President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s official portrait was unveiled Wednesday in Juba by the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
Machar urged members of the public and government officials to display the new presidential portrait in all public offices.
“It is an important day, I have unveiled this portrait and in our offices whether they are government offices or in the private sector, this is the portrait you are expected to display,” Machar said during the unveiling ceremony held at Freedom Hall in Juba.
The new portrait shows President Salva Kiir in a blue suit wearing a red tie and his trademark hat with the South Sudan flag in the background.
Machar said the aim of unveiling the portrait of the head of state is for all people and the rest of the world to know the official presidential image.
“The states also will have to do the same and the counties will do the same and Payams should have the pictures and over the country,” he said.
Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin, Minister of Presidential Affairs said the portrait of the President relates to his present age.
“Also people have grown in age, so the picture also must relate to the present situation people are in but most importantly there must be consistency throughout the country,” Benjamin said.
Lily Adhieu Martin Manyiel, Press Secretary in the Office of the President said the changes of the name of the SPLA to SSPDF also appeared in the presidential portrait.
“The function of today is to bring the portrait allied with reforms that H.E Salva Kiir Mayardit had made, there are some challenges that happened within the time for example the name of SPLA has changed to SSPDF,” she said.
Adhieu revealed that government institutions including the state will receive their portraits through their agencies, while the private sector and interested individuals can get theirs within selected print houses.
“These are things we need to keep in terms of archive and history, and most importantly there has been no standard presidential portrait since our independence which has left public entities in shock,” Adhieu said.
