The Ruling SPLM and Party Internal Democracy
6 min readBy Malith Alier, Juba
The current war raging in the country is directly attributable to the SPLM internal struggles for leadership and democracy. The SPLM as a party has not come to terms with its new status as the ruling party in independent Republic of South Sudan. It continues to operate as in the years before CPA and independence. It unfortunately continues to wear past two faces, the bush and NCP faces. The NCP face was acquired through the interim period union.
It is not hard to highlight a few instances that make it extremely hard for the SPLM to adapt to the new environment. Naturally, some changes happened to the party of liberation but it has altered little on the ground. Its late and former leader and many others who were the stalwarts of the movement are no more. However, the bunch who remained continues to stand steadfast to the bush ideals, something that is dearly destabilising and costing the country today.
Democracy in the SPLM these days is like a verse from the bible. The devil can quote any biblical verse for his own ends. That is what is happening around the world, South Sudan under SPLM included. Democracy is a mobilisation catchphrase used to gain legitimacy and attraction of western aid to poor and least developed countries mostly in Africa. A poor country such as South Sudan has no choice but to feign democracy along with all imaginable conventions like human rights, child convention, gay rights and religious rights.
These are but on the paper. The ground for implementation is lacking. The SPLM, the lead party has sadly failed democracy internally as under its various organs which exist by name only. The SPLM National Convention (NC), Political Bureau (PB), the National Liberation Council (NLC), the Youth League and the Women League are all democracy deficient. Two organs, the Political Bureau (PB) and the Youth League (SPLM YL) are in the close scrutiny of this article.
The Political Bureau (PB) is the highest political organ of the party. It consists of 27 members representing regions of the country according to splmtoday.com. It’s chaired by the party Chairperson, and two deputies to the Chairperson. Its main function is to formulate policies, plans and programmes in according to the vision and mission of the SPLM. It also has the final say in party matters including selection of members for national election as was the case in 2010 elections. It was accused in this task of cherry picking members contrary to their popularity. This was the beginning of the SPLM woes.
Another problem that afflicted the PB is the recycling of members in the government ministries. The PB members served at senior level officials in the government. Having been in the government for a long time made many officials developed a sense of entitlement. They didn’t prepare themselves for a day outside the government. This fact was shown by their coalescence around a less unify character immediately after dissolution of government in July 2013. They pretended to have woken up from their deep slumber and accused the same government they were a part for so long.
Corruption, tribalism, economic collapse, foreign policy failure, dictatorship and party loss of vision and direction were some of their belated clarion calls. This late call prompted the government to brand them as disgruntled former officials who also imagined that if they are not in the government then it must be a bad government. “if I am not there, it must be a bad government” according to minister of Information and government spokesman.
Clearly and according to the outburst of the former senior officials, it is easy to see well if one is outside the government. This is perhaps the very reason why people outside the government complain incessantly. The command a better view of the government while outside. On the other hand, the ones in the government see less clearly because they are part of the coalition of self-serving bunch of privileged few.
The SPLM Youth League is simply a one man’s show since its inception. The current chairman has all characteristics of a strongman that democracy doesn’t need. The manner he assumed the Youth League office is obscured at best. The information available is that, he was handpicked by the SPLM Chairman in Nairobi in the 90s to serve for a definite period of time. He is apparently now a chairman of the Youth League for life. It is bad for democracy and the future of this country. The Youth League is the last nail on the coffin of democracy.
It is always said that the future of the country is the youth. The youth of this country does not fit this proclamation based on the trend it exhibits. The youth is militarised, undemocratic and above lazy. The youth in form of white army kills, maims and loot civilian properties of neighbours. The Murle youth is engaged in child abduction and cattle raids of neighbours. The Lakes State’s youth is involved in revenge killings and intra cattle raids.
This is happening under the watch of the SPLM YL which lost vision, mission and direction long time ago prior to CPA. It has lost vision, mission and direction because the undemocratic leadership which at one point mobilised Kenyan police to beat up its members in Nairobi who were calling for fresh elections in early 2000s.
The despite the undemocratic nature, YL status quo seems maintainable even in 2014. The chairman continues to dominate every spectrum of the YL activities. He represents the YL on SPLM Political Bureau (PB) and parliament or NLA. Nobody wants to “educate” him on democracy and inclusivity in the affairs of the YL. Even the party leaders have come to accept this lack of democracy, lost of vision and mission in the YL as normal.
The SPLM YL chairman is the Alpha and Omega full stop. This is the genesis of the problems of the party and by extension the country. They begin in the Youth League which resembles the defunct League of Nations.
Hilde Johnson the former UNMISS chief sum up the problems facing the country as the responsibility of all the SPLM leaders. Corruption, rule of the gun with impunity and self-serving elites are in the heart of it all. That is an independent view from somebody outside the government. Until this is done, the country will still meet more trouble ahead.
The SPLM dominance is hardly a blessing for this country. The events of last December confirm this view of the citizens who see through the SPLM party. Liberation alone does not pay bills and so is rewarding impunity. Liberation is not a source of satisfaction by its self. The tragedy of corruption, rule of gun and finally rule for the elites are killing this country in its entirety.
It is up to the SPLM in which the people of South Sudan have put their trust in to revisers this unfortunate trend. it should endeavour to reverse the negative trend right away. It requires leadership, stupid!
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