South Sudan is bigger than few economic egotists, and political brokers
By Sunday de John, New Delhi, India
May 28, 2017 (SSB) — There is nothing wrong with my country. The land is fertile, rains are frequent, vegetation is tremendous. There is nothing wrong with South Sudanese. They are a diverse happy society. The land is vast and has been accommodating them for time immemorial and with huge reserves of land not in use.
We have about four huge forests. Our fuanda and Flora are flourishing as sources of tourists attraction. Beneath our soil is our oil, of course in abundance. Our diverse minerals aren’t minor source of wealth. Our domestic and wild animals are fabulous.
The longest River in the continent winds within the huge landscape of our country. We are tall and handsome people born of successful beautiful mothers and of course, our sisters are the envy of the world. The black beauty.
That is the South Sudan in summary.
However, the country one’s described as the land of milk and honey presumably a biblical description is now the bleeding land of hate. The leadership crisis demeaned and deprived it of her true characteristics. It is now the land were Gatkuoth is spending sleepless nights plotting on how to deprive Wani of his precious life.
It is now the land where Nya-Kulang is uncontrollably weeping because all her children were murdered in an ambush laid by Akoi. It is the land were Badi has opted to burn Deng alive. It is the land where Akur is crying because deceased Gatkoor has murdered her husband.
It is the Land where Garang has a plan to displace Soi and her children. It is the land where Deng was set ablaze by Lodiong and it is the land where Lodule is creating code names for those he would want to murder. It is the land where Goi wants the MTN, Nyamnyam, Jur, Beer and Jengge to be exterminated.
A confused country. A country of hate. Where thieves are worshiped. Where murderers are honoured and rewarded with lucrative government posts. Where underdogs have taken the central stage in routine life decisions and the true achievers relegated to the tail end of the silent majority. Where mediocrity is the best tool of transaction in the country of colours. We are fucked up. Things are at a topsy-turvy state.
It is a country where security personnel brags about how they would arbitrarily arrest Mr. X and Mr. Y, just to experiment on how powerful they have become. Bloodless terrorism, most times, bloody. That is the country we call ours. That is our home.
However, the attempts to piece together the fragmented portions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement have always been futile. The ego-driven G10 members have tried their best and are trying their best to completely garrote the country.
They are doing it by rejecting the peaceful resolution of the country’s problems by all price. The recent one is their rejection to sign the agreement that revives the faltered SPLM and then charted the way forward and particularly the road to peace.
When self-interest, in whichever form, has peaked, it is the grassroots that suffer. The innocent South Sudanese should now know that their hopes banked on whichever sector of current political divisions are not sufficing. The leaders have chosen the path to complete annihilation of the vulnerable.
So, it is within the vulnerable’s reach to acknowledge that they are one entity defined by suffering of all sorts and therefore must forge lasting cohension to salvage themselves from being erased off the country they call theirs. South Sudanese must stop calling themselves each other’s enemy. They must cease from being angered by tribal sentiments. The regionalism, tribalism, nepotism or whichever badism must be abandoned.
The common denominator that suits the interest of all South Sudanese now is peace. Politicians have played their role in promoting anarchy and hate. Yes, anarchy and hate and as a result, South Sudanese opted to butcher themselves mercilessly either in the war front or through coward waylayings.
It is true that South Sudan is bigger than the ego of an individual and so the madness resulting from the negative inspiration of the politicians must be settled once and for all. The suffering people are in is painfully a making of the leaders and worse enough, they are never remorseful as per their current cockiness. Shame on our leaders. Shame on us for accepting to fight amongst ourselves.
I must end by strongly stating that the solution we so want is endogenous. Nobody from outside would solve our problem. We ought to reflect and acknowledge that we have come far together. Stop being Nuer, stop being Dinka, stop being Bari, stop being Kuku, stop being Kakwa, stop being Zande, stop be Shilluk, stop being Anuak, stop being Ndogo, stop being X and Y.
Nevertheless, accept that we are a diverse society under the one Country, so we are South Sudanese. The best name for all is being called South Sudanese. It is indiscriminate and doesn’t anger Juan or Pityia. It doesn’t set Gatkek against Lopir. So it is compatible win all of us.
South Sudan is bigger and better than egotists. I hope this serves the day, till then yours truly, Mr. Teetotaler!
You can reach the author via his email: emmajoson@yahoo.com
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