Dinkocracy: The Dinkanization of South Sudan.
9 min readBY: Elhag Paul
Writing this piece, I feel it is important to go back to 2004 to pick up from where I left. Then, I wrote my last critique about the SPLM which coincided with the raw between Col Dr John Garang de Mabior and his deputy Salva Kiir Mayardit which was settled in Rumbek. I decided to refrain from writing for the entire period of the CPA implementation in the hope that the SPLM would mature and behave like a true government. Unfortunately, this is not the case. SPLM remained unchanged and as destructive as ever before.
In this short piece I shall be arguing that SPLM is a Dinka organisation and it can not be trusted to represent or serve the South Sudanese masses fairly. In saying this, I wish to categorically make it clear that I have nothing against the Dinka as a people. I respect them and I would stand up in defence against any abuse of the Dinka people, because they are human beings just like the other tribes of South Sudan. What I do not approve of is their abusive behaviour and it is incumbent on them to address this deficiency in their culture if they truly value living peacefully with all the people of the South Sudan.
Garang (1987) argues that the sole reason for creation of SPLM/A is to liberate the entire country of the Sudan from the northern sectarian clique and to establish a socialist system in the country. To gain insight into Garang’s thinking, it is important to critically read his 3rd March 1983 and 22nd March 1985 speeches. These are masterful writings which clearly diagnosed the problems of the country and charted a wise path as a solution. In these papers, no doubt SPLM is a noble organisation with beautiful objective. However, in practice it actually propagated what it was fighting against. Looking at it from a psychological perspective, it becomes a story of envy and projection about the ruling clique in Khartoum. Today what we see in ROSS is worse than what the Aulad al balad were and are still doing in the Sudan.
It is open secret that in the 22 years of war, the SPLM/A behaved as an oppressive and discriminatory organisation than a revolutionary movement that it claims to be. Wherever they operated in the south, the local people suffered the most egregious human right abuses. Local administrative structures were deliberately destroyed with chiefs and headmen rubbished and reduced to nothing. The impact of this destruction today can be felt and seen in the breakdown of law and order in our country. The structure of the movement was filled with Dinka from top to bottom starting with Dr Garang at the top and ending with Aguer at the bottom.
I know that some readers may ask as to why the movement then thrived. The answer is simple, for example in Equatoria, there has been a belief that people should persevere for the sake of South Sudan liberation. Although the movement propagates unity, the Equatorians are clear of what they wanted: total separation and they gave their full to it. Thus, the Equatorians endured the worst atrocities from SPLM/A silently to ensure that South Sudan is born. In the history of the Sudan and south in particular, there has never been any organisation that inflicted heinous crimes on Equatoria as the SPLM/A.
From the beginning the SPLM/A exercised a policy of pacification against Equatoria. Since 1985 when SPLM/A came into Equatoria, it unleashed horror in Mundari land and eastern Equatoria. This resulted in massive movement of citizens into Juba town. Stories of wanton destruction, looting and rape were abundant. Those equatorians who remained in SPLM controlled areas effectively were turned into slaves. Radio SPLM/A became a useful tool of propaganda for the Dinka to portray a different story to the masses. Garang on the other hand was presenting a sweet picture to the gullible so called equatorian politicians, convincing them that SPLM is a national movement and there was nothing against equatoria.
Let us face it; Garang himself was bitter about Kokora. He writes: “(e) Nimeiri completed the abrogation of his Addis Ababa Agreement by agitating for the division of the South Sudan into three mini-regions, consistent with policy of divide and rule. In this way Nimeiri unilaterally proclaimed redivision of the South in June 1983 to the consternation of even his foreign sympathizers.” (Garang (1987, p22) While Garang is right in saying so, what I am driving at here is to try to understand his feelings expressed by phrase, ‘the consternation of even’. He also made it abundantly clear in other parts of his book that he was against Kokora. From this it is clear that, the policy of pacifying equatoria was truly an undeclared SPLM project.
The fact that SPLM used SPLA as a tool to pacify equatoria speaks for itself. From 1983 all those equatorians who flocked to the movement were discriminated upon and oppressed. Unfortunate ones were lynched, others imprisoned and the majority silenced. Along side this, was the policy of indoctrination. SPLM promotes the ideology of Dinka superiority. In practice, every department of the movement was headed by a Dinka even if such Dinka were not qualified. Equatorians were made to feel inadequate. Today watching SSTV and listening to radio programmes in the South, one can not miss the over indoctrination of the country with the idea that the Dinka are the liberators.
The department of culture of SPLM runs programmes which falsify the history of the South. Deliberately, SPLM has decided to zap all the non Dinka heroes of our liberation dating back to 1947. It does not mention people like Lolik, Gbatala, Tafeng, Fr Saturino, Samuel Gai Tut, Akot Atem, Aggrey Jaden, Clement Mboro, Ezbon Mandiri, Joseph Oduho and so on. The heroes being parroted in Radio Juba and SSTV are Garang, Kerbino, Kiir and cohorts. For them the South started from 1983 and not 1821. This is a deliberate attempt to write a new history of South Sudan excluding the participation of the other South Sudanese.
Dinka culture has become part and parcel of SPLM. Theft and brutality which is part of Dinka culture related to cattle rustling is ingrained in the machinery of SPLM. As a result thieving is seen as OK and crimes appreciated. In the ROSS today we see master thieves being praised as good leaders. Kiir’s failure to deal with the issue of corruption is because he does not see anything wrong with it.
Thinking about the above, it is abundantly clear that SPLM is a criminal organisation which needs to deal with its past. Inspite of deafening calls from South Sudanese for a true South-South dialogue to address these wounds, the SPLM sabotaged it and used the occasions to advance its interest. For example, soon after the signing of the CPA, the south-south dialogue held in Nairobi became a farce smothered by Garang and Abel Alier. Again in October 2010, another south-south dialogue was convened and it became Kiir’s Trojan horse to ride on the back of South Sudanese people to the presidency of South Sudan.
SPLM has learnt over the years that it can use the card of South-South dialogue to achieve its interest whenever the unity of south is crucial and needed. Hence, its invocation soon after the CPA and prior to the referendum. Basically, SPLM is not serious about addressing its horrendous past and bringing harmony to our new country. This is not surprising at all given the arrogance sung everywhere in South Sudan by its members that they liberated us. Every Dinka, even the uneducated blurts this song freely to non Dinka people.
What the Dinka people have failed to acknowledge is that if it was not Equatoria, SPLM/A would have been history. The alliance of NCP and the Nuer in early 90s at the height of the war successfully wiped out SPLM/A from the entire South Sudan save eastern Equatoria. The Dinka were nowhere to be seen in the ragging battle field. Had it not been for Eliaba Surur and the other elders of Equatoria to mobilise the Equatorians from the refugee settlements in Uganda and Congo to relaunch the war, and give SPLM/A a new breath of life in Nimule under gallant Equatoria commanders, the independence of south Sudan would not have been achieved.
The Equatorian determination and sacrifice to remain loyal to the cause of south Sudan’s freedom should not be taken as weakness to allow the illiterate lot to crow: “We liberated you!” What a nonsense?
SPLM/A by its implication as a Dinka organisation has not liberated anybody. In addition to the reason given above, this organisation did not win the war out right. It is important to note that SPLM and NCP settled for a negotiated settlement which led to the CPA because neither could win the war. The provision of the referendum in the CPA allowed each and everyone of us to decide for ourselves what we wanted. We individually (through the power of our votes) chose separation and thus liberated ourselves from the Arabs. It has nothing to do with SPLM (Dinka) liberating us and this must be made clear to our Dinka brothers and sisters so that they stop living in delusions of grandeur. Nobody liberates another person especially when that person is the initiator of the struggle from its inception and continued to advance it until 09/07/2011.
The strength of SPLM emanates from its membership of the non Dinka people who have given their all to ensure that South Sudan becomes independent. Now that this has been achieved, it is imperative that to rescue the country they so dearly sacrificed for; they have to reflect seriously as to whether their presence in such an organisation is of use to the country and the future generation. The SPLM is powerful because of them. Without them, SPLM is a vacuous shell. The recent abuses ranging from ratification of the ill drafted transitional constitution whose main aim is to entrench Dinka hegemony to the appointment of MPs was made possible by this same group. The other group helping the SPLM is composed of opportunistic political parties and individuals looking after their tummies at the expense of our country. One way or another they are working against the interest of the South and the South Sudanese are watching. It is time to wake up and be with the people than with criminals. There is nothing to be gained by promoting a criminal organisation that robes you, your people and the country.
Having said this, the failure of realising the intended fruit of the south-south dialogue is a shared responsibility. We the non SPLM (civil societies and political parties) allowed ourselves to be duped because in negotiations with SPLM, we accepted dilution of the principles of south-south dialogue to mean different things than the real issue of justice and reconciliation. It became about mobilisation of people and not accountability and healing. In future this should be avoided at all costs.
Now that the south is an independent country, it needs to start on a right footing. What we are seeing is not encouraging. To start with a flawed constitution and one party rule is not a good sign for the future. This needs to be corrected if we want a good peaceful future for our children. Therefore, I suggest the following as a solution:
1) Non Dinka citizens to speak out against Dinkocracy and Dinkanisation of the institutions of ROSS
2) Non Dinka members of the SPLM to abandon the SPLM to forge a new alliance.
3) Concerned Dinka to join their brothers and sisters in the wider South Sudan against the current SPLM Dinka leadership abusing their humanity.
4) The Dinkanised ministries of Justice, Home Affairs and Defence need to be exposed to the world. After all most of the officials in these ministries are not qualified.
5) The world to be enlightened about the fallacy and so called democracy in ROSS.
6) The Non Dinka must say, “Enough is enough”. The boat has docked and no more nonsense.
7) All peace loving South Sudanese to work tirelessly for establishment of a commission for Justice, Reconciliation and healing to investigate human rights abuse dating back to 1983.
8) The Diaspora to make use of their MPs in their respective countries to call for a swift election in ROSS to bring about a multi-party democracy. It is absurd that in this day and age we condone a one party system tyranny in ROSS
9) The Diaspora to organise an international conference to discuss the state of the country.
Kind regards
Elhag Paul
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