Silence means approval: Equatorians must condemn their youth actions
5 min readBy Lual Garang De Lual, Juba, South Sudan
October 10, 2016 (SSB) —- The resolution of the South Sudan crisis is becoming very slim by the day as things unfolded. I am deeply becoming disturbed and worried by the way politics is being played in my country. I have seen a unique feature and tendency these days were people ganged themselves and plan to eliminate other ethnic groups for political gain.
There is a feeling of fear and reprisal in waiting that would likely occur in this nation if intellectuals, politicians and religious leaders from the Equatoria region could not condemn the strategies of their youth by eliminating the Dinka (Muonyjang) along major routes like Juba – Torit road, Juba – Nimule road, Juba – Yei road, Juba – Mundri road, Juba – Terekeka road and Juba – Bor road.
There is a tendency in the mind of Equatorians that all “Dinka or Muonyjang” are benefiting from the Presidency of Salva Kiir Mayardit because he a Dinka or Muonyjang. That is false and cannot be substantiated. A mare Muonyjang looking for pastures for his cattle is not in any way a threat to Equatorians political ambitions or economic as it may be.
What had these people to do with the presidency of Salva Kiir Mayardit? A businessman named Mabil Achuoth Deng who was on his way to Moli to go and buy a bamboo was pull out of the truck and slaughtered in cold blood at Amee junction, two medical students Akook Ngor and his colleague at Kajo Keji Health Training Institute were singled out from their campus because they are MTN and killed in cold blood, 21 pastoralists moving from the cattle camp to Juba by bus sprayed with bullets where 11 died instantly, a truck full with women children returning to back to Juba from Yei was ambushed and 21 of them killed and the list goes on.
All these happen on our eyes and I haven’t heard any intellectual, politician or religious leader from any part of Equatoria condemning the action of their youth. Thanks to the Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Mr. Edmund Yakani for condemning the actions of unknown gunmen but the spirit of the dead people know who killed them and they can testified that most of the killers are Equatorians.
Text and speech are the lifeblood of the political theorist and students ideologies, even if the latter are also learning to decode visual and symbols. I have been trained and socialized professionally to expect, at best, high levels of verbal and written articulation and deliberation in political theory and, at least, expressions of visceral and immediate opinion.
Silence therefore is discomfiting, confusing and often irrelevant. But politicians, intellectuals and religious leaders in Equatoria must first set the scene. I am not referring to the deliberate and discernible silencing inflicted by dictators, torturers and abusers, or even mere manipulators and condemned by liberals. For this latter silencing is an ethical outrage, removing a fundamental right to free speech and human dignity that are hallmarks of civilized society, or that serve to distort full and unhindered flow of communication.
I am referring to the deliberate yet often invisible silencing that has become central now to the killings happening in Equatoria land and politicians, intellectuals and religious group in this part of the country are silence “No condemnation no approval”. This kind of deliberate silence meant to indicate anger, dissent and opposition against “Dinka or Muonyjang” as well as condoning, retreat and enabling by the prominent personalities in Equatoria region.
To my understanding, there is no law hindering the prominent politicians like Wani Igga, Lado Gore, Anthony Lino Makana, Martin Elias Lomoro and eminent personalities like Joseph Lagu, Archbishop Paulino Lokudu Loro and Canon Clement Janda. This tells me that Equatorians intellectuals, politicians and religious group alike have approve secretly the killing by unknown gunmen shown by their silence against the cold blooded killing on the roads.
Remember that during the 2008 Census, Muonyjang population was 36.2% that means other ethnicities (63) shared 63.8% of the total population. Is it appropriate for these politicians eliminate the 36% without any formal resistance from the targeted group? If they resisted their killing forcefully, will that not be a disaster in the making?
For those who wanted power, this is advice, do not approve the killing of your brother “Muonyjang” since they are your strength in terms of votes and external aggression. Therefore, silence by Equatorians intellectuals, politicians, religious leaders and eminent personalities is discomforting, confusing and hedge anger, dissent and opposition as well as condoning, hence making others to retreat especially (Dinka or Muonyjang) and back their own ethnic leader so as to defend them and their colleague.
This become automatic since there is no guarantee that when a Dinka is not a leader they will be spared from the wanton killing along major roads. The other people who were open minded are being push to backing their ethnic leaders to survive or die with him.
You can reach the author via his email: garangdelual@gmail.com
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