Who to dialogue with in the South Sudan National Dialogue Initiative
By Thon Madol Mathok, Kampala, Uganda
September 10, 2017 (SSB) — National dialogue has become a song that can be sung by everyone but at the end of the day, no one takes the message contained in the song very seriously. National dialogue in essence is a platform where each and every one of us who are affected by the National crisis sit down with creators of the crisis to resolve the crisis because everyone is serious and wants war to end in the country such that people tend to others issues like how country should be developed, educating youth who are going to be the future of South Sudan.
It is a good initiative President deserves that because it is one of the steps toward bringing peace in the country; on the contrary, the president excludes others from the national dialogue. For instance, the President gave national dialogue committee a green light with exception of Riek Machar. As a matter of fact, it is like co wives fought and involved the whole family when other family members call for a discussion to resolve the issue.
One co wife said I do not want another co wife to sit down with me, we do not go down well at all excluded her and let’s continue with discussion and the other co wife in response telling family members only if the other co wife ceases treating herself big ahead of me then I shall join discussion.
This is making dialogue lacking some recipes to make it a full Dialogue and raise a question to who dialogue with who? Since Kiir has alienated Riek Machar, Pagan Amum in US nagging UN so that South Sudan should be put under UN TRUSTEESHIP, some other SPLM former detainees are oscillating within East Africa praying at least God should just change things and other rebels groups are not stopping the fight and join national dialogue, on the other hand, national dialogue committee, SPLM IG, SPLM IO of Taban, some few SPLM FD, political parties, and citizens are chanting DIALOGUE! DIALOGUE!
Here one can pause and enquire again, whose problem are we resolving? Oh yes to put things into perspective the Dialogue we try to discuss in the National dialogue is the problem that has its origin in the SPLM camp and engulfed the whole country. Now SPLM Camp is fragmented and scattered there is SPLM in government in Juba, SPLM in opposition which is literally divided into SPLM IO Taban followers in Juba and SPLM IO Riek followers in some part of the country and diaspora, SPLM former detainees Pagan Amum in the US and rest in East Africa.
All these groups of SPLM party have different views on national dialogue and are seemingly reluctant to form a consensus on national dialogue agenda nor have the appetite of discussing peace and national dialogue is aging.
Well even if citizens, other political parties, SPLM IG and SPLM IO under Taban go ahead with national dialogue, I don’t think the problem is resolved yet. As long as Riek is excluded with his followers will still wage war against the government, Thomas Cirilo, if excluded with his group, will still fight government and economy as well taking a toll on people’s lives and still no work was done.
For national dialogue to be fruitful and achieve the aim it was devised, it must require inclusiveness where everyone must participate with emphasis on the attendance of creators of the problem (SPLM) because the other participants are not creators of the problem but problem resolution seekers. So if we are discussing on how to bring peace then they who are the creators of the problem must be part and parcel of peace resolution talk.
National dialogue committee together with IGAD and international community as a first priority should find a way to persuade SPLM party fragments, political parties, rebels groups to attend national dialogue such that it is inclusive so as dialogue will kick off without anyone feeling left out in addressing the problem be it caused the problem, be it, victims of the problem, be it rebels groups, each and every one.
It is a discussion of how we can achieve peace without fighting such that country moves forward peacefully, It is in the National dialogue we civilians and other concerns people ask the creators of the problem we want peace, let’s find the ways to peace. It is in National dialogue where we ask them enough is enough to their infinite disagreement and let’s look for common ground where we shall all agree and forge a better path to peace and the suffering in the country.
Otherwise, the National dialogue is reaching its mature stage without addressing the problem at hand in which it was devised and dialogue is becoming fruitless and the problem continues. Therefore it is good to define and trace and exhaust once and for all the root cause of the problem in order to find a lasting solution.
The writer is a Tax assistant inspector, western lakes state. I can be reached via Thonpeter0@gmail.com
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