SPLM-Arizona Chapter: Declaration of Switching Support from SPLM-led Gov’t to SPLM-in-Opposition

    Hello fellow SPLM comrades in great state of Arizona and Diaspora’ at large. We are here to make it public that, we are not any longer supporting the SPLM Chapter led by Kiir Mayardit. We have switched our moral support behind the SPLM- in Opposition who has both political and military wings, fighting for freedoms and the formation of real democratic state in our beloved nation, the Republic of South Sudan. The fact is that, our party, the SPLM led by Cde. Salva Kiir Mayardiit has abandoned the core value in which this organization, the SPLM was formed and fought for from 1983 to Dec 15, 2013. Kiir is not anymore seen as Republic of South Sudan president, but a tribal repressive in South Sudan palace! When we were in the bush, we fought together as comrades, but after attaining our Independence, our party chairman; comrade Salva Kiir Mayardiit has made our historical moment, the SPLM as a family business in which the decision making like government appointments were shifted from the party think tanks (SPLM leadership) to regional bloc in which ethnic lobbies play great roles. Where on earth, the democratically elected president can have his own tribal armies and abandoned the national army the SPLA? Juba is now run by Warrap’s Republican Guards and Ugandan Mercenaries and the SPLA as South Sudan’s national army becomes nothing as all chains of the commands in the armies have transferred to Ugandan troops and they are the ones leading the country.

That Kiir Myardit’s leadership style has killed the SPLM as a party in all 10 states of the South Sudan and Arizona in Diaspora which was the SPLM’s stronghold is affected the most. Arizona in USA is the SPLM stronghold and with Cde. Kiir’s poor leadership, we backed off supporting his leadership and switched our support to the reformists (SPLM In Opposition) whom some are now in jail in Juba for call of democracy, others are made hostage in foreign country(Kenya) and others has led the rebellions and battling the government forces and foreign troop in which Ugandan mercenaries are part. Kiir Mayardit as SPLM chairman has made the party functions paralysis and loss the direction and the vision. When we were in the bush, we fought collectively as South Sudanese hoping that, once day when we get our independence, we will build a nation that would be freed from corruptions, tribalism, nepotisms and dictatorships. However, none of the above mentioned elements were neither eradicated, but were promoted under the leadership of comrade Salva Kiir Mayardit. After the tragic death of the SPLM’s eternal leader and one of the founder father of the people’s party; Dr. John Garang De Mabior, Salva Kiir Mayardiit as Dr. John’s successor accidently got into power and the SPLM becomes visionless and slowly dies out as the party becomes too corrupts and a tribal entity .

    The expressions and declarations by three SPLM comrades such as Dr. Riek Machar, Rebecca Nyandeng and Pagan Amum to run for the SPLM party’s chairmanship could have been seen as threat by SPLM Chairman Kiir Mayardiita and as such, he puts country into abyss. Because of the declaration of three candidates above to run for party ticket, the SPLM convention that would have been kicked off since May/2013 and elected the new chairman which would have been the SPLM flag bearer to contest for South Sudan’s presidency in the first general elections, coming 2015, was delayed until Dec 15, 2013 in which the South Sudan future becomes another Syria. According to comrade and a respected mother, Rebecca Nyandeng Garang’s quote during Dec 6, 2013 SPLM press conference, she said; “when we were in the bush, we fought for democracy, but after attaining our Independence, people tried to talk about the animal called democracy, but some comrades started running away from that animal”. What is wrong comrades; is that not the same democracies we were fought for decades that has now turned to be the stranger animal we scare and run away, Rebecca Garang alluded. I believe, it would be nice for Mr. Kiir Mayardit to explain and give us answer about that kind of animal (democracy) that has become a stranger and killed10,000 people and made almost 1million people leave the country. Because of Kiir Mayardiit’s fail leadership, SPLM as a party has loss vision & direction and at last, Kiir made a coup to get rid of his political opponents and that was what had caused Dec 15, 2013. As such, Salva Kiir has failed the SPLM party members and so do the people of South Sudan whose their expectations were very high when gaining our independent hoping that, basic services would be delivered. Now, South Sudan as a nation is ranked the fourth fail states according to 2013 world report and after this crisis Somalia would be better than us if Kiir insisted to stays in power.

    Since the SPLM/A was formed in 1983, it was arduous journey for us as comrades and fought a successive war against our former colony, the Sudan until the SPLM and NCP as parties signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 and later attainted our political goal, the Self-Determination for the people of South Sudan through international community supervised referendum and declared our independence in July 9, 2011. The SPLM as a party led by Kiir Mayardiit is not any more under the core principles of governing using the rule of laws which is democracies, in lieu; it has been in contrary in which Kiir Mayardiit was promoting a dictatorship tendencies through being ill advised by Ugandan Dictator, Yuweri Museveni as their dealt was to extend dictatorial leadership to peripherals part of East Africa and South Sudan is the most started field to impose doctorial tendencies. The SPLM; led by Cde. Kiir Mayardiit has loss its governing principles and becomes a party not amenable and intolerant to challenges. As I have served the people of this great state of Arizona as their SPLM Chapter’s General Sectary for 6 years, it’s my political choice as a leader together with party supporters in Arizona to declare that, we have switched our political support from SPLM led government to SPLM in Opposition, served by Dr. Riek Machar, Rebecca Nyandeng Garang and the detained SPLM leaders who are illegally put in detentions by South Sudan’s new dictator.

    Above all, our SPLM party led by Salva Kiir is not any more attractive to the citizens of South Sudan after Kiir declared war against its own people during Dec 15, 2013 in which one tribe’s civilians were massacred in Juba by Kiir’s tribal guards. As such; I have been chosen by the people of Arizona to be their Chairman for SPLM in Opposition and in the meantime, I am entitled to works as a Head SPLM in Opposition’s Secretariats in the US until the party leadership comes together and elect the US’ Secretariats Leadership. There is no way an organization that has failed at the top leadership would be organized and function effectively at the lower branches. That is impossible and would not work! How would the secretariats adopt the principle of democracy while the Chairman of the party has introduced dictatorial tendencies at the highest party organs by issuing unconstitutional decrees by firing elected SPLM governors, dissolving the SPLM party structures which were officially elected by the people in May, 2008? Kiir has bizarrely failed us and deserves to go home to Warrap and looks after his cattle that he has bought with corrupt money, $ million dollars that suppose to have been delivered to the poor people of South Sudan who have never tasted the dividends of having Independence.

    NB. We are here to urge all comrades and colleagues in Diaspora and beyond to abandon the SPLM led by Mr. Salva Kiir Mayardiit and switch to SPLM-In Opposition led by Dr. Riek Machar together with SPLM leaders whose 7 had been partially released and 4 still in detention. We the Arizona SPLM Chapter would like to urge all the SPLM Chapters in the United States and beyond to give full support to the SPLM in Opposition who have both political and military wings.

My fellow comrardes, thank you.