Summary Report of Dr. Majak D’ Agoot’s Peaceful Rally Held at Nakuru-Kenya
13 min readSummary Report of Dr. Majak D’Agoot Peace & Reconciliation Rally Held at Nakuru-Kenya on 3rd January 2015.
Introduction
January 5, 2015 (SSB) — Upon the request of South Sudanese Community in Nakuru, Dr. Majak D’Agoot, a member of Former Political Detainees (FPD) hit the Kunste Hotel-Nakuru for the peaceful rally duped “Give Peace & Reconciliation Chance”. The Rally, attended by 4,000 South Sudanese communities from Greater Upper Nile, Greater Equatoria, Greater Bahr El-Ghazal, South Kordofan and Darfur was the first of its kind in the South Rift. The Rally began with a word of prayer from a clergy at 1:45pm, followed by introduction by the chairperson of organizing committee from Greater Upper Nile and thereafter, the Chairperson of South Sudanese Community in Nakuru welcomed Dr. Majak D’Agoot to address the mammoth crowd. As Dr. Majak entered the podium, the crowd burst into liberation songs praising him for great sacrifices he has done for South Sudan when he was a young person. Besides, South Sudanese women chanted emotional songs with one woman jumping to the podium and handed to Dr. Majak a white dove while saying “You represent our hopes, please give us peace”.
Dr. Majak D’Agoot’s Historical Speech and Emerging Issues
He began his speech by thanking the South Sudanese Communities in Nakuru for warmth and historic welcome. He said that South Sudan is at war and thus the communities should not be polarized. Dr. Majak appealed to the leaders in both political divide to prioritize and listen to “Give Peace & Reconciliation Chance”. He wondered why South Sudanese should butcher themselves and they are equal. Dr. Majak analyzed South Sudan on Emile Durkheim sociological Functionalist theory that South Sudan is like a human body. “A mosquito bite in a human body affects all the rest of the body and makes the person uncomfortable and eventually contracts malaria”, he asserted. He reached out to the sea of humanity in the hall to work for unity and build destroyed social fabric. Dr. Majak challenged the conduct of elections on 30th June 2015 and argued that elections should be done after peace. He further said that president Kiir should learn from 2010 poorly organized and highly discredited elections that born conflicts and insurgencies. He advanced the argument and questioned that, what produced George Athor, Gatluak Gai, and David Yau Yau’s rebellions? Was it not election? Dr. Majak pensively asked very at tentative crowd. He also stated that there was no security and time to conduct the elections. He argued that if government has much money this should go into humanitarian relief than throwing it into Abendego Akook’s jackpot. He emphasized that the government in Juba could renew its legitimacy through peace talks in Addis Ababa.
Dr. Majak warned that South Sudan was already a fragile State worst than Somalia. He said this in reference to the 2014 Fragile State Index of Fund for Peace that put South Sudan as the most failed State displacing Somalia that has topped the Index for the last seven years. He argued that a responsible government should prioritize humanitarian relief and assistance to war affected population instead of elections. Dr. Majak further appealed to the thousands ladies and gentlemen in the hall that he would not wish to talk on past issues but on current affairs. He says, “we were ashamed, arrested and freed and still we hold no grudges against South Sudan leaders including president Salva Kiir Mayardit”. Dr. Majak implored all the people of South Sudan to forgive one another and move on with life. He articulates, “We must forgive one another and reconcile our communities”. He narrated that he went to the detention in Juba but he said he does not take it badly. Dr. Majak said that he was aware that South Sudan needs peace now not tomorrow. He appealed to the tearful crowd that his colleagues in G10+ are for sustainable peace and reconciliation. He further says, “We must accept one another and live side by side in peace as citizens of South Sudan”.
Dr. Majak briefly explained that when they were arrested and spent four months plus in the detention, he read the Holy Bible from beginning to the end and re-read again. He caused laughter to the crowd when he said that what he found in the Holy Bible was all false accusations and that that biblical accounts carry Satan false accusation against God; Cain against Abel, Soul against David, Jews against Jesus etc. He then likened these false accusations to what was attributed to them, false coup de’ tat! He pleaded to the citizens to unite the country now so that war is stopped in order to rescue the economy from total collapse. Dr. Majak informed the crowd that when they fought with Arabs, it was for the purpose of buying peace and freedom. He wonders, “what are we buying now as citizens in this senseless war?” He said that if it is leadership and power than it has its owners and thus called all South Sudanese to own peace and development. He said that if the war was a just war, for example an external aggression, he said, they would have fought fiercely to defend national sovereignty even though they were at old ages, however, he said the current war was senseless and they found it unworthy to fight it. Dr. Majak further said that the Country couldn’t be managed through humiliations and discriminations in groups. He said that his group has a vision for sustainable peace, robust economy development to alleviate humiliating poverty, liberal democracy, rule of law and security for all the citizens. The Former Political Detainee said that they did not want to use guns to achieve their vision but through peaceful means. He said that in South Sudan if leaders were providing services and later dictate then it would have been fair…”If we provide services and dictate then that is better, but if we dictate and at the same time we cannot provide basic services then we have failed before you as leaders”. He lamented. Dr. Majak further said that other global dictators at least provide security and services and take away freedoms. He argued that SPLM leadership has shamelessly deprived South Sudanese of peace, security, freedoms and rule of law; livelihoods have been destroyed and more over no basic services.
Dr. Majak wondered how people have perceived them on president Bush’s dictum “either you are with us or with terrorists”. He said this aphorism does not apply to his group. He said they stand with the citizens who have been innocently destroyed in the senseless power struggle that has born war. He said that their central grievance lies on how SPLM was turned out as quasi-NCP. He said that the two right honorable speakers of the National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States were the inner circle strategies of the NCP but were later given those national positions, making them to drive with sirens in Juba for the country they had betrayed in the last 22 years. However the case, Dr. Majak cautioned South Sudanese citizens to live in unity and to reject people that divide them. He said that Jieng/Monyjang must be accommodative and live as a leader thus spare other communities for purpose of peace and reconciliation. He said that the warring leaders have taken peace for pride and as a less serious affair. He said that they met President Salva Kiir in Uganda as G10+ on the invitation of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni but nothing substantively came out of such meeting. On the other hand he said that Arusha Intra-SPLM dialogue is not yielding any fruit either. Dr. Majak concluded his remarks by heartily appealing to the South Sudanese citizens to unite and forgive one another as God has said in the Holy Bible. He said Peace and Reconciliation was his message. He paid a special gratitude to the Nakuru residents for coming out in large numbers to receive him and promised to relay such historical reception to his other G10+ colleagues in Nairobi.
Question and Answer Session
After Dr. Majak historical speech, the master of ceremonies went to the Q & A session to provide citizens with engagement platform with Dr. Majak. A Few citizens selected from the country three Greater Regions asked questions that Dr. Majak answered.
- After you were released from the prisoner, why don’t you stay in South Sudan then?
Dr. Majak replied that they did not leave South Sudan instead he said that the country leadership in Juba sent them away. He said that he told congregation at Emmanuel Jieng Parish in Juba after his release that he was determined to stay with his people in Juba. Dr. Majak said after he was released, his community did a thanksgiving prayer ceremony that attracted over 15,000 people at his residence in Juba. In this ceremony, he said, they were called by the Kenyan National Security Director General to prepare to go to Kenya. On hearing this he turned down the request that day and told his colleagues: Pagan Amum Okiech, Oyai Deng Ajak and Ezekiel Lul Gatkuoth to go as he was attending his ceremony. He said after his prayers at his house, the Kenyan National Security Service Director General returned to Juba and asked him to come to Nairobi on the ground that South Sudan government was not ready to protect him. Dr. Majak said that they were told that if they stayed around, they would have brainwashed the citizens by telling them the truth of their detention. He said that he found himself in Kenya, which was not his plan.
- If African Union makes any decision on peace, what will be your decision (sic…)?
Dr. Majak said that he would support any decision the African Union will make in resolution to South Sudan political fiasco. He said that he stand for peace and reconciliation. He said that they would continue to talk in low tones to bring peace to the country. He said his position is peace. He emphasizes “If God fall from heaven and take away all the guns and bring peace to our impoverished population, I stand for that”.
- You are neutral people, SPLM fought on itself, how should you bring peace to our country?
Dr. Majak responded that SPLM must unite in order for peace to come to South Sudan. He said that there was a need to eschew ethnicization of politics and politicization of ethnicities. He rejected ethnic parties and sectarian tendencies. He lamented the Dinka are hovering on the control of SPLM, Nuer on SPLM-IO, Chollo on SPLM-DC etc. He further said that the country has been divided into Greater Regions for satisfaction of political leaders’ interests. Where is the Greater South Sudan then? He wondered.
Dr. Majak condemned ethnic lobbyists groups and unions such as Jieng/Dinka Council of Elders, Naath/Nuer Council of Elders and Equatoria Council of Elders because according to him they entrenched sectarianism and ethnic outbidding political discourse. He questioned why such ethnic unions mushroomed during the conflicts.
- What are you doing differently as G10+ to bring peace to South Sudan?
Dr. Majak replied that as a group they stand for liberal democracy, rule of law, good governance, vibrant economy, security for all, equitable development and peace and reconciliation. He said that they are the history of South Sudan and thus any narration of liberation history must touch all of them. He pointed out they are not thirsty for power as many people have claimed. Dr. Majak appealed to the people to reject wrong innuendos, which have been said about them, noting that they have been said by the people to blackmail them. He said that they have decided to be the voice of citizens calling for the senseless war to stop.
- You have been in the Government for eight years, why after you were relieved you said the Government is bad, why (sic—)?
Dr. Majak said that the impression was not true. He said after murder of Isaiah Abraham, he fiercely criticized the Government while still serving as Deputy Minister for Defense and Veteran Affairs. He also added that when he was appointed as the Deputy Minister for Defense and Veteran Affairs after the independence, he had refused the position on the ground that he was not consulted and then preferred to stay as an ordinary citizen. However, he said pressures from his colleagues in the Government, South Sudanese communities and his friends made him to succumb to take the deputy ministry job. Dr. Majak clarified that he has never been thirsty for power nor hunt for political positions. He said he has been ready to serve and build his country in any capacity including being an ordinary citizen. On the other hand, he said even his colleague Pagan Amum Okiech while still the SG for SPLM in March 2015 said that the country would fail given intensified personalized power struggles in the party. On reprisal, he was suspended from the party. Dr. Majak said that he has said many things when he was still in the Government and not just now when he is outside the Government.
- We have three branches of SPLM, what unite you as a bigger SPLM family?
Dr. Majak replied that a competence leadership that combat poverty, enhance security to citizens, maintain rule of law, build vibrant economy and provide basic services to the South Sudanese equitably would unite them.
- I am asking this question as a woman, we have suffered a lot as women in Greater Upper Nile and scattered everywhere. How would you bring us together?
Dr. Majak responded that the question the woman asked was quite sorrowful and full of sympathies. He said that the words the woman expressed were being said by another a woman in Panrieng, Kodok, Malakal, Bor, Akobo, Duk, Twic East, Uror, Baliet etc. He bemoaned that South Sudan has killed itself. “We have butchered ourselves for nothing” he grieved. He assured the highly charged tearful women that accountability would be done to the people who have committed war crimes, crime against humanity and genocide. Dr. Majak said that Dr. John Garang De’ Mabior’s leadership was not characterized by death of civilians but by the death of soldiers in the battlefields. He said that the murdering of innocent citizens under the current regime is unacceptable. He said the communities have been instigated to slaughter one another: Jieng vs Jieng, Nuer vs Jieng, Nuer vs Nuer, Chollo vs Maban, Didinga vs Buya, Taposa vs Taposa etc. He said that the SPLM must come before South Sudanese citizens and say sorry for what has been done.
Dr. Majak concluded that the upcoming peace must be different from other peace agreements because it will be built on accountability to enhance its sustainability. He assured the citizens that everyone would carry his/her own Cross. He emphasized that justice must be tweaked with reconciliation. Dr. Majak revealed that as leaders they must carry the SPLM Cross, particularly the living SPLM leaders, except Dr. John Garang and the dead comrades. He said Comrade Salva Kiir Mayardit and all of them would carry the SPLM Cross although the sizes of Cross would be different. Dr. Majak expressed optimism that African Union Olusugun Obasanjo’s Commission of Inquiry would in crystal clear judgment tell citizens what happened. He said people would be definitely held accountable and that would be a great lesson to others. He paused and said that South Sudan will never be the same again.
The End of the Rally
Dr. Majak ended his heart-touching remarks by thanking the sea of multitudes in the hall and assured them that No one is greater than God and thus God would wipe out tears off their faces. He appreciated the audience and shared their sorrows and tribulations. He promised the crowd that next time he would come with some of his colleagues in G10+ to talk to Nakuru residents. He also hoped that one day all the SPLM groups would unite as one group to talk peace and prosperity to South Sudanese in Nakuru. Dr. Majak then walked around the hall and greeted people. He then returned to the podium. A representative from Greater Bahr El-Ghazal region delivered a vote of thanks to Dr. Majak and the attendees, thereafter; the senior clergy closed the peaceful rally with a word of prayer at 5:00Pm local time.
Conclusively, the Rally was a great success and the organizing committee thanked everyone single south Sudanese who attended the Rally and particularly Dr. Majak’s Kenya Strategy Team. Other more Peaceful Rallies would be held across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Great lakes Countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Caribbean & Pacific, Asia, Oceanic, Europe and North America in order to restore hope to South Sudan war broken hearts and to call for peace and reconciliation.
Compiled by Dr. Majak D’ Agoot’s Kenya Tour Team, Nakuru Sub Office.
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