What Does the Rampant Gunshots on New Year, Tell Us?
By Heskey Deng
Of course, once the clock turned to 12:00 AM, that tells us, it is now New Year, 01st Jan, 2013, it has been escorted with unbridled sounds of the gunshot occupied the midnight airspace in Juba, which wide awake those who were waiting the New Year in their sleeping beds and also scares those who in the Churches, praise the Lord, what is/was happening? Situation goads some congregations to abandon the praying, it was abominable, or depend on how you called it, because citizens were shocked and mystified.
With this disgrace, it has created a climate of fearing and put citizens in the line of catch-22, also raises a lot of questions, what is the meaning of gunshots? What do they celebrate? Is there any coup take place in the night of the New Year, and questions continuing? Because so many New Years past, but it wasn’t being welcome with the gunshot in South Sudan at large, but this humiliation of gun blast, it also provides opportunity for all aliens and citizens, who hid their rifles and pistols to test them, that resulted in injury of some individuals, who will be responsible for their hurt? Will it be government or the God, who has granted us New Year?
Citizens knew that, SPLM/A revolution day, Known as 16Th May, was only day commemorated with gunshots at the time of the two decades of civil war, but once the CPA signed, then birth to Independence of South Sudan, not longer memorialize with firing, thereafter the rest of the event days included New Year and X-mas, are normally honor with emotional joys {drinking and dancing} and praising {thank} Lord, but what was funny with this year in South Sudan, anyway I was petrify on that day, which put me to plant my ears on the ground, dying-off waiting for upshot of the shooting from the government, because the gunshots was too informative, in return, nothing good, just condemnation, will condemnation reveals the secret behind the gunshot, “Big No” that is all.
More so, the reasons I write this Opinion, is to examine what do the gunshots tell us, what do it want to reveal to us and why they do it, I know, you have already cooked yours, you have your own results, so don’t demonstrate red eyes on this opinion, because on that day, it sounded good to those who did it and loyal of the arms-supplying while on the other hands, it was dreadful to mere citizens like me, who is unarmed, just baton and panga.
In fact, to me, the composition of gunshots want to tell the government and the head of state that, there are numerous of arms in the houses/homes, citizens still have the guns ,the disarmament is/wasn’t successful done in Juba. Also in another way that the government has failed in all the past years to protect the citizens and their properties, so in this time around of New Year, the citizens aren’t going to rely on government security, to die like a dog again, are capable to shield themselves from Country murders and robbers, but what brought such says, was rampant insecurity in the city, killing innocent citizens by unknown guys always and government failed to intervene the situation and arrest the criminals {culprits}.
However, in spotlight, jingle of the gunshots, also notify the government that, the citizens are well-equips and ready to act, they want government to stop fabricated things, and polluted the conducive environment, and inflict things, which isn’t in the mind of citizens, like coup plans, which is common songs in government’s mouth, there is attempt of coup, with a lot of falsify and unjustified accusation, that gunshots don’t want it to be mention again, and no coup to occur, but if they want it, it will be possible, they can overthrow the government in couple of hours because they have cannons. In that case, they warn the government, not to talk about it again, particularly those senior officers, who have full-grown mouths on it, do it to panic the presidential administration and government in general, and also for him/her to get promotion or create man-man friendship with the president, because the president may welcome his/her stupidity lying and accusation, as genuine, so stop it according to the New Year gunshots in Juba.
In all, the scenario of gunshots on the night of New Year, is/was {a} challenge to the government {cabinets and legislature}, SPLA, security personnel and organized forces, which prove that, on that night, no perambulation has been carry out by the national security and police, also tell them {SPLA and Police} the security of the president is in the hands of everyone, because we have arms, and to tell the president, he is wide-naked in term of the security personnel, also his security personnel, lack capacity to protect him and citizens, just knowing how to looting and killing innocent in their duties, they don’t act like national security personnel, but they act in the tribal-line, by associates with cold-blood assassination.
In the whole impact, the unknown guys, {as the government said it} who received the New Year 2013, with firing, were in a position to alert the government, and the president that, they get guns again through some senior officers in the SPLA, they don’t buy them, but they got them through some elements of the security senior officers and Generals, who need to tarnish the Country image, by giving the insecurity the priority in the Country, so they enlighten the president to collect back the arms/rifles in the houses, if presidential aspiration for peace and stability in Juba.
Even as, the disgrace of gunshot, reveals that, government has totally failed to handled the arms in the hands of the citizens in the country, especially in towns, so the only way, kill to kill, so if you find yourself breathing {days and nights} and walking on any corner of the streets in Juba, you are already dead body, only your life-rival forgive you, thank him/her for mercy, because you don’t have security at all, just the God that anointed your enemy-heart to give you some days, being alert all the time.
With such critical things, the Country president and all the Country head of security personnel, must to sit down and discuss the rampant of the arms in the hand of citizens, then order another immediate disarmament in Juba city, and tight the security before it still untimely, and if not, then in some months or years to comes, it will be another mission than welcoming the New Year so far. Take care, because ruling people aren’t like grains.
You can reach the author through his email: <deng.machol@gmail.com>