Vice President, James Wani Igga, has not “OFFERED” his Position to Riek Machar
About Igga’s Offer of His Position to Riek Machar: The President will Decide, not IGAD
By David Mayen Ayarbior, Juba South, Sudan
June 18, 2015 (SSB) — We in the Office of the Vice President have come across a few articles on electronic media outlets about the Vice President’s stands on whether he will accept to ‘step aside for Dr. Riek’. Some websites have taken upon themselves to speak for the Vice President, quoting anonymous sources.
For example, a certain website called Sudan Tribune posted an article on its June 16, 2015 edition titled “South Sudanese vice President Ready to Offer Positions to Rebel Leader” went as far as quoting ‘anonymous’ sources who “revealed” to them that VP “Igga had last week expressed willingness to let go the position for Machar on condition that the speaker of national parliament became an Equatorian.”
The same sources praised Igga that he “always buys back Riek Machar with his position.” The article further quoted Dr. Cirino Hiteng’s “confirmation” to The East African newspaper after his return to Nairobi from the G-10 advanced team’s meeting in June 2015 with H.E. the President in Juba.
Dr. Hiteng was quoted to have said that Vice President Igga “still holds that people should not continue dying because of a position.” Well, that indeed is the Vice President’s opinion, minus what is read into it.
Having come across such articles and responses by the vast readership of these electronic media, I felt obliged to make a few comments. These comments will focus on the issue of political succession in South Sudan and the way it is being fueled by the media and handled by IGAD.
First, one does not understand why some well-read online news media have failed to contribute positively in shaping the content of the debate among their wide readership on the current senseless civil war in South Sudan. Since newspapers (in both their print and electronic forms) have worldwide earned the title “the forth arm of government” without necessarily being in government as such, they earned that title because of their general neutrality, professionalism, and ability to purposefully shape the narrative of every debate in society.
It will help South Sudan and its political leadership a great deal to have its populace onboard on what the issue at hand should not be about. It, indeed, should not be about positions. Once this is clear in South Sudan and among South Sudanese at home and abroad, it will inevitably be clear to the world at large. And most importantly, it will be clear to the IGAD-Plus (IGAD, Troika, and the added African states) envoys.
The reason why the issue of positions has become a preoccupation of the IGAD-led peace talks was not because the mediators/envoys wanted to impose their will on South Sudanese as to who should hold what political position and what ratio should be allotted to which group. It was because the mediators have observed that South Sudanese themselves talked about positions, whether in the streets or in/on their media outlets.
Whatever else that is being debated under the auspices of the IGAD peace talks, such as democratic reforms and federalisms are essentially nothing more than abstracts that political science students could parrot day-in day-out.
They have no concreted meaning in a setting where what is at stake is the nation’s very existence – (with the single exception of security arrangements). They are issues that must not be negotiated at the barrel of the gun by any patriot, but in parliaments and through referenda.
Second, no one can deny that the war started as a squabble in the SPLM about positions (presented as state reform), before it was automatically infused into government corridors, then into the party’s military wing (SPLA), before finally plunging the country into the abyss.
Indeed, the word ‘abyss’ was held as a big stick in the news conference held by the self-appointed ‘historic leaders’ of the SPLM, who then formed an Army- In Opposition, and Political wing, also in opposition.
It is indeed malicious for any media outlet to feed into that debate of positions rather than advocating for mechanisms for rebuilding the country. South Sudan is neither a monarchy where the issue of succession is pre-arranged nor is the SPLM a ruling family where a hierarchy of heirs is well established.
No one individual, whether self-appointed ‘historic’ or otherwise should establish a hierarchical list of who are eligible to ascend to power in South Sudan.
It is an insult to the great living historic leaders of South Sudan such as Joseph Lagu, Abel Alier and others, and to the spirits of great men such as Prophet Ngundeng, Tafeng, William Deng, and John Garang to see South Sudan being transformed into a carcass over which new ‘historics’ are fighting.
It is indeed an insult to our history, let alone the present generation, that the country is at risk of total disintegration and being held hostage by individuals who would never let go if not ‘reinstated’ into their positions, as if institutions such as the Presidency, Vice Presidency or Premiership have become properties of some and could be inherited.
Third, any argument about positions must insult the dead who lost their lives only to install X or Y as Vice President or President. Peace should ALL be about mechanisms of urgent reconstruction, resettlement, and reconciliation. Negotiations in Ethiopia should be about collectively calling for donor conferences for rescuing South Sudan and pulling it out of, yes, the abyss.
It should be about drafting commitments on non-aggression towards returning ‘leaders’ to Juba and mechanisms of enforcements of such commitments. Any negotiated role to be assigned to anyone by IGAD, GoSS, UN, or AU should be within the context of rebuilding South Sudan.
To put this in its right place, the Vice President was appointed by H.E. President Salva Kiir as his deputy because of many reasons. It will be President Salva in his wisdom and council, like all Presidents in the world, to decide who he wants as his Vice President.
In this regard, South Sudan is not naturally different in comparison to all other countries in Africa where tribes also exist; unless it will be made different by IGAD-Plus envoys and threats of violence from the opposition.
Let Dr. Riek follow the wisdom of the G-10 and work for rescuing South Sudan from within.
The author, Mayen D.M.A Ayarbior, is the Press Secretary in the Office of the Vice President, James Wani Igga, and can be reached at his email: David Mayen <dmayend@yahoo.com>
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