not allow rooms to instability when we are seeing the consequences of our actions. Let us build our human resources and all the governance system in the country first.

Another opinion in mind is poor customs at South Sudan’s borders with neighbors. Our Legislatures are still working harder to ensure that proper customs laws are put in place to regulate the import and export of goods into and outside South Sudan. When there is weak revenue authority in a country, the entire systems affects the fiscal system in the country. I am not an economist, but literary I think it would affect our economy drastically.

Joining East Africa Community block at this hand in time will demoralize our agriculturalists in the country because, the borders will open for other countries to bring in their food produces and flood all our markets in South Sudan because their agricultural activities are well established and advanced compare to agricultural practices where some people do not go to their fields because of fear of land mines and attacks by enemies of peace. This will discourage our hardworking farmers from producing food since they will not have a market to sale them. Let us work extra harder to establish our agricultural sector and other sectors of the economy so that we would also be able to exports goods to our neighbors in order to balance the completion.

These are few fears I would want to raise to the attention of all the stakeholders that would want South Sudan join East Africa Community. There are lot more things to raise as to why it is not yet time to join the block.

Yes, this is a brilliant idea to be part of the blocks in the world, but, nations must always know that the interests and welfare of their citizens must be above everything. Therefore South Sudan must address the needs of its people first before they focus at regional interest. We need established education, health, agricultural, customs, security, rule of law and all the other systems that make a country called a free and democratic country with principles of democracy and rule of law at the finger-tips.

In conclusion, I want to let my readers know that I acquired my knowledge that I gained in East Africa. They are great countries with amazing people, and I am a great supporter to joining East African Community and other regional and International blocks, but my argument is that, South Sudan is three years old from gaining its sovereignty from Sudan and no system ever existed before independence. Enough time is required for South Sudan to establish itself fully and then think of joining blocks to avoid future scenarios where people would be overcome in the competition, and these sometimes resort to unpleasant results when they have no solutions to their basic rights.

Let us think logically before rushing to making major decisions that could ruin all the recommended labor you bleed and toiled for many many years!