Peace and National Reconciliation Building Process is a National Duty not President Kiir Alone
By Lino Lual Lual, Juba, South Sudan
March 31, 2016 (SSB) —- Signing peace accords and staging alone cannot provided enough coexistence of communities neither Western people prescribed remedial free and fair election do not necessarily bear the dividends of lasting peace, I love all my leaders including the president of Republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit, the man that can smile in trouble, gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection.
A new state South Sudan needs a national identity at one level the constitution sets the national identity. New constitutions are usually born in particular historical and political circumstances and the nation they define is based on that context. With the leadership that not magnetic personality as well as glib tongue, leadership is not making friends or influencing people, it is action not position Mr. President.
South Sudan’s new permanent constitution will probably define South Sudan as a decentralized state, for example. It will also have a strong human right component in response to decades of oppression. But it is not only what is contained in the constitution which defines a nation, it is also the manner in which the constitution is produced, our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matters. Perseverance is a great element of success. If you knock long and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up some people.
If the nation is to be one in which people participate in governance, then it is essential that they participate fully in the development of their constitution.
Most constitutions including South Sudan’s transitional constitution which begins with the words, we, the people, such a constitution must be owned by the people. The constitutional review can be part of the reconciliation process if done properly. That must include popular participation, dealing with issues which concern the people.
National healing is already in the preamble of the transitional constitution dedicated to a genuine national healing process and the building of trust and confident in our society through dialogue; the constitution needs to enable reconciliation. It needs to say something on amnesty, on who can amnesty and how on other constitutional and legal issues which might arise.
South Sudanese must find their national identity and this should be an identity based on citizenship not ethnicity. President of the Republic Dr Joshua Salva Kiir said this without numbered, you have no tribe or home, your tribe and home are South Sudan One nation of every tribe tongue and people.
The author sees there is nothing wrong with our tribes, we are all need to be rooted somewhere proud of our languages, culture, heritage and traditions. But at the national level there must be a sense of Iam South Sudanese first before than Iam Mundari, Zande, Nuer, Bari, Dinka or whatever, the manipulation of ethnic identity by political opportunists is to be avoided.
The new national identity must be move on from not Arabs but must not be allow becoming east African which raise another contradiction as South Sudan is to join the East African community and indeed become East African. It may be useful to remember the root causes of the conflict in old Sudan. Sudan was a multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-everything.
But over the long period of time one identity grouping which happened to be Arabized and Islamic dominated Sudanese identity and defined itself as Sudanese identity. The new nation clearly needs unity and national symbols are one way to promote this, Dr John Garang is the founding father of the nation, He was revered for his wisdom and inspired leadership which led to the [CPA]
The referendum was also a uniting factor, even the active rebel group who were opposed to the government in juba agreed to a cease-fire during the referendum their desire for a successful leading to independence of South Sudan. More universal symbols such as the flag and national anthem seem to have. There are other symbols which needs careful management like the term, enemy may have been useful uniting factor during wartime but has nothing to be used for now.
The author is a master of strategic studies at Centre for Peace and Development studies University of Juba, He can be reached via Linolual69@yahoo.com
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