What Goes Around Comes Around: An Advice to President Salva Kiir Mayardit
4 min readBy David Deng Chapath, Kampala, Uganda
What goes around comes around is the proverb which teaches us that the results of things that one has done will someday have an effect on the person who started the events. This was what happened between General Malong and President Kiir Mayardit.
May 30, 2017 (SSB) — On May 09, 2017 South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit sacked the army chief of general staff Gen. Paul Malong Awan by a Republican Decree read out on SSBC but the decree, which did not cite any reasons for his removal. Then, Malong was replaced by his deputy Lt.Gen. James Ajongo Mawut, SPLA deputy chief of general staff for finance and administration. It should be noted that both Malong and Ajongo are both hailed from Aweil.
The President removed Malong thinking that he would be removed like any other generals as he has been doing. However, as soon as he was removed, Malong left the same night heading towards his home town. The fact that Malong left for his hometown did not go well with the President who thought that Malong had started the rebellion against him.
In fact, the president did not sleep well those nights until Malong returned. What troubled the President most was the fact that it would not be as simple as other generals have been doing it. The rebellion by Malong would have marked the end of his if not the government South Sudan.
Such worries were not without any bases. The rebellion of Malong was going to mark the end of Kiir’s leadership as Dinka Community was going to be bitterly divided. For instance, Aweil community in United States, Europe, Australia, Middle East and Africa in particular was alarmed by the removal of Gen. Paul Malong.
What annoyed the Aweil Community and other Dinka community members who are sympathizers of General Malong was not the removal of Malong from the post per se as many misinterpreted it but due to the following main reasons—
First, the removal of General Malong was done in bad faith and because of that it was conceived as a politically motivated move as well as a form of witch-hunt just to eliminate Paul Malong from power whom Salva Kiir and Akol Koor see as a threat to their conspiracy to prepare the inheritance to leadership of South Sudan behind closed door.
Second to it, supporters of Malong were annoyed because of the action of the President and Akol Koor who unnecessarily deployed a huge National security Forces in Rumbek to deter Malong’s movement
In general, there were conspiracies against Malong which made many not to feel happy with the way one revered time general was being treated. Malong was treated with contempt and disrespects.
However, it is important to state that from the removal of Malong and the crises that followed, we have learned the following moral lessons which should act as a guide to the president and if the president has not learned anything from them then I have to advise him.
The first lessons the president should have learned is that what goes around comes around. As already explained at the beginning of this word, the meaning of this proverb is that the results of things that one has done will someday have an effect on the person who started the events. As seen in that case, if the President would have not changed his attitude and adopt softer approach he would have lost the power as soon as possible.
The way Malong was welcomed by the citizens of a surprise to the president. In fact, it exposed the unpopularity of the President, which the President did not know before he removed General Malong. Hence, what goes around comes around.
The president thought that power was everything and no one was above him even God. However, when he removed Malong he discovered that his power has a limit as shown by the fact that he has to leave aside the issue of force and instead to dialogue with Malong. Thus, what goes around comes around.
In summary, Malong has shown more maturity than the president this time and the president has to humble himself and accept the views of Malong since Malong was protecting his personal right against conspiracy.
NB//: the author is South Sudanese student residing in Uganda and can be reached through: dengdavid00@gmail.com
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