The Wrath of having Jieng Council of Elders in South Sudan
By Bul Deng Yol, Nairobi, Kenya
January 27, 2016 (SSB) — Historically, All warfare that have been staged all over the world have factor bordering oppression, ranging from the biblical wars, Napoleonic Wars, Russian Civil War, world wars (1&2), Mongol Conquests and many more.
However, the struggle to be free from all forms of oppression was the sole reason behind the two liberation wars that Southern Sudanese fought for (1955-1972) (1983-2005). Literally, the two wars were fought by figures that were not driven by economic gains, political positions or prove of braveness. Southerners were galvanized into war because One group wanted to monopolize the economic, social and political space at the expenses of others resulting into erosion of national pillars that cohest them.
The recent war in South Sudan is no least compare to past wars fought by Southerners on different fronts and as usual, every civil unrest is a chance to learn a lesson out of. I wonder if a lesson has been learned out of the struggle since the past is not farer to forget. Moreover, few of the guys who championed the liberation wars are the decision makers of today and never have I heard any of them raising a voice when things went amiss. Could this be a sign of numbness brought by the national cake? I wonder!!
Colin Powell once put it that, “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
The government of the day has clearly lose support of her poor populace and this is attested by the recurring fights all over the country. Shockingly, the order of the day is, formation of movements meant to topple the government on the ground that they are either underrepresented, misrepresented and much more.
What is not happening? In my opinion, the so call “Jieng Council of Elders” is one group that i believe has plunged the nation into senseless war. The very time they claimed to be a group of wise elders who would be advising the president is the turning point toward achieving of the national goal and that of the party SPLM. Their legality in advising the president is void from the word go and has no justifying backing whatsoever.
Though they are figures who have contributed to the birth of the nation, currently, I do view them as vultures who just wanted to cling to power by unlawful means since majority of them have lose backing from their constituents. Their manse rea is to remain in power as long as they are alive. Fine, be it! But they must be made aware that South Sudan level is not the caliber that need to be led by a tribe oriented group.
A sovereign state is not a one tribe affair to be run like chiefdom. It would be in the best interest if they pullout Kiir from presidency and crown him as a king of Dinka if that is what will suit them rather than Soiling the name “Dinka” for Christ sake.
Too, it is unforgivable and will not be welcomed by other Dinkas who have no stake or interest in the Council’s move to die innocently just to keep them in power. No No No… The Dinka of old days and today are not defined with deficiencies such as looting, bickering, gossiping and witch-hunting as is the trait with self proclaiming Council.
One cornerstone of natural justice is, Audi alteram partem, to mean “Hear the other party, or the rule of fair hearing, or the rule that no one should be condemned unheard.” Precisely, it’s against the law of natural justice to view one tribe as above and worth making decisions for other tribes. Does it mean that the best elders are only produced by Dinka?
Never! All is a vanity. Natural Law does not work like an ecological setting of jungle where lion eats the lamb and tiger eats the antelope but a law in which the lion and lamb lie down together and the tiger frisks the antelope.
In my view, if complete peace is to be achieved, we have to face the reality by scrapping off negative forces that are rocking our way toward justice, liberty and prosperity. We must tell Jieng Council of Elders without mincing our words that they are nothing but our Angels of death and blood suckers who just want to see Dinka on the run and to survive out of havoc by keeping tribes at loggerhead with us. A strategy as older as them.
Divide and rule politic is long gone and has no place in this era. Also, we must let them know that our future is at it offing unlike Thiers that has already taken a turn. Furthermore, they should give us space to enjoy and feel the real meaning of being free.
Failure to abdicate false powers, comes with fatal results that will takes us years to undo and will subject Dinka living out of there ancestral land to cruel treatment, hence hampering the constitutional freedom of movement and right to reside anywhere in South Sudan.
The writer, Bul Deng Yol, is a student of law at the Mount Kenya University, in Kenya
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