Can the opposing quartet of Dr. Riek Machar, Dr. Lam Akol, President Salva Kiir and David Yau Yau work together to restore peace, stability, security, unity & the torn fabric of political culture in the young Republic of South Sudan?
By Luka Geng Geng, Wau, South Sudan
May 12, 2016 (SSB) — As I write this piece, it goes without saying that every South Sudanese citizen across the country and elsewhere on the world needs the country to heal, demands the politicians to close up an old page and start with the new chapter and therefore make turn to restore and consolidate peace and stability, Security, prosperity and ultimately resurface the torn fabric of political culture in the world’s youngest Republic of South Sudan. However, ringing in the minds of everybody is the question that poses itself is about the old time opposing quartet in the persons of Dr. Riek Machar, Dr. Lam Akol, Pres. Salva Kiir, and David Yau Yau whose appearance in TGONU caught everybody by surprise.
This question remains open because the there is no precisely short answer to slaughter it. But my dear esteemed readers, before getting down to the centerpiece of this article and implore more, allow me here at the outset to seize this golden opportunity to send Mr. President and his newly appointed cabinets a glad tidings from my abode. Although this piece might not be timely on its publication owing to my inaccessibility to internet, I believe, President Salva Kiir must be a peace loving and true nationalist having set the room to accommodate all odds. Indeed no body was expecting all the faces of the aforesaid quartet to appear in the TGONU as thinking so could be a nightmare for those who dreamt of it….…..until the night of April 28, 2016 when the state owned SSTV let the cat out of the bag to raise the eyebrows for the entire nation. After this secret was revealed through the presidential decree, the talk of the day was centered on the question that makes the title of this piece.
What bother much in this question lie squarely on the level of trust among these quartet whom the president tied down with a rope on the same wood, the fact that Dr. Lam Akol, Dr. Riek Machar, President Salva Kiir and David Yau Yau all have had varied ideologies and political views has raised this question on top of others. With Dr. Lam Akol, the chairman of Democratic Change Party in recent years seen as persistent critique to the government, Yau Yau fought the same government before he joined the SPLM main stream (SPLM-IG) and Dr. Riek Machar, the chairman of SPLM-IO, and a signatory to the peace agreement that brought the formation of TGONU, all now in the same boat.
We are left with only this question to ask, but the president’s remarks on the swearing ceremony of the newly formed cabinets is wise enough to provide a glimpse of hope to be relied upon. On the swearing ceremony, Mr. President unreservedly called for “cooperation and the spirit of team work among the new cabinets to be employed so as to deliver the basic services for people” if the cabinets response positively to that call, a unity can be regained without any doubt there.
In light of ensuring peace and stability, security, unity, prosperity and marshaling the torn fabric of political culture in the young republic of South Sudan, it is very imperative from my own perspective that our top leaders must understand that the stable peace can be restored on the basis of economic, social, political and military reforms by aiming at efforts that contributes directly or indirectly to an improvement of circumstances surrounding the security in the country.
Taking in to account this perspective and in order to enhance durable peace in South Sudan, it is vital to consider political, economic, social and military aspects comprehensively; in particular, economic development has indispensable importance in reinforcing the political and social resilience of the nation and enhancing sustainable stability within the country. It is also important for peace and stability of this country to solve and silence internal disputes and inter-communal clashes as the country look on for peaceful coexistence.
In my personal point of view, the first step before even thinking of taking on this reforms must be the reconciliation and trust-building among the leaders themselves, by so doing, the gateway of transition from conflict to reconciliations demands that leaders and general public step away from previous mistrust, anger and old memories so that they may come to nuanced understanding of the previously erupted conflict and therefore prove themselves to be the exemplary for others. Looking back at previous memories could be painful undeniably, although the fighting that erupted in Juba on December 15, 2013 may have been triggered by political disputes as a result of mistrust among the nation’s top leaders, the violent it sparked on the wider population cannot be solely explained by the political differences of the elite.
As such, the country top leaders and the public must step away from their old thoughts or memories and put the interest of the nation first above everything including their own interests. It will be disheartening for these country top leaders to fail to work in the spirit of teamwork in an attempt to restore the torn fabric of the fractured south Sudan that was torn in to pieces politically, economically, socially, ethnically and culturally because this time is the second best chance for peaceful coexistence South Sudan must embrace. Peace means a lot to the south Sudanese citizens who have been desirous for positive changes and more specifically to the internally displaced population across the country. Apparently, challenges on the road to revive the country and rebuilt the lives of its citizens are enormous, however, no one is expecting the current leadership to uproot them overnight……but if the leadership show its commitment then with time peace and stability shall be restored and the country shall soon be free of problems.
Now that the incumbent government must work to deliver peace and security, combat corruption and basic service delivery, repatriate the IDPs from the POCs and ultimately to bring unity, the government must not forget to build strong bilateral relationships with its neighboring country and international bodies whose bilateral relation went fragile over the last two and half years of conflict, although the international community fall short to support transitional government of national unity with funds and donations as soon as it was much expected, it is too early to expect such funding and support from them and the best thing to do is just to remain in close tie.
This time will also be a chance to reverse a trauma that had been inflicted on the millions of its citizens psychologically and physically, therefore the newly appointed cabinet ministers must show a spirit of hard work to ensure that peace, security and stability are restored. All the parties should come together at this juncture and work for the progress of the country, dividing issues such as the issues of twenty eight states as always claimed by SPLM-IO must not be the standpoints of withholding the peace in the country, both parties to the agreement must find a possible means to solve such issues amicably. Give peace a chance so that it must prevail!
The writer of this piece is a medical student in the University of Bahr el Ghazal; Wau, He can be reached at lukageng@gmail.com
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