Why SPLM remains the rallying point for our political activities in South Sudan
9 min readBy Ater Garang Ariath, Juba, South Sudan
June 9, 2016 (SSB) —- The ideal South Sudanese national unity is entirely lies with our historical party. This is a challenge to us as members and supporters of SPLM and it will be legacy to us too, if we embrace call to complete the job that (he) Comrade Dr. John Garang De Mabior and millions of his colleagues struggled and died for.
At personal level, it is imperative to say, Sudan’s People Liberation Movement (SPLM) is only viable rallying point for South Sudanese unified political activities, of which previous party internal dialogue initiated by sisterly different regional ruling parties should be reactivated for party to move to its vision board.
As staunchest member of (SPLM), I have often said to any despaired members that SPLM and South Sudan as country are intertwined, because Sudan’s People Liberation Movement is South Sudan and South Sudan is SPLM., once when South Sudanese forgone SPLM , they equally forgone South Sudan as a sovereign state.
Therefore, a very grave responsibility lies on our shoulders of us all as members of this historical party to explore all possible avenues for unification of all different factions that form a bulk of Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) which were brought on board by Compromise Peace Agreement brokered by the regional block.
SPLM as historical party in Republic of South Sudan is the only rallying point of our political activity as South Sudanese people, locally and internationally. It is an exceptional call for all nationalists and patriotic South Sudanese to mobilize their total manpower and resources behind the SPLM so that the party realizes its ideal mission and ideologies within an independent state.
I strongly believe that reunification of SPLM as one political entity, will initiate necessary conditions, which shall mean abundance of every good thing for our people and the greatest prides of our nation.
Believe me! without the SPLM there shall be no force through which good leaders focus the needs and desires of the South Sudanese masses. The Sudan’s People Liberation Movement (SPLM) will ultimately be that force , if we as members return to the party vision board.
I am strongly convinced that SPLM, is the hard core of us ,especially, we who are so dedicated to its ideologies and programs, of which we make our membership the most serious business of our entire lives. Nevertheless, the SPLM is nothing but the vanguard of the people, the active organ of the people working at all times in the service of South Sudanese people.
As I underlined this national duty which binds all of us as members of the SPLM and citizens of this great nation, we should be doing thing that will return us to the party vision board.
The leadership of this country under watch of the party should initiate serious , sincere and open dialogue regarding the unity of the party and South Sudanese people after meaningless war elapsed that deflected necessary efforts and resources invested aftermath independence. I also called on the Transitional Government of National Unity to undertake an objective assessment on issues generated by establishment order of 28 states, which is a popular demand of South Sudanese people.
The common men and women in South Sudan are desperately calling unification of their historical party, which brought about independence, although some wrong elements from different political parties, who were mistakenly admitted into the party structures turned as enemy within by sidetracked from party vision board.
However, it is imperative for all of us to work hand in hand for unification our beloved party by presenting our constructive criticisms to avoid party initiated wars in the country. Our leadership should define its position on the unity of the party, earnestly discuss the obstacles and impediments standing in the way and ensure the required guarantees are in place to implement intra-SPLM Arusha agreement.
There is a great need for SPLM leadership to hold political symposium on the unification of the party after peace agreement. The future of South Sudan as sovereign state is entirely rely on SPLM, of which we should endeavor as members to explore and gauge the intentions of the other political entities on the question of unity, love and peace among our people.
It should be meaningful debate with the objectives of reversing the current trends that plunged our nation. The proposed symposium will address issues of governance and national identity defined to be respected by all South Sudanese political parties as national characters. The polarization of SPLM into many political parties should only be avoided if we return our beloved historical party to its ideal objectives and ideologies.
The party highest organs are need to be reorganized accordingly and promote some staunchest cades who are well-vast with ideal mission of the party to the top brass , so that we fix the current situation within the party structures. The unity of SPLM as the biggest political force in the country can be equated to unity of South Sudanese people.
It will be our only hope to avoid another surge of violent within party system has it was happened in 2013. The party skirmish which further widened the gap among different warring communities and precipitated a tense of uncalled volatile political atmosphere ridden with the exchange of mutual accusations, as each member of SPLM faction blamed the other for leading the country back to war.
The Compromise Peace Agreement that brought the Transitional Government of National Unity of the SPLM different factions should of now work to revisit the SPLM Arusha unification agreement.
The regional parties attempt for bridging the gap and bring back the SPLM factions on track in order to complete the job left by our martyrs of independence liberation struggle needed necessary reinforcement by all members and supporters. As I am fully aware , the SPLM leadership has been in war since its inception in 1983, this trend should be avoided if the party cater the welfare of its incoming generation.
I am wholeheartedly broken some days back, when I strike a conservation with an old man in my village, of which he highlighted some points where the SPLM retrogress as ruling party in South Sudan.
According to an old man own words, “the violent leadership struggle within SPLM is deep-rooted and its need selfless leadership style to address the matter neatly, otherwise crises of leadership struggle will continue to be”,.
Why internal dialogue is required?
If the leadership of SPLM is indeed need unification of its rank and file, then the party is obliged to immediately initiate internal dialogue in reference to the resolutions made in Arusha before national convention. The vision and mission of SPLM for the country was revisited after independence in 2011 and it was stipulated, to be the creation of a united Republic of South Sudan, albeit on new bases of the party in an independent state.
Nevertheless, during its establishment in 1983, it was the New Sudan vision that has guided the struggle of the movement , against all forms of governments in Khartoum, which attracted handful of different political forces in East, North and west of the country to joined South Sudanese led revolutionary party through forged alliance.
The objectives, mission and political program of the SPLM throughout liberation era, were all premised on the tenets of that vision. Our late hero and founding father Dr. John Garang De Mabior did it forthrightly, which also provided the correct tools of analysis that enable the movement to fruitfully diagnose the internal political implications both regionally and internationally.
Most importantly, the New Sudan vision remains the source of the growing popular support that the movement has been able to garnered all over the regions of Sudan, basically in the North Sudan, where politicians discarded any South Sudanese movement that prior separation. But, this is not the case today after South Sudanese opted for an independence.
The SPLM as the biggest ruling political entity in South Sudan is now tasked to build national characters, which will pave way for national political cohesion, which most of us lack as South Sudanese people. Frankly speaking, most of us are still in hot tribal cocoons, which now seemed to have upper hand over our national threads, which supposed to bond us together as South Sudanese citizens.
Are there chances for reconciliation and unification of SPLM?
Optimistically ,chances for reconciliations and unification of SPLM are there only, if the party return to its vision board and promote at the same time its cades rather than recruited an old politically oriented politicians from other political parties, who imported their ideals and ideologies that clash with SPLM core transcendent values. The reorganization of SPLM should only be realized if we care much as political party with our core members, especially when the party put them in consideration in its program.
One of my comrades, prior to writing of this opinion piece, concurred with me saying that the unity of SPLM is our hope, but another pitfall toward general elections scheduled in 2018 is no longer needed in South Sudan political landscape. He firmly flashbacked on several rifts within SPLM since its inception.
The Nasir split was not the first rift within the ranks and file of the SPLM, per see, there are and have always been, differences. Actually disagreements have occurred, retrogressing into violent confrontations at various historical points in time in the evolution of the SPLM.
The vision of the New Sudan and the adoption of objectives and programs consistent with it, had its difficulties and troubles in the early days of the moment, he pointed. As I keenly listen to our party political epoch, of which some leaders of the SPLM and Anya-Anya commanders splintered on the ground of fighting for an independent South Sudan.
At the time, the Nasir rebellion episode within the movement, prompted the North-Sudanese in the movement to wonder whether the movement had abandoned its commitment to its long-held objective of the united New Sudan, which attracted them to support the SPLM.
The late Chairman of the SPLM, Dr. John Garang De Mabior was forthright in his approach and understanding of the right of self-determination as a tool for achieving voluntary unity of the country.
As per our situations, with recent commencement of the Compromise Peace Agreement implementation, the leadership should set clear programs and policies in support of Intra-SPLM unification resolutions, then overlooking pertinent matters covered within the party.
The intra-SPLM dialogue which took place in Arusha, Tanzania, and was attended by three SPLM groups from 8th January until 19th under the auspices of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) chaired by the former Vice Chairman of CCM , John Samuel Malecela and CCM Secretary General , Mr. Abdulraham Kinana was by then hope for the unity of the party.
The resolutions on the political issues resolved by the time in order for the SPLM leadership to make a public apology to the people of South Sudan for what has happened since December 15th, 2013, of which President Salva Kiir during extra-ordinary convention in Juba earlier this year fulfilled.
The resolution also cited that ,there shall established new transitional structures of SPLM, develop and implement a comprehensive programme for national unity, peace, reconciliation healing and promoting harmony among the people of South Sudan.
Nevertheless, all the three SPLM groups were supposed to commit themselves for unification and reconciliation of the SPLM leadership and membership according to the agreement, but the current trend shows that unification of SPLM is tough thing to be attain.
The both groups, which were signatories to Intra-SPLM dialogue since the signature of the document remain silent to update the members on what the future of the party hold? The unity that we desperately needed as South Sudanese will not come until the “SPLM House united”.
Let me just draw Abraham Lincoln quotation that “ a house divided against itself cannot stand”, the division of SPLM is equal division of South Sudanese communities.
The writer is South Sudanese journalist, living in Republic of South Sudan. Reach me at atergarang452@gmail.com
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