Comrade Acuil Malith must revisit his own Master’s thesis to understand the SPLM philosophy of “Taking Towns to People”
6 min readThe most dangerous thing one has to do in a ready confused population is to confuse them more
By Reuben G. Panchol, Juba, South Sudan
January 19, 2017 (SSB) — The most dangerous thing one has do in a already confused population is to confuse them more; that is what Mr. Acuil Malith Banggol is trying to achieved in this article: The SPLM Philosophy of “Taking Towns to People” is about “Good Governance”, not “Services Delivery”. Most of us are familiar with what former USA President Harry S. Truman said; that “if you can’t convince them, confuse them.” Having read into this pieces leave no any option, but ask a question; is SPLM as party trying to confuse the general public, because, it didn’t carter the services to where they were expected for the last dozen years?
Mr. Banggol, tried to fool us that, “My comrade view about taking towns to rural peoples is not services delivery: Here are the correct quotes:” really? Mr. Banggol, in case you forgotten; I think you should revisit your own Master’s thesis which clearly that “Take education, development, institutions and procedures and services to rural communities. Engage them on deciding on national priorities and wider ownership. This shall ensure the type of society mentioned above. I am committed to contribute to the peace building process in South Sudan with my engagements in the TWIC Olympics, where young people of all ethnics meet and enjoy sports together and in SUPRAID, a foundation for Education, Rehabilitation and Development of Conflict Affected Children.”
If education, development, institutions,… etc are not services delivery then the services delivery has no meaning! And here you have enough courage to ask your readers to read about the SPLM agenda, yet you have failed the test of consulting your own work prior to playing with keyboard to produce this piece! Pathetic isn’t or can I say contradiction at it best?
Please, give a break to the poor innocent people of South Sudan, and instead sympathize with them. The history has it that there hasn’t been humanitarian relieves in current area call South Sudan until when the government that doesn’t care about people (only interest in land) came into power. It has never, ever crossed any one mind to depend on SPLM as a source of their living/bread.
Therefore, this statement is wrong placed “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.”
Dear Mr. Banggol, I don’t know where you were in the 80s, but it was those people whom you label today as a free ride seeking, are the one who nourished the SPLM from it infant stage via sweats by donating goats, cows, grain and what of you that was available in their reach.
Therefore, none of them was expecting any services from the “mighty SPLM”; leave alone depending on the SPLM for food supply and the other needs. Please, since claimed your good self to an advocate of the SPLM, just let SPLM work the security and you will see no one will be roaming in the street of your so-call towns.
Mr. Banggol, since claimed to be an advocate for the SPLM ideals empowerment; it would rather be nice to advocate for your concept of amalgamating Traditional Authority Leaders (TALs) instead of SPLM instead of your boss going about; fragmenting states into mini-states which have no room for TALs to realize it powers and execute the “taking towns to rural peoples”.
In conclusion: in my own humble opinion, the country will not achieve that opportunity of maximizing potential wealth creation, self-reliance and taxation which will revive the dysfunction SPLM which you trying to sell here at cheap cost; unless the following pillars are attended:
Security Reform – provide well disciple security unites to ensure and grantee the safe of people. With blinking of an eye people will start plowing their farms and rearing their animal without a fear of unknown gunmen/women
Sanitize the public via civic education – this is a foundation of human capital which serves as the string that ties the nation for the well-being. Well information citizens are the most patriots; who care about the others lives and properties.
Avoid fragmentation of nation into mini-states (blood colony) – the world is advancing to globe village, but sad enough the young nation (South Sudan) is moving backward to stone-age. Bureaucracy is the major enemy of development.
Hire goats to take care of goats and not Hyenas – work of the public servant (politician) is serving the people interest, but to enrich him/herself. Recycling the same face for dozen has killed the SPLM vision which had claimed lives of 2 millions heroes and heroines
Dear Mr. Banggol, without realizing the few factors mentioned above, I can basically concluded that, the SPLM vision of “Taking Town to People” is dead and the SPLM as party will join it in the hell soon (hoping that there is a hell for the bad parties); unless if the mode of the operation is changing before long in order to match people desire & expectation; otherwise, infrastructures, sanitary utilities, electricity and clean water will be of dream to many citizens of the South Sudan.
Not only that; the worse of all is that those whom you have labeled as refugee mongers; were born in the Refugee and IDP camps and their grandchildren will also be wedded at the mercy of UN, because the SPLM has failed to protect their lives in the hand of the blood hunters.
The author, Reuben G. Panchol, is a member of “the Seeds of Nation” (Red Army) which had been left to be consumed by Indianmeal Moth/grain moth (tribal politics aka NCP’s apologies who have hijacked the Mighty SPLM) prior to planting season. You can reach him via his email: reubenpanchol@hotmail.com
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Dear Compatriots
Look and examine these quotes:
“… The Judiciary of Southern Sudan and the legal fraternity in Southern Sudan, as a whole, have the monumental task of developing our legal system, based on common law and our traditional legal heritage, which has to be researched into, ascertained, harnessed and made available for the purposes of sourcing our legislative process, among other things. Our governance must be well grounded in our traditional laws and customs. It must be borne in mind by all that this has been one of underlying causes in quest for freedom and human dignity. Our culture identification and development in all its forms must be unchained and facilitated to reach the same heights, as is the case elsewhere in our continent or the rest of the globe for that matter…” President Kiir, June 3, 2006
Another Quote:
“… Need I to remind anyone that among some of the underlining causes of our resistance must have been the need to maintain our Culture, Legal and other areas of identity… Apart from the normal Judiciary work assigned to judiciary authority in our government structure, I wish to remind ourselves: our government, the legal fraternity of Southern Sudan and our Parliament, that we in Southern Sudan are duty-bound and have unique opportunity to work hard at developing our legal system based primarily on our traditional law and customs, our way of life and ethos…” Justice A. Riny Thiik, June 3, 2006.
In their report: The Principles of Federalism (2012: 17-18), the experts on Swiss Federalism wrote:
“… Efforts to deny or suppress multiple identities within a diverse society have almost invariably let to contention, secession or civil wars. An essential element therefore in federation encompassing a diverse society has been the acceptance of the value of diversity and of possibility of multiple loyalties expressed through the established of constituents units of government with genuine autonomous self rule over those matters most important to their distinct identity. Equally important has been the recognition of the benefits within a diverse society to be derived from shared purpose and objectives providing the basis for the parallel processes of shared rules…”
Our genuine autonomous self rule like Wud in Dinka, Pac in Cholo and Cheng in Nuer. We should not cut-paste the federalism that emerged out of fuidalsm and kingdoms. Our federalism is Wud and is not relying on center assimilating or making others subsidairies of the center. This is coped from colonization. We should not destroy Wud. Traditional Communal Federal System (TCFS) to create new artificial institutions that rely on exploitation like western style nation states. We are pleased with numbers of administrative states making greater three regions of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile. I am pleased with trio-leadership brought about by CPA 2005 and ACRISS 2015.
Please try to read and not rely on hear saying
Assess the following from your Constitution:
Constitutional Mandate on Communities and TALs and TCFS
Article 2 of SSTC 2011 mandates: Sovereignty is vested in the {P]eople[s] and shall be exercised by the [Nation] State through its democratic and representative institutions established by this Constitution and the law.
Article 33 of SSTC 2011 mandates: [Nationalities], Ethnic and cultural communities shall have the right to freely enjoy and develop their particular cultures. Members of such communities shall have the right to practice their beliefs, use their languages, observe their religions and raise their children within the context of their respective cultures and customs in accordance with this Constitution and the law.
Article 36(4) of SSTC mandates: The composition of governments shall take into account ethnic, regional and social diversity in order to promote national unity and command national loyalty.
Articles 47 on Decentralized System of Government, article 48 on Devolution of Powers and article 49 on Intergovernmental Linkages.
Article 167(1) of SSTC 2011 mandates: The institution, status and role of Traditional Authority, according to customary law, are recognised under this Constitution.
Article 168(2) of SSTC 2011 mandates: Legislation at the National and state levels shall provide for the establishment, composition, functions and duties of Councils for Traditional Authority leaders (COTAL).
Traditional Communal Federal System (TCFS) known as chiefdoms or kingdoms existed and continues to exist as a societal nation state whose main economic main stay was and continued to be a productive economy (livelihood) and collaborative economy of self-reliance founded on Communal land ownership, kinship and family labour.
Article 38(1)(f) of SSTC 2011 mandates: All levels of government shall protect, preserve and promote the cultures of the [P]eople(s) which enhance their human dignity and are consistent with the fundamental objectives and principles set out in the Constitution.
Section IV.11 of SPM Constitution 2008 principle of federation: The 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.
Characteristics of Federation in South Sudan
South Sudan system of government is federation because it recognizes unity in diversity in accordance to articles 33 and 36(4) of SSTC 2011 and is explicitly composed of mandated three levels of governments as follow:
National Government (articles 50, 51, 52 and 53 of SSTC 2011}
State Government (articles 162, 163, 164 and 165 of SSTC 2011}
Local Government and Traditional Authority (articles 166, 167, 168 of SSTC 2011)
System of South Sudan Federal Powers is legislated under five Schedules as follow:
Schedule (A): 58 National Powers
Schedule (B): 42 Powers of State
Schedule (C): 33 Concurrent Powers
Schedule (D): Residual Powers
Schedule (E): Resolutions of Conflict in Respect to Concurrent Powers
Perceptions and Practices of Federation in South Sudan
Trio Leadership, Greater Regions, Greater States, Greater Counties, Greater Communities and Extended Families recognized in rotational leadership and apportioning of constitutional positions at national, state, county and payam crowned with a TCFS under a TAL, Big 5, Council of Elders, women and youth unions, people with special needs and veterans affairs.
Constitutional mandates and policy directives recognizing incorporation and involvement of TALs on peaceful coexistence, mutual recognition and matters of local interest.
Historical and common destiny collaborative federation in resistance BC, 1947 Juba Conference, 1955-1972, 1983-2005, 2005 to 2011 armed, political struggle and referendum
Jenuubeen, Presidency, Constitution, Judiciary, Polices, Currency, Defense, Custom, International Relation.
Oil proceeds from Paloch and Therjath in Greater Upper Nile
Juba, Capital Cities and Urban Lands and Water Ways and Trunk Roads.
Some Most Distinct Federal Systems in the World
The Ethiopian Ethnic Federation is a negotiated mixture of holding together and coming together of Nations, Nationalities and Peoples supremacy and sovereignty with House of Federation interpretation of the Constitution through consensus allowing the right to self-determination on governance.
Indian and Indonesia Ethnic Federalism founded on ethnic federalism and thousands of islands.
USA is coming together through civil wars to annex regions of States with unitary language, system of governance and diverse judicial jurisdiction with Supreme Federal Court interoperating the Constitution and a mixture of federal powers arrangement and Presidency.
Switzerland is coming together of administrative states known as Cantons and collaboration of four greater linguistic and ethnic groups of (1) Germans, (2) Italians, (3) French and (4) Romantich with Collegial Presidency and Direct Democracy through repetitive plebiscites regulated by law.
Belgium is holding together of linguistic, ethnic and political entities.
German Confederation founded on a treaty of 39 kingdoms and several ethnic groups with Federal Supreme Court.
In conclusion:
Trio Leadership, Greater Regions, Greater States, Greater Counties, Greater Communities and Extended Families recognized in rotational leadership and apportioning of constitutional positions at national, state, county and payam crowned with a TCFS under a TAL, Big 5, Council of Elders, women and youth unions, people with special needs and veterans affairs.
Constitutional mandates and policy directives recognizing incorporation and involvement of TALs on peaceful coexistence, mutual recognition and matters of local interest.
Historical and common destiny collaborative federation in resistance BC, 1947 Juba Conference, 1955-1972, 1983-2005, 2005 to 2011 armed, political struggle and referendum
Jenuubeen, Presidency, Constitution, Judiciary, Polices, Currency, Defense, Custom, International Relation.
Oil proceeds from Paloch and Therjath in Greater Upper Nile
Juba, Capital Cities and Urban Lands and Water Ways and Trunk Roads.
Let us have our own federalism by the communities and for communities. Build the capacities of our farmers to improve their cattle, goats, cereal, rice production and tree growing. Giving the technology not services. They need stability and not power sharing that I call looting sharing of some elements like you confusing our communities that we shall deliver services to them. SPLM call for emancipation from vulnerability. Our communities are not poor and they are not colonized to be confused with slogans of services delivery.
Please let help our communities with real meaning of Taking Towns To Rural Peoples. It is institutional structures and organizational culture that should give them skills and knowledge to strat making wealth and paying taxes.
Our Peoples opted to fight for liberation. They were only organized by SPLM. Then SPLM champion their aspiration to wage the war of liberation. SPLM led them to 2011 Referendum. SPLM shall help them improve on their socioeconomic and cultural capacities through taking institutions of towns.
Please let us stop the misleading call by some of us the intellectuals that we are getting salaries and stealing on behalf of our communities. The idea of political pressurism through mutiny and defection or attacking J-1 or doing media war fare. The method of disgracing and washing our dirt in public has paid. But take a moment and go tell our People that it is the People who should be productive and powerful to make their country powerful.
Stop media war and start dialogue to give peace a chance so that our communities could develop themselves. Your war against leadership though is paying. It is only paying those who are seeking power sharing- Looting sharing
Your views on Taking Towns to Rural Peoples is confusing. In 2010 elections I participate in design and supervised Unity State and Warrap State. SPLM did not mention services deliveries. It was Referendum. Now we are not going to follow suit and loot like those who have looted in name of our Peoples. SPLM message shall be Freedom, Peace and Prosperity. Peace through dialogue. Prosperity through wealth creation and services delivery. Go to U-TUBE and listen to John Garang on: What is the State?
Revolutionary Regards
Acuil
Dear Costelo
I have answered you through my comments on TCFS. But if you do not know, in 80s I gave up playing professional basketball and went bar foot to front to participate in physical liberation. It was a duty. Compare that with what ever you would like
SPLM championed the liberation aspiration of our communities. I was a combat officer and a political commissar. Later I was lucky to be a member of the task force that established SRRA. Then the rest you know. We did freedom, peace and prosperity.
While you are eying to take up a job in Juba, you should try to empower your community. Transfer technology to them not the empty slogan of services delivery.
Revolutionary Regards
Acuil