Democracy and the misguided fear of “tyranny of Numbers” in South Sudan
7 min readBy Clement Angui Deng, Juba, South Sudan
September 23, 2016 (SSB) —- The enemies of peace in South Sudan are exploiting the unfounded fear of majority tyranny. When Alex de Tocqueville, talked about democracy and majority tyranny in his book entitle “Democracy in America”, he was not talking about the misguided tribal majority that cannot control and owned anything tangible over other tribes. However, He was talking about white majority settlers who took over entire continent of United Stated of America and owned the land in exclusion of indigenous the Red Indian and black minorities. Political involvement for minorities in America at the time when the writer wrote his book was next to impossible.
Do South Sudan majority tribes meet this kind of description? I doubt, South Sudan post-referendum did not have space to write the law that make it resemble the above description of majority tyranny. They only claim where Dinka and Nuer tribes dominated is the SPLA and this happened through individual volunteering and brutal commandeering by the SPLA during the liberation war, which did not happened to many areas of some small tribes. Now the army is no longer a volunteer movement. Therefore, South Sudanese communities could discuss the joining of the army if a political will is allow to replace war. The new national army that reflect a percentage of our communities as the current chief of general staff Paul Malong, suggested in one of his speeches recently.
In South Sudan, it never been the case that Majority tribes are the only one dominating the political arena. Since the time of South Sudan Iconic leader Joseph Lago, the leadership of South Sudan has been between Equatoria and Upper Nile regions until recently when Dr John Garang the leader of SPLM/A movement, met his fatal death in plane crashed. This was when president Kiir as a person from Bahrelghazal Region took presidency. All those days, Bahrelghazal region had been always supporting the leadership of South Sudan wherever it goes without divided loyalty, whether Upper Nile or Equatoria.
If our communities have been attentive to the so-called majority tyranny, the majority tribes would not, have elected Joseph Lago and James Tumbura, respectively both from Equatoria. If majority tyranny were a reality in South Sudan, both Abel Alier and Dr Garang from minority Bor Dinka, would not have been allowed by majority Dinka from Bahrelghazal to lead respectively in the country and in the movement.
In Bahrelghazal, the prominent politician respected by every politician in the region was from the minority tribe within the Fertit tribes in Western Bahrelghazal. His name was Clement Mboro, He was always referred to, by every South Sudanese as ‘uncle’ Clement Mboro. Uncle Jacob used to take him to dinner in 1990s and I one day asked him who was this ‘uncle’ Clement Mboro. He told me he was an uncle for all South Sudanese I could not understand at a time but I understood later on.
What I want to say here is the misrepresentation of this issues of majority tyranny that is use to incite killing among communities. There is a humane killing of Dinka civilian going on now in some part of Equatoria, because of this misconception of the so call majority tyranny which is insinuated in every foreign report on South Sudan.
They killers have gone to extend that they post themselves slaughtering Dinkas in desperation to provoke negative reaction from Dinka community, simply because these Dinkas killers have developed a misleading perception that killing Dinkas is no problem to UN as long you play victim and minority cards, everything would be blame on Dinka if they dare to react negatively by UN since the president is Dinka.
The reason why these humane killing of Dinkas intensified in Equatoria by the bandit is to influence the bringing of 4000 UN force and also add the agenda of South Sudan take over by UN to New York UN meeting.
However, those film of killing Dinkas posted on Facebook and went viral doesn’t look like anything intended to win UN takeover of South Sudan but terrorism. No sort of evil in this world can slaughter human like that and posted on facing hoping to entertained the world even terrorist cover their faces because no human would like to see their faces against after seeing them in that evil action.
This persistence to instigate the revenge killing to find the reason to sale out the country is an evil thought that any person who love his/her country could not think of. The proposed coming of 4000 thousands UN forces is not an automatic hand over of president Kiir seat to any killer.
Whoever going to replace President Kiir would be doing so, with proven evident shown to South Sudanese that he or she could endure the tirade of abuse that is always unleash at any body leading South Sudan and still keeping his senses.
South Sudan is in good position as a new country to create a system that can accommodate and guide our democratic right and responsibilities as well as embracing our diverse cultures without friction. To stem this evil behaviour, as South Sudanese we must start closing this window of misgiving Majority Tyranny. It only work on colonised minorities not minorities who have their own government representatives in parliament and their own son and daughters are running their States, Counties, payam and Bomas.
If your community is not getting what it should be getting from government then you have all the right to pressure your government’s representative to pressure government for it. Otherwise, there is no need for all these levels of government if the local population do not used them for the benefit of their local communities.
Ambushing your fellow citizens who are also struggling to make the end meet for themselves is a terrible evil act. A proposed UN protection force is not going to be influence by this kidnapping and humane killing of Dinkas while filming yourselves and post it to impress the world with your barbaric killing. That is a terrorism that have no place in South Sudan.
The government need to be vigilance and proactive. There are so many other competing negative programme a alongside their peace implementation and these including foreign intention of making some small tribes paranoid of being tyrannised by the majority tribes which is not true.
This subversive activities in South Sudan are not ending soon as long the aid money stilling following in. They do not run subversive activities in Eritrea because Eritrea decided not to receive aid money from anybody aid money. Inclusion we need each other whether you are in big tribes or small. Therefore, there is no need of selling out each other for nothing, this delusive majority tyranny and spurious project made to stop it has to cease.
To put our Country in order, all of us need to start speaking the language of peace wherever we are as South Sudanese. Whether inside South Sudan or Diaspora. Government need to select people with moral rectitude to joint governors of States to inculcate peace and reconciliation to communities understanding.
Beside my points on the so call majority tyranny, I would like to suggest this point that when a new country come to existence, it is not necessary to copy and paste other country system, you study your own system that could fit the way your people want to live. America did not just copy and paste British laws when they became independent.
I will leave you with a Quote from Henry Reeve’s translation from French historian Alexis de Tocqueville
“In the eleven years that separated the Declaration of the Independence of the United States from the completion of that act in the ordination of our written Constitution, the great minds of America were bent upon the study of the principles of government that were essential to the preservation of the liberties which had been won at great cost and with heroic labours and sacrifices. Their studies were conducted in view of the imperfections that experience had developed in the government of the Confederation, and they were, therefore, practical and thorough. When the Constitution was thus perfected and established, a new form of government was created, but it was neither speculative nor experimental as to the principles on which it was based. If they were true principles, as they were, the government founded upon them was destined to a life and an influence that would continue while the liberties it was intended to preserve should be valued by the human family.”
The author can be reached through his email: clement.deng2005@gmail.com
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