Prospective CHANGE AND INTRIGUES in the Republic of South Sudan
By Junior William Deng, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
December 18, 2017 (SSB) — It’s normal that change occurs in any institution of governance, it’s the only and positive way for goal appraisal. Leaders are changed and given new roles whether familiar or unfamiliar with their new assignments. This creates innovative spirit and competition for greater output. Management theory tells us that change has two parts:
1. Evolutionary change. It is sometimes called transformative change, it tells us that change takes place at slow pace particularly in parts of the institution in question. It’s slow with itching effects but because evolutionary change takes place in an established system where all parts, customs, rules and regulations, law, and resources have been stable and effective but were not efficient to meet the requirement for the rapidly changing management system in the world.
People charged with this job make sure such idea only affects most essential parts in an organization, for instance, it could be changing accounting system or changing policy on a commodity, all these affect the minor segment of the institution but they are not welcome on the grant. Jitters cloud up and lobby takes the stage but with skills in accumulation, it takes no blood. It could take place in every progressive business entity, government institution, villages or in an organized group.
2. Revolutionary. It’s sometimes called radical change. This what happened during the industrial revolution in Europe where modern states want to have effective and efficient institutions to provide development at an affordable cost. But it’s abrasive and entangling, we have read world wars. Change takes place at various levels and everything else comes to scrutiny be it, management style, law, salaries, customs, and traditions, it must kaleidoscopely take place.
This has also been seen in African post-colonial states. The political system Africans rulers inherited from colonial masters was quasi-structural and weak, it was designed to work for colonial home states through its extractive nature. So, the first Africans rulers inherited it and fail to provide necessary adjustments hence provoking African nationalism with many liberation struggles coming to radically call for change.
If it’s not military change as for the African liberation struggles, people might have other tools: civil disobedience. This is radical but interestingly unique in indifference, individuals of the society who are feeling social heck ups, stinky economics inequalities, and leadership failure take to the front line and oust regimes.
This method works at institutional levels, private organizations, organized group and village administrations. It’s the most expensive method than all methods discussed above. Gene Sharp in his book From Dictatorship to Democracy painstakingly reckoned that it’s better to undertake military campaigns than civil disobedience if leaders are not ideologically committed and financially unstable.
It, therefore, needs clear mind persons habitually capable of withstanding resistance, fatigue, betrayal activities and sellout entrepreneurs and sectarian adversity. This method is not free from resistance, provocation and sometimes character assassination. The idea is that change must come at all cost be it at the national level, at churches, schools, villages or business and family administrative contours!
#Forward
Junior William Deng is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He can be reached on dengthiy2004@gmail.com.
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