President Salva Kiir and Taban Deng Ghai: Heroes or Zeroes?
8 min readBy Kur Wël Kur, Adelaide, Australia
July 30, 2016 (SSB) — In the game of politics, shame kills. It buries the politicians in the deepest grave; it erases every positive or not so positive words the politicians had uttered in public or in private. Those who use shame as a weapon to kill their opponents instead of guns, occupy the top rank in politics.
Anyway, call them dangerous politicians. Dangerous in the sense that the chasms of their words are the deepest. Salva and Taban have finally used politics. Believe it or not, our president, Salva and the former (SPLM-OI) chief negotiator, Taban are heroes.
Salva, our president’s heroism
Our country is in the top 20 of countries with military strength in Africa. The fact that our president is a former guerrilla general who was the second most powerful man in the guerrilla movement of the SPLM/A, gives a green light to the world’s political analysts to rank our country in the lowest in term of sustainable politics.
According to Global Peace Index in 2014, our country ranked in the lowest rung of the world peaceful countries’ ladder with just Afghanistan and Syria tailgating it. And when it comes to aggressiveness, we are ranked among the knuckleheads of the world.
However, what happened when our president with his body, shielded Dr. Riek Machar? In case of any pissed-off soldier fire at him (Riek), the guy who has caused him his fame. A guy who has sank the country in the depth of economic ocean. Believe it or not, our president is a hero.
Our president, Salva Kiir Mayardit has changed face of South Sudan politics forever. For what he did on the 7th of July, our president will remain among the paragons of heroism in our country. The president washed his hands in the lights of the world’s cameras just like Pontius Pilate to show that he has nothing to do with the suffering of South Sudan masses (populations).
Meanwhile, Dr. Riek ran away in shame just like Judas Iscariot. In case the news of his death oozes into the world media, then bears in mind that he committed suicide just like Judas Iscariot. Betrayers kill themselves and blame others for their deaths. Believe it or not, our president is a hero.
Heroes forgive their enemies. Salva Kiir has forgiven many rebels than any other leader in South Sudan. You could have some other leaders who might be better than Salva____ according to you_____ but these leaders used a sugar-coated wrath and presented it as forgiveness. So, most of their “forgiven” rebels died brutally.
However, Salva has given amnesty to scores of rebels and many of them are enjoying prestigious positions with a world class protection. Believe it or not, our president is a hero.
After the incidence of July, the 7th, our president promised all SPLM-IO ministers protection. He called for calm and ordered his army not to harm the public, which was already in picnic. The president’s call showed his leadership and heroism; however, Dr. Riek forgot to request the presence of his ministers and army generals to guide them on the detours the party (SPLM-IO) should take to peace or for its (SPLM-IO) survival.
He ran away with his life leaving his ministers including Taban Deng Gai, the lifeline of his party in the hands of Salva Kiir Mayardit. Leaders and heroes guide their citizens/followers. During the 7th -11th of July crisis, our president guided the whole South Sudan. Believe it or not, our president is a hero.
Our president called for Dr. Riek to report to work, but he didn’t answer the president’s call and he didn’t report to work. To show his seriousness in the implementation of the IGAD-Plus Compromised Peace Agreement, he accepted the appointment of Taban Deng Gai.
I call this the utmost sincerity of Salva Kiir because Taban was the chief negotiator for SPLM-IO, which means the turns and twists in the agreement were mostly his creations or his articulations. However, his acceptance of Taban as first vice president shows the leadership of our president. Believe it or not, our president is a hero.
My reader, as I branch off from telling you that our president is this or that, I would like you to remember that our president is a leader and a hero in so many ways. Now let’s shine a spotlight on Taban Deng Gai.
Our First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai’s heroism.
Taban Deng is a long time hero, but in this article I will write about his recent heroism acts. To some Nuers, Taban is a political opportunist; and to ill-wishers, and likes Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba, he is a desperate person and was a mole of Salva Kiir in SPLM-IO.
By accepting to replace Dr. Riek, Taban has “placed the peace agreement in the hands of Salva Kiir”, Adwok said. To the like of Professor Adwok, Taban is a zero. However, believe it or not, our First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai is a hero.
On the 28th of July, he said the following:
My former chairman, Dr. Riek Machar Teny was saying yesterday that the process that I have followed with my colleagues in SPLM-IO by replacing him was illegal. He said that there is an article in the agreement that we didn’t use. This is not true. What we have done in the IO is legal for number of reasons:
- Is to save your life.
- Is to save the life and the unity of this country.
Riek Machar, actually, had failed to be a team with John Garang; he had quarrelled with John Garang; he failed to make a team with Omar Bashir when we went for Khartoum Peace Agreement; he failed to make team with Salva Kiir Mayardit twice. I stood with him during his quarrel with John Garang; I stood with in 2013. I don’t want to allow the suffering of our people again for the same reason. Riek is wrong. I am advising him [sic] he should come back to Juba, so that he comes and stay peacefully, or he go [sic] anywhere, he can go to Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Kampala or Khartoum to stay there peacefully and waits for election so that you (citizens of R.O.S.S.) come elect him into the office; or you come and tell him, look we don’t trust you anymore, we can’t elect you into the office.
With no exaggerations, the above words convey the heroism of the first vice president, Taban Deng Gai because he explained three fundamental reasons for his decision and a way forward for Dr. Riek’s politics. His love for the lives of Nuer, other citizens of South Sudan and his love for the unity of South Sudan are his number one reasons for his acceptance of the position of FVP.
His second reason, Dr. Riek is a leader with no commitment because he failed to work with the three leaders (Dr. John Garang, Omar Bashir and Salva Kiir) of the two Sudans. Finally, the third reason is Dr. Riek’s explanation, he gave in 1991 and in 2013; Taban didn’t elaborate it much, but he puts it this way: “I don’t want to allow the suffering of our people again for the same reason.”
He advised Riek to wait for the election in order for the citizens of the South Sudan to elect him into the office by ballots and not by bullets. Believe it or not, our First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai is a hero.
Our First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai is a symphony of peace. In another interview, he said, “Riek should look backward and understand that lives lost are many, even he lost his own son in the shooting out at J1.” This articulation resembles closely the words of wisdom from the computer and technology giant, Steve Jobs.
In his Stanford University commencement address Steve said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” It’s a reminder from Taban Deng Gai that Dr. Riek Machar has never looked backward to see his trails of his ambitious greed for his own gain of power, trails littered by dead men, women, children, and suffering of the survivors.
For this statement, believe it or not, our First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai is a hero.
As a summary, our president, his ministers and all the army generals must work hard to support our first vice president, Taban Deng Gai in uniting our country. The citizens of our country have suffered insufferable suffering for so long. Tribal wars must stop for South Sudan to gain its rightful place in Africa and in the world.
Our citizens have become laughing stocks in neighbouring countries. Violence will never make our country great, but it’s only peace that will lift us up along with our country into the greatness of life. So, all Nuer and Dinka peoples must work with Taban Deng Gai.
Kur Wel Kur has a Bachelor Degree in Genetics and Zoology from Australian National University (ANU). He pursues a Masters of International Security Studies at Macquarie University (Australia). He is presently the General Secretary of Greater Bor Community in Adelaide, Australia. He can be reached via his email contact: kurwelkur @ yahoo.com
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