Why is Riek Machar Holding South Sudan Hostage to his Political Whims
5 min readBy Bwana Thontat Levite, Canada
March 2, 2015 (SSB) — Behold! Hasn’t the rebel chief, Riek Machar been assiduously holding the country and the government hostage since…On the notion that he hails from the Oil-rich state, as commonsense purports, and that he ought to be crowned with the country top most seat, or else his old vice presidency post, without which peace becomes a nightmare, which of course has become, according to the look of things?
If it is so? It is indisputable fact that beneath any South Sudan soils lie oil deposits? There isn’t oil in Abyei, Jonglei, Warrap, Eastern Equatoria (Elemi Triangle), among other states which are yet to be advanced with oil explorations?
Isn’t it crystal clear that the oil productions in the states of Unity and Upper Nile is largely based therein since those oilfields are adjacent and connected to the Sudanese oil pipelines hence easy access to the international markets where the oil resource is direly needed? Whereof, the government considers future diversification of agriculture, oil and other mineral resources productions in other parts of the country when its financial positions are eventually reconciling?
If we always deem to act arrogantly in the pretext that our home states have abundant resources over others, be sure South Sudan won’t be agile enough to realize a tangible socioeconomic and political progress, as it would sharply offset one of the basic principles of our interim constitution and a federal much like system of government;legal and equitable distribution of economic resources despite resources have and have not regions.
Presumably, we have one of the best systems of governments. What is yearned, is to constitutionally formulate,decentralize and micro-scrutinize it in that any alleged thoughts of undemocratic conflagrations can be commonsensically assuage via indispensable democratic processes.
Altogether, democracy is a process and an outcome. In the other essence, this shocking and sudden political quagmire has iced out the concrete themes of jealousy and tribalism that the insurgent leader has had been harboring against our nascent nation; scaring away the investors, among others for him to see the government comes to a crumble, as a result of his economic cut-throat apparatuses that would capacitate him to subvert the democratically elected transitional GRSS.
He wishes he were the South Sudan president? Only can he appreciate the burgeoning, or rather the vibrancy of a young state? That’s a true psychology of a power-hungrier and of a leader by nurture! Jealousy vehemently ordains him for an unquenchable thirst for violence, as one of his implements of addressing his less epochal political grievances despite the fact that it is totally uncalled for in modern democracies, unless otherwise.
What went wrong at first? Where, when and how did hell actually break loose with efficacious political mechanisms of staging of demos, protests, and civil disobedience, if in deed the government has become dysfunctional, as far as the building blocks of absolute democracy are greatly concerned, as illusion by the anti-peace crusaders?
Perhaps, it brings into play the allegation that the persona had the so called plan-B, alongside the choir of democratic reform agenda. Having said that, the man is a thorn in our flesh? It is with utmost good faith, my countrymen and women; my one and only material advice in store for the South Sudanese power hungrier politicians, is to be at least mindful of our Beloved South Sudan, as well as their personalities.
But if at all you decide to put your personal egos above that of the state of South Sudan and that you got swapped along the way by the forces of interests to betray her, by rebelling against her in the name of democracy you know much not; dare not align yourself with the tribal-based movement spearheaded by the aforementioned individual herein, lest you lose thine political credibility and legibility in the eyes of the South Sudanese general public.
You would have regrettably inherited a despicable political blemish. It is no small matter whatsoever; no wonder,you instantly become a scoundrel, and in deed a pariah. Oft-time, these are applicable identities of cohorts who have had plunged our Beloved South Sudan into a charnel house! So anguishing!
And it should dawn on all and sundry that this war is all about “good and evil, right and wrong, light and darkness.”At most, the predominant culture of violence; the impoverished machinery of expressing political dissatisfaction and a discerned highway to public offices must now stop than later, or else it completely debases us of our outstanding national image, resurrects and reinforces the spirit of bad precedence against the exercise and groundwork for modern democracy.
More so, it is blatantly licensing our archenemy with whom most of our historical issues ranging from borders, the Oil-rich Abyei, just to cite a few, are still unresolved.
A true patriotic South Sudanese bears with challenge of putting asunder any gray matter of our country political system at the expenses of our national common good virtue for all, knowing that there shall come better times and political models and/or grounds to stalking fragile political issues as such, governance of a creeping young democracy, so that the whole affair does not come with a gargantuan predicament over innocent lives like the current state of affairs.
In order to extinguish this current horrendous political turmoil, and leave no rooms for any senseless tribal uprising in an unforeseeable due course, peace is the most effective and efficient strategy that we ought to always hope to take advantage in vanquishing its saboteurs.
The incumbent and subsequent senior most leaders of this great nation should be vigilantly proactive enough to politically tame their dissidents. Violence has no place, as far as rival claims are at stake in our 21th century.
Arise Ye South Sudan!!!
The opinion expressed here is solely the view of the writer. The veracity of any claim made are the responsibility of the author, not PaanLuel Wël: South Sudanese Bloggers (SSB) website. If you want to submit an opinion article or news analysis, please email it to paanluel2011@gmail.com. SSB do reserve the right to edit material before publication. Please include your full name, email address and the country you are writing from.
About Post Author
