Is the Call for Federalism a Trojan Horse for Kokora-ism?
4 min readIs Federalism a real Federalism or a Codename for something else? (Part one)
By David Aoloch Bion
From December 15, 2013 to May 9, 2014, the South Sudanese had been busy drawing sand models and redrawing them. Had been planning killings and replanning killing of themselves. The Government could defeat the Rebels at town A. The Rebels could defeat the Government troops at town B.
The one objective of the Government is to defeat the Rebels once and for all. The one objective of Rebels is to overthrow the Government once and for all. The Government never defeats the Rebels. The Rebels never overthrow the Government. This is win –win situation.
Thus, the chapter of the military approach is now almost closed. However, the new chapter of peaceful, political strategy is adopted .In this strategy, one issue is now contentious. What is that issue? It is federalism. Federalism is talking point now at both side of the political spectrum – conservative and liberals, the Government and the Rebels.
In the argument, the proposers of the federal system of governance have been giving the strengths and blessings of federalism. On the other hand, the opposers of federalism have been giving the curses and weaknesses of federalism.
The leading question is “Have the proposers and opposers of federalism read the Interim Constitution of South Sudan? In chapter three it talks of “Decentralized System of Governance’’ and “Devolution of Powers’’. What is the different between Decentralized system of governance and federal system of governance? There is no different, it is just paraphrasing.
The proposers of the federalism are proposing nothing new. The opposers are opposing nothing new. South Sudan is federal state already. So the proposers and opposers of federalism don’t know what they are talking about. If they know what they are talking about. What is the meaning of the 10 states, 10 governors, 10 parliaments, and 10 constitutions in South Sudan? Federalism exists already. What is needed is an adjective of comparative and superlative, adding the words ‘’ more’’ and ‘’most’’ to existing decentralization or federalism.
Decentralization and federalism is like the story of two men who had meat and speaks different languages. One man said in his language, this meat will be’’ bul’’. The other man said no in his language, this meat will be ‘’nyop’’. The two men argued over should be ‘’bul’’ and should be ‘’nyop’’ until they ended up fighting. Later on, it was discovered they were meaning ’’ roast of meat ‘’ in different languages.
Or on contrary, the proposers and opposers of federalism know very well what they are talking arguing about. The proposers are using federalism as codename of breaking up the country into independent small countries. The opposers are opposing this call for separation.
All of them euphemistic in the language. Federalism, that people from Upper Nile and Equatoria are calling for is not a plain federalism but a codename for breaking up South Sudan into three independent countries. They want Upper Nile, Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal be independent country.
South Sudan has a problem. People from Equatoria and Upper Nile have secretly identified the problem of South Sudan as ‘’ one ethnic group’’. That is dominating and monopolizing the economy and politic of country.
This ethnic group has been tried by military mean to rid off but it failed. What do you do with such people who are burden on you and you can’t get rid of them, you just separate from them. For example, when the Arabs in the Northern were burden to Blacks in Southern Sudan. Southerners separated from them.
Politicians uses euphemism, sugarcoat, codename when they know their ideas will be unpleasant to hear. These politicians in South Sudan are using federalism as euphemism to get rid of ‘’ one ethnic group ‘’ that has nothing but looting the wealth of nation. As Prof. Peter Aduok Nyaba said in New Nation June 7-27, 2014 ‘’ A lot of the wealth has gone to Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap and Aweil. In Bentiu, there is nothing to show for it ‘’
This is the conspiracy. When federalism is achieved, the police, fire brigade, prisons, wildlife will be locals from the state. Therefore the politicians from Upper Nile and Equatoria will make secret deal without informing Bahr el Ghazal, where the problematic ethnic group is. They will set the date and they declare themselves independent countries, should the most hated ethnic group still holding power and looting resources in the country.
If this scenario happens, the national army will not defend the sovereignty of state, because the police, prisons etc will lead operation and will be joined by defectors in army as it happen last year 2013.
Therefore the National army will not put down the separatists both in Equatoria and Upper Nile, who will go to different direction at the same. They will not talk about it but they will surprise the world.
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