The Sources of South Sudan’s Problem

Going back through history could provide us withclear understanding on where the source of problem that lead to Dec 15, 2013 incident in Juba lie. There are several variables of mischiefs if compiled together can be discerned as the leading causes of the crisis our country is facing now. However, to make it short, the major factor that haunts our young nation currently result from incomplete and misguided Transitional Constitution where President was given absolute power to fire or dissolve parliament without parliament approval or vote.

South Sudan’s Salva Kiir needs to put his black hat back on, by Aljazeera

As we have witnessed in the past few months, the President was so blinded and so intoxicated with power by starting to ignore his own ‘Constitution’ he blessed. One of my Criminal Law professor back in 2010 told me that “if your country’s Constitution is not written inclusively and democratically, then your country will be in turmoil for many years to come.” Well, it seems true that the source of our problem come from disgruntled Transition Constitution which givespresident too much power to do whatever he wants to do in term of running the country.

If President Kiir, for example, had not been granted absolute power as was bestowed to him by Constitution, he would not have to fire his cabinet in the first place without parliament approval.

Analysis: How South Sudan leaders squandered nation-building effort, by Reuters

Another source of our country’s problem can be attributed to the oil especially oil money. There are many actors behind the scene who have different interests regarding how our oil can be exploited and controlled. First, Bashir is number one culprit whose objective is to destabilize South Sudan so that he can prove to the world that Southerners can’t and will not be able to govern themselves.

By doing so, he threatens Kiir that he would shut down oil flow to the port/market if Kiir doesn’t concede issues that were not settled or completed between two Sudans. For example, he wants Kiir to stop supporting and abandon the people of Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains and Abyei. Also, he (Bashir) wants Kiir to concede the entire oilfields that lie within the South boundary and recant their claim to the South.

Why South Sudan has exploded in violence, by Washington Post

Finally, he persuaded Kiir to take in or absorb his agents so that the so called ‘hardliners’ by Khartoum would be removed from the government so that no one will talk about the above mentioned issues. However, these hardliners as Khartoum inferred are those young men back in 80s left their parents and their schools to fight and liberate our country.

Even if they (SPLM heroes) are thieves, corrupt as Kiir put it, they are the ones that give us our freedomand they deserve to enjoy their hard fought victory. I know we will come back together and forgive each other once morebut I would advise our politicians that they have to make sure that the next Constitution doesn’t givepresident whoever he or she may be too much power as Kiir has or use to have.