Is the SPLM Vision of "Taking Towns to People" still Alive or Dead?
7 min readBy Maliap Madit Mabior, Kampala, Uganda
January 17, 2017 (SSB) — First and foremost I believe it’s still valid to wish all my countrymen and women both the suffering and the well-off a Happy and Prosperous New Year, 2017 – a blessed year. Allow me appreciate the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) led government for the job well done bringing us from 2016 to 2017, Bravo SPLM!
It would not make sense if one goes ahead without saying that we are or were one naturally(politically, registered or not) SPLM members and as I speak the writer himself is a staunch SPLM member. Generally, we are SPLM members both the leaned and the illiterate. In fact if you go to my village now, you will see my mothers and fathers chanting ATHIELE WAYEEEEE!! ATHELEEM WAYEEE!! All means SPLA/SPLM Oyee as our slogan.
I don’t know how it is in your village. All I know is that, it’s my, your and our party and we are proud of it. For those of us who were born in 1990s, our understanding about The SPLM Vision, Mission, and Goals may not carry any flesh but can’t stop us from talking about our party, country. Allow me take you through what a town is. A town in my view or understanding though narrow, is ‘’any place with basic social amenities.’’ I pray and apologize that academicians don’t sue me for defining it wrongly but that’s all I have in my store (brain).
The Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement – SPLM Vision as most of you might have heard is about taking social amenities of; educational centres (schools), health centres (hospitals, Primary Health Care – PHCs), cleaning water, rural electrification(power supply), good roads to ease transportation(Marram or tarmac), banking services, modernized agriculture through demonstration farms, and above all security to the people. Having all or any of these services qualifies any place to be considered as a town. Hence, the SPLM Vision of ‘’Taking Towns to the people’’ is purely about service delivery.
If I’m not mistaken you might have heard from our SPLM candidates in the 2010, Sudan general elections talking of SPLM vision. I personally voted because I loved and needed those services delivered to the people in my village and was it assumed could only be achievable through SPLM Party. So the then SPLM Presidential Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit now the president of the nation together with those who contested for gubernatorial positions, national and States Members of Parliament, Commissioners preached , communicated, sung, cried, shouted, danced before their voters in the name of service delivery worded as ‘’Taking towns to the people.’’
This slogan alone was enough to convince my illiterate mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers in the rural villages to vote. They all voted expecting back these services mentioned in the slogan. I heard some musicians singing SPLM bi win, SPLM bi pass, ya comrade keli takun mana ……… indeed almost all SPLM candidates won. I guessed those who won various positions with SPLM tickets thanked their voters, we still say thank you!
But the question is, has the game changed? I mean has your relations with your former candidate now serving as minister, MP, changed? The answer lies in whether the services are being delivered today or not and again some of us who are die-hard supporters still keep maximum silence even when their Members of Parliament do not go back to assess the area about their problems, they or we just keep quite in the name of respect and that he/she knows let alone the questionable issue of the Community Development Funds (CDFs) for the constituencies.
If yes, then you are ok but because of your or our strong allegiance to SPLM Party, you are still quite despite the suffering of our people in the villages. Let me inform you that in some villages, our mothers still prepare sauce, say kombo using traditional salt just because there aren’t good roads which would allow vehicles to get there with these most needed commodities like salt in this case.
Today my village-mates still take very local herbs dug from under the ground; tree leafs whenever they fall sick, why? Because there aren’t dispensaries or health units in the area and so many other challenges.
When we go through our history some clear factors prompted our call for liberation war such as marginalization and oppression. Those who took up arms did it all in order for us to be free from all forms of poor governance, bravo our heroes and heroines for without your sacrifices, we wouldn’t have got this nation which we now call our very own! Today if one says there is marginalization, you will be seen like an owl amidst small birds thinking it was done by the Arabs, no, it isn’t that only.
A keen observer would say there is but smart marginalization. Who are marginalizing us? Definitely our leaders – politically, economically. Imagine these economic crises yet our leaders still live in luxurious hotels, drive expensive vehicles (V8s, Hummers, and Limousines), their families in the first world countries yada yada yada! All these costs are met through manipulation of our national budget figure but why? Look, an amount spent night in a hotel can drill a borehole in an area.
So if any big public figure sleeps there for one month, how much is that in figures? Of course big sum of Pounds. We pay taxes expecting services, these taxes even don’t reach Juba, where? States authorities.
All we can do now is, let’s (SPLM Party) get back to our neat, patriotic, nationalistic ways – services delivery to the locals. I know all these failures can be blamed on the political unrest but consolidating national peace and security is amongst the services which we want to be delivered to our societies. Yes there is this credit which will never be taken away from our part – liberation struggle, leading us to independence, structural developments, etc.
These serve as SPLM political memento but not enough though! In the nick of time, SPLM Party image is getting worn out due to this opprobrium political wrangles and distaste amongst top leadership. Coming up with a pellucid Machiavellian approach means circling the square and possibly win us back our shrinking legacy.
For sure we are (SPLM and country) in a ‘’fish out of water situation – (embarrassing)’’ due to the fact that we are indulging in a cantankerous political game in the name of top nation’s seat (Presidency) all ending in catastrophic loss of innocent lives.
A clear prove of this is the cult for rebellion mean by SPLM or former SPLM members and this quickly invite a question, is this how we are trained in SPLM that we must always rash to bushes if we lose political games even when it’s on squabble issues? My answer is certainly no and all the servitudes are my witnesses. The best apotheosis is that of 2013 National Liberation meeting.
Finally, the name is suavitive. The choice is ours whether to be Victors or Victims of poor governance as a ruling party but I strongly believe that it’s only through service delivery shall escape the blames. Thus, it’s high time we suss-out some our internal problems as a party to ensure steady progress. Thank you!
O h God Bless South Sudan!! The writer is a South Sudanese and can be reached via; maliapmadit2016@gmail.com or +211955 994 979, +256784 297 377
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My learned comrades seems to relying on hear saying.
He is saying I hear not I read. I wish he has time to read SPLM Manifesto and SPLM Constitution. The 2010 elections was not about services delivery. It was about voting for star- SPLM Logo to ensure that SPLM led government could ensure referendum. I am happy it has happened.
My comrade view about taking towns to rural peoples is not services delivery: Here are our the correct quotes:
System of Governance from SPLM Manifesto:
Section IV.11: This system of governance will be premised on
(a) restructuring of the power of the central government in a manner that would take into account the interests of all the [South] Sudanese, especially those of marginalized regions, [small population nationalities], and impoverished socio-economic groups, and
(b) a decentralized power structure redefining the relation between [Capital] and the regions [states] with a view to devolving more federal powers to the regions [states] and, where and when necessary, full autonomy.
Democracy and Governance from SPLM Manifesto:
IV.11: “…Devolution of powers shall be incomplete if it does not equally empower local governments [and TALs] to fully exercise the powers entrusted to them by the Constitution and the law without obstruction from any center of power in the states, [county, payam and boma]…”
IV.12: Good governance, where the exercise of the political, economic and administrative authority in the management of the country’s affairs at all levels shall be Peoples-based (interest groups and civil society organizations), so that individuals and groups have effective say (lobby and advocated for legislation, enactment and implementation of policies) in the allocation and management of resources and in decisions on matters that affect their lives.
All Tribes Conference in Juba, February 17th to 18th, 2015 resolved that: “…A federal system should be the system of governance in South Sudan and it should be part of the peace dialogue…” (www.sudantribune.org)
Taking Towns to Rural Peoples is embodied in above but it is about institutional framework and organizational culture to dialogue and put systems of governance and wealth making closer to the Peoples in rural areas. SPLM principle include efforts to remove vulnerabilities through empowerment and not by distributing services. SPLM is not father Christmas. SPLM is not a charity.
Basic social services has to come from taxes and levies from production. If my comrade is not producing and not paying taxes, not paying health insurance and not paying pension then there is a lot to be done to educate my comrade. My comrades should go back to Refugees camp to see free distribution of services. But in South Sudan you need to engage in production and pay for services.
SPLM agenda is Taking Towns to Rural Peoples. This is about governance and inclusive just, good and federated decision making. It is not about services. The idea of services is colonial. Towns is to bring decision closer to the communities using modern way of towns. More states is not more money from the center. Because federation is making your money and give money to the center. There could be collaborative coexistence by supporting less productive state by the wealth states.
If my comrades is not producing and not paying taxes then it is a long way to go to realize freedom.
I am SPLM and shall advocate for SPLM ideals of empowerment to be able to produce and pay your dues. SPLM shall not distribute manna. SPLM Championed the aspiration too fighting 1983-2004. SPLM championed aspiration of masses to freedom on January 9, 2011. SPLM is now asking you to produce and pay your taxes and levies. SPLM is not to establish humanitarian centers but give you an opportunity to maximize your potentials to create wealth and pay taxes. Do not be relying on free services. Be free and be self-reliance.
Traditional Communal Federal System is the current systems of sections. Each has its all elements of modern nation state except not recognized by United Nation as a sovereign nation state. SPLM is recognizing these as Administrative Federal States.
I am happy with my federal state. I am to encourage my state to produce and trade to generate wealth and pay taxes. I am not relying on Juba and money from Paloc and Nimule. Those should be spent on roads and electricity. But now more is being spent in buying weapons because some elements would want to destroy the revolutionary gains of physical liberation and a chance to govern our own affairs. Government should only facilitate ability to citizens to generate wealth. This liberty. Please start reading and intellectually contribute.
This situation of acute cluelessness and ignorance should be avoided. We should not rely on hear sayings. Read about SPLM. Chose to create your political view. Address to win the sympathy of the population. Your attempts just to complain shall make you suffer from hate and disappointment.
Thanks. Acuil