The Importance of Peace and Political Stability in South Sudan (Part 1)
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
January 21, 2018 (SSB) — Many people around the globe focus on the importance of peace and harmony among the people. Absolutely majority believed that peace is important in order to avoid unnecessary conflict that hinders progress in people lives because peace a centre of life and it is a law of nature. We always need peace than war because issues of war cannot favour mankind.
In South Sudan, we pretend like we don’t want peace but it is a treasure desire by everyone on this planet but few know how to get it. Peace is a blessing to our families, communities and our country. The power of peace is to ensure that we are at peace with our fellow South Sudanese inclusively. Peace fixes the flood of issues among us. Pleasant words of peace are sweetest and healing medicines of broken bones. Don’t react negatively to hatred, and fear.
The importance of peace in our societies, I think it is very essential to learn what is going on in our country and what is happening in other countries where war took over screen platform. Peace is very important at all levels of human living. It is what we need since it’s stabilized our inner well-being. Peace brings happiness, unity, harmony, liberty, hope, and freedom among all people even country to country as it is relevancy.
As South Sudan a nation of Christian majority, the Bible says in Mt 5:13, you are salt of the earth”, I think at (our own state) and we have opportunity to turn the country on a positive position of peaceful side, and on peaceful truck and make South Sudan a country of safety for lives. We have to solve problems in best ways and get back to peace.
The importance of peace in/among our societies is our prosperity. I know peace make things move easier. I am convinced that peace is a true solution and can make people South Sudan understands one another better than war but the question is: How can we bring peace and making it a solution to our diverse problems? I think if we go back to our normal lives before the war broke out in South Sudan, there were alternatives better ways of living
For example, pleasure and happiness were enshrined our lives; our lives were so respected; human dignity and human rights were golden fences of our societies and all these factors are now destroyed by war and conflicts. Sincerely speaking, we need peace, no peace can causes trouble in our midst. Peace can benefit us all. Peace can give us safety, development and freedom, oh let’s move on!
Before the president Kiir announced national dialogue, I wrote an article about national dialogue and how South Sudanese leaders do cause disputes among themselves, involves communities, and later on dialogue and leave communities in grievances, so I talked about national dialogue as part of the peace process but not a final solution. I was so pleased on following day, the president announced national dialogue.
In our country, we have a great number of anti-peace, but it is also the responsibility of peace lovers to work on peace so that they are not overcome by anti-peace practitioners. I know there are many ways of making peace, and one of my colleagues criticised me, why I talked about peace and national dialogue in an angry and hungry country, what will they listen? I told him, let’s not give up.
A place of peace is where everybody admiring to stay, make business, enjoy life, and people are connected, animals under human responsibility never suffer, natural resources and environment prosper; this should be the aim South Sudan would have a dream for it. Whom do we think peace belong to or the owner of peace? Peace belongs to all South Sudanese. Peace is our pillar that hold up our togetherness, unity and prosperity.
This is a fact of every nation, and without peace, there is no country. As we continue on why a country supposed to have peace in place, it is our responsibility to make peace a reality. There are three strategies we should adapt to cover the whole country in order to achieve the final solution to our problems. By making peace real, South Sudanese must achieve peace under special objectives of peace education such as peace-making; peace-building; and peace-keeping.
I don’t believe in peace-making, peace-building, and peace-keeping of the outsiders, I believe in homegrown absolute peace process developed by sons and daughters of South Sudan, and then foreign help top up on what we have started to make the final peace in the country.
National dialogue and peace education are not enemies. Under peace education, peace-making must take place since peace-making involves simple communication skills and ways of conflict resolutions and mediations in order to interact non-violently with one another. Peacekeeping involves police, and army to achieve such a dream. And finally peacebuilding that may involve ways of stability and peaceful environment so that no more violence is created again, and all people feel the culture of peace in their midst.
One of my friends asked me, how will these strategies be happening? I too questioned him; do you feel the pain of this war and reflected back to your normal life when the war was not at the stage? He said I feel it, then I said, what can you choose, to continue with war or go along peace? He said peace and so peace?
The author is a co-founder of South Sudan Mental Healthcare Organization, (SSMHCO). He holds Bachelor degree in Social Work and Social Administration from SSCUST, Bachelor of Theology from CLT, Bungoma, Kenya/Kalispell, USA, and a fellow researcher. He can be reached at david.matiopgai@gmail.com.
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