It is time for Emmanuel Jieng Church to welcome FVP Taban as part of wider reconciliation
By David Aoloch Bion, Juba, South Sudan
August 4, 2016 (SSB) — Some two Months or so ago, the former SPLM/A-IO leader and former First Vice President went to pray in Emmanuel Jieng Church in Juba . He had a chance to greet the congregation.
There, people expected him to offer condolences to the aggrieved families of the deceased and to appealingly apologize for the consequences of 21 months war, instead, he defiantly and pitilessly made the Church a platform to give inciting or polarizing political speech , delivering his hypothetical side of the coin about the event of 15.Dec.2013, he landed, blaming his political opponents for the events that unfolded in 2013. Not necessarily, he too tried to partition the Churchgoers or congregation between him and his archrival by using parables and indirect kind of language.
From the disinterested point of view,for better or worse, the former FVP would have taken fullest responsibility and apologize.
The sugarcoated victory speech of former FVP before the relatives of the victims of war angered many worshippers, who eventually walked out of the Church. Hence, on the following Sunday,there was a protest from some of the members who were hurt by the speech, which caused commotion within the Church goers; and consequently sparked off hot debate in social media. That speech divided the Church congregation between those who called former FVP as hero and those who called him a villain.
As now, Gen Taban Deng is the new leader of SPLM/A-IO, whom no one has bad memory about him and who have no serious share in both 1991 – 2013, but played a curtail political role in both situations.
As the part of a wider peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness and healing in the country,then, it is a high and beneficial time for the Jieng Emmanuel Churchgoers to welcome Taban Gai, since no one has a grudge with him. He is the new symbol for peace after the formerFVP . It is high time for people of Jonglei state especially Bor, Twic and Duk people, whose Dr. Riek Machar’s speech divided ,to rise up and open a new chapter and vehemently or overwhelmingly support Gen. Taban Deng Gai.
They should welcome Taban to Jieng Emmanuel Church to show to God that they are for peace and not for war and hatred that those PR actioners are blindly loved for. The reason for why to open hearts is simply forgiveness and not revenge.
Also, it would be of reconciliatory spirit, if elders of Bor Community convey a congratulatory message to First Vice President Taban Deng Gai. This is chiefly in order to create good atmosphere between the Greater Bor people and the Nuer people as well the entire South Sudanese Communities. So, the two communities should forget the past and remarking opening new page, earmarked to move the country forward.
If the FVP Taban have settled in the nearest future, and wants to visit 28 states,then people of Jonglei state should make surest that Jonglei State must be the first state to be visited by him, such that the stigma or stereotype that the Dinka Bor hate the Nuer is removed. For sure, neither Dinka Bor nor the Dinka Family do hate the Nuer people. Dinka Bor might hate only particular person, the former FVP for intentionally maiming them and stabbing the movement at back twice-in 1991 and 2013 respectively.
All in all, it is time for Dinka Bor to forget the past and build new relationship with Nuer people since the country is yawning for peace and stability and the man is irrelevant , is no longer the senior politicians of Nuer people.
As Church is the divine-vehicle for reconciliation, I hope so, the message is clear and crystal. Therefore, there would be no rationale for politicizing it or twisting and turning it the other way round for a nutsy political end.
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