Dinka community should advise President Kiir to retire honorably to salvage his legacy
9 min readBlind elders of Jieng community need to open their eyes and advice President Kiir Mayardit to step aside to salvage the total collapse of South Sudan
By Mathon Mandhal Muor-cenghok, Juba, South Sudan
July 1, 2016 (SSB) — Time is ticking against South Sudan and the only people to salvage this heinous situation that has embroiled our country and statehood are Jieng Community elders. Why Jieng elders?
First, the history of this country lies in the hands of Jieng community. This is a known fact since the day memorial and anti-Jieng will take it negatively but truth must be told dear fellow country men and women. Let me not bore you with clear fact. As a country, we are facing terrible moment in the history of our beloved nation just like the years of liberation when the enemy use divide and rule policy against South Sudanese.
Jieng elders need to act with speed to rescue the situation by advising H. E. President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan to decree himself out of J1 and boldly choose his successor that will take South Sudan to the next level. This to me is a bold decision that Jieng elders need to take as soon as possible to rescue Jieng from getting finish by tribal haters and to rescue President Salva Kiir’s legacy and revamp him as permanent hero of this Republic.
Here are my reasons, I, Mathon Mandhal Muor–cenghok why I need Kiir to go home through the advice of Jieng Elders:
- International community has lost hope in the leadership of President Kiir and that is a known fact if elders especially intellects in town do not read this clear development then I am afraid you are burying your heads in the sun but that could be a dangerous sign for the death of South Sudan. After Somalia broiled into chaos in 1991 and its eventual international isolation, Somalia is now the best example of the failed states that is widely quoted by great thinkers as bad example that no state wants to follow its path. Do my Jieng elders want Somalia in South Sudan? Hope not my elders. Please act and approach President Kiir, your own son in broad day light and tell him to go home for the sake of our country.
- President’s Kiir Legacy is of paramount importance to Jieng and that need great thinkers within Jieng Community to salvage his legacy from disappearing. Continued daily death and suffering of South Sudanese if ignore it will completely spoil your beloved son and entire South Sudan. Please there are situations that force people to swallow their pride for the sake of the wider picture of our beloved Republic that only you Jieng elders can hold it or throw it away completely.
- Contribution of Jieng elders in the liberation of the South Sudan, your selfless contribution as Jieng community needs to be thrown into the dustbin by myopic thinkers who only need power to satisfy their egos and pride. Do you want to be like them too? Do you need to allow South Sudan to be thrown into the dustbin under your watch? Haven’t you handle difficult things more than the current one? Let me proudly highlight and remind you of few contributions you have made in the History of this Republic my dear Jieng elders. During the years of liberation you sacrificed your sons and daughters through mass recruitment into the army and ready to die for the sake of South Sudan and that is a known fact if the enemies hate you for such sacrifice then God will be a judge. Second to that, you contribute your resources through what was popularly known as “kila” translated as compulsory taxation to support the army and the moment under our late hero Dr. John Garang. I saw my daddy, the chief of our area collecting thousand of bulls and tins of dura or sorghum every year in the support of soldiers who are fighting for our freedom that we now enjoy. I saw my 12 elder brothers leaving for Bilpham in 1988 when I was losing my milk teeth. This contribution will be in vain if you elders of Jieng don’t prudently advise President Kiir to peacefully hand over power to the next leader that he must handpick and give his last decree to lead South Sudan to the next level.
- The collapse of South Sudan Economy needs President Kiir out of office if International community especially the “We Don’t Do without Them Figures” need new blood in Juba State House for them to extend to their hands towards South Sudan. President Kiir is a great leader and his records speak for themselves as the only living founding leader of the big five of SPLM that brought us the now Republic of South Sudan. Please approach our humble President and advise him appropriately for he will never think twice or reject your beloved proposals for him. My dear elders of Jieng, you are the only ones to do this for South Sudan and your good names in the history of this country. Kiir has not failed South Sudan and that is not the reason I need him to be advised to step aside but the mass anti-South Sudan that has turned international community against our beloved Republic is what is worrying me since such enemies of our state do not want any less than total collapse of South Sudan for they don’t have future for this country.
- History and sacrifice is part of your beloved community as Jieng, for instance, between 2002 and 2004 when the peace was cooking in Kenya negotiating table between our movement (SPLM/A) under late Dr. Garang and Khartoum regime under President Beshir, enemies of peace created rift between your dear two sons Dr. Garang (may his soul rest in peace) and now our beloved President Salva Kiir Mayardit. That rift almost culminated into split of the movement but you dear elders intervene to negotiate peace and reconciliation between President Kiir and late Dr. Garang, thus rescuing the fragile rift that almost takes us back to square one. Why not applying the same tactics now by simply approaching President Kiir Mayardit to negotiate his way out of J1 for the new blood that he will himself decree within his SPLM cadres who will keep Kiir’s candle burning for the next generation.
- Jieng are getting finish one by one, if this is ignored my dear elders then I am afraid of your blind attitude towards our beloved country whose decisions majorly lie in your hands. The developing hatred day by day, naming of Jieng as MTNS found everywhere like MTN network and continued ambush of Jieng on the high ways of South Sudan are signed that should not be ignored since our daily death in frontline and frequent death in the hands of thugs across the country because the President is Jieng should not be ignored and left to boil into balls of fire that cannot be put out if get out of hands. Jieng are very sober and patient people with “kongkoc”character but once they lose their temper God will speed off for his safety. Do you want Jieng to take this into their hands to defend themselves? Do you want them to response the same way they are treated? Do you want them to forget Kiir and take laws into their hands to defend themselves? When you see Jieng being patient, it is because they are held between the Presidency and the national spirit they had fought for decades. Do you want them to forget all these things? Will you not regret your damn silent in the near future? I, Mathon Mandhal Muor-cenghok will one day lead aggressive response in defense of my community and its people and never say you are not given time to do the necessary for the nation.
- President Kiir only need assurance for him to step down and leave J1 for the next leader, he needs elders to assure him that the next leader will respect his legal retirement as first sitting head of state in our Republic to peacefully relinquish power, he needs assurance for the next leader to fulfill his retirement benefits and protection of his asset, life and property as retired Head of state. He needs assurance from his community to rally behind him to preach reconciliation and healing in South Sudan. Who will do this; it is you my dear elders who will assure our dear President H. E. President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit to feel at home after his retirement for the sake of peace in our country.
- Whose interest is being fulfilled if Kiir retires peacefully? Many might think it is the interest of the enemy that is being fulfilled but the opposite is the best my dear elders of Jieng. It is still Jieng interest being fulfilled by simply negotiate peace through diplomatic means than the current physical diplomacy that will finish Jieng one by one as well said by Akutkuei singers “…Wa bi thok terek…” Please telling Kiir to retire is another way of sending arch rival home since Kiir will be out face and so do his foe who always take people back to square one when things are about to settle. Who will vote for the enemy of the state even if he is still having hopes of contesting for the state presidency? Please do the right thing before it is too late for South Sudan by telling General Kiir to go home together with his perennial foe. South Sudan will see you as a hero my dear beloved President.
- Way of reducing hatred and bad perception against Jieng. Telling Kiir to go home is another way of reducing boiling hatred towards Monyjang. We need to think for the wider picture of Jieng and South Sudan at large because if Kiir’s exit is taken as leading to complete anarchy then those fears are not justifiable in as far as the current status are concerned. We must be vigilant and work for the future of Jieng and their legacy in this country. We love all people despite our ethnic and cultural differences and this is the reason you can find other non-Jieng living peacefully in Jieng occupied areas unlike Jieng who will not live in peace in other communities’ areas due to perceived hatred pumped into their minds by enemies of South Sudan.
- Kiir’s exiting J1 is another way of sending home is perennial enemy and hence relieves South Sudan of his common persistent problems that have failed South Sudan time and again. Why take candid step to deal with your foe? Please tell Kiir to drag his enemy home so that the generation of enmity ends with their compulsory retirement and therefore putting new blood into action to reconcile our sorry status in the eyes of international community.
In conclusion my dear Jieng elders, your son President Kiir will only be secured in J1 if his community elders stand their grounds and tell him the right path for South Sudan. This for me is the right path if Kiir retires peacefully and leave the rest to be completed by his successor.
Jieng listens more to another Jieng and the only person that President Kiir will never fail to listen to his advice is another Jieng like him so long it is candid advice for the beloved country he had sacrificed his youthfulness, time, resources, love and all his effort till he proudly raised its flag on the 9th July, 2011 as independent and sovereign state in the international system.
Till next time…..may God bless the Jieng elders to make decision, May God bless President Kiir to take the advised position of his own for the sake of the nation, May God bless people of South Sudan, May God bless South Sudan.
Mathon Mandhal is a concern South Sudanese living in Malunguayic.
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