The Witch’s Brew in Gogrial state Youth Union must be called by its Name
9 min readBy Simon Yel Yel, Juba, South Sudan
January 24, 2018 (SSB) — I would want to prologue this article with a few remarks. A society that doesn’t stare the truth in the eye and call it by its correct name will perish. Such a society is always packed up under the burden of intellectual knavery and two-facedness. This is the exact situation that niches our society.
As Mr. Ahmadou Kourouma wrote in his book, “Waiting for Beasts to Vote”, “The world is for clothed peoples. We can’t enter this world unless we clothe ourselves unless we abandon our nakedness,” he writes. And so we dress up the truth in lies.
That is our problem. We dress up the truth in lies. We are economical with the truth. We shy to call things by their names. The way the current squabble over Union leadership is explained exhibits A.
Like other youth, I have been struggling to understand one particular inscrutable folly in Gogrial state politics. I am talking about a political institution of Youth called “Gogrial state Youth Union”. I don’t savvy what is made of it. I just wonder why and how does it become the gravitational attraction center of our state politics.
I call it a political institution not because I want to institutionalize and politicize it, but because it has been politicized and hijacked by our politicians and deadly turned it into a platform for criticizing the state government.
For this reason, the union has become a fighting ground for youth that is fronted by different political groups of politicians. I am heartbroken to see youth shrinking into political flatterers. They turned our union into something ugly, if not checked, has potential to disunite and derail us from our collective values.
As per now, the union is no longer a force for good in our society that promotes our values and bonds us together as one family with one objective. It has become a political institution.
If Gogrial state Youth Union were a human body, it would be in rigour mortis. As a union, our soul is dead— no heartbeat. In fact, our values as youth are dead and buried.
What is most appalling is that even learned youth are the staunch customers of this political obsequiousness. They don’t think for themselves but their leaders think for them. They wrangle over union leadership not because they have programs to implement but because they are told to lead.
Today, there exists no line between constructive and unconstructive criticism and what youth should or shouldn’t do in Gogrial state. Youth are told to criticize and praise. They spew venom of unconstructive criticisms on a perceived enemy by their political-godfathers. Some can sing hosannas in praise of corrupt leaders rather than crucifixion. In other words, their mouths are also controlled by their leaders. That is the sad reality we live in today.
To call a spade by its name, this Unholy Trinity in the name of Gogrial state Youth Union is nothing but three immiscible ingratiating groups with different political interests. You may guess the monsters I am referring to. I mean the three factions that have divided us, invaded our union, planted hatred among us and deformed our good image.
In fact, they have nothing to do with youth. They are just wearing the hat of “Youth Union” as an honor to brag about and use our names as a rubber stamp to execute what their political-godfathers want them to do. These groups are none other than Achuek Mabior’s group, Valentino Yel’s group and the group of former aspirants headed by Majok Anyak.
Comparatively, they have copied and pasted the behaviors of SPLM leaders crudely. Every group is claiming to represent a vast majority of the youth than the other. It is incontrovertible truth these groups don’t represent values of youth but are slavish stooges who traffic in the name of Youth to hawk political support to their bosses. Honestly speaking, they are the disgrace to Gogrial in disguise.
Let me jog your memory. For the record; Gogrial state Youth Union in Juba was started by a few youth under the behest of opposition politicians to the then Gogrial state government headed by Gen. Gregory as a platform to criticize the state Government. These youth installed themselves and successfully did the job well for their bosses.
In reality, the youth of Gogrial state never converged to write and pass the constitution, register the union and elect their leaders.
Let’s have a coup d’oeil of these groups. We begin with Achuek’s group. This is a group that holds fanciful beliefs of being more equal among the other groups. They believe that their overinflated 500 votes are a ticket to buy legality and legitimacy. Sadly, they forgot that free and fair election is not an event nor big numbers, but a PROCESS.
For this group to frisson and suffers from a guilty conscience upon hearing the formation of the investigation committee by Dr. Albino Bol, they had chutzpah to impudently condemn it in the condemnation letter published on Monday by The Dawn Newspaper.
I don’t know who thinks for and advises this group. But what I know is that the bravado and braggadocio with which the condemnation letter was written questioning the authority of National Youth Union over them is not only laughable but it has gone below the level of nonsensical bragging. They ignorantly shoot themselves in the foot.
I am not indicting this group but telling them the Sword of Damocles that hangs over their necks. Their capricious refusal to meet the committee and elucidate how they reached the throne of Gogrial state Youth Union is an epic blunder and boomerang that may backfire as we await the decision from Dr. Albino Bol.
Undoubtedly, Mrs. Achuek Mabior is a good and honorable gentlewoman by all measures. She’s moderate and thoughtful. She doesn’t throw bombs or speak haphazardly. Unfortunately, she is being misled to where is she today.
Don’t take my words for a witness. Follow the evidence. The decision taken by the Electoral committee to cherry-pick the law by solely passing an article about an election clearly portrays that there was a witch’s brew in Nyakuron hall. To say least, Election was compromised and schemingly or shrewdly conducted.
Let’s take some free lessons of democracy to avoid dropping another clanger in the future. The democratic election is not an event but a process. It starts from the enactment of the constitution which stipulates rules, regulations, and procedures for certain actions to be undertaken. There is no aspect of the constitution that is less important than the other. The constitution is a complete edifice. Therefore, it is akin to despotism and election thievery to cherry-pick the law and claims legitimacy and legality.
The second group is the group of former aspirants. Let’s call them disgruntled and discombobulated aspirants because their faces clearly spell these two words. Forgive me if I sound morose.
To them, leadership is not a marathon or athletic game or football game nor a beauty contest show. Hon. Dr. Albino Bol did it in Juba. And Majok stands best chance to do it here in Gakrial Akuol. Their best argument is that they are clean boys who didn’t participate in the said election.
Comparatively, we can fitly equate them with SPLM G10.
To critics, they are a quisling group which romanced Dr. Albino Bol of National Youth to oppugn the legitimacy and legality of Achuek’s group.
Let’s guess what they told the investigation committee. Look Hon. Daniel Abocha Ali, Majok began; we didn’t participate in the sham election which was conducted in Nyakuron for many reasons. Constitution was not passed and voters were not from Gogrial state, he confidently explained. These two groups have subverted democracy, the group of Valentino Yel imposed themselves on us last time against our will and now Achuek’s group is on the verge of doing the same, he dissonantly continued. Therefore, as the final arbiter, we are requesting your esteem authority to ban them and install us on the throne, he coaxingly concluded.
Don’t take my words for it. Let’s wait for the opening of a black box next week and Dr. Albino Bol will tell us what is inside.
Finally, the third group is Valentino Yel’s. Everyone can agree with me that Mr. Valentino Yel enthroned himself on two illusionary points. Firstly, he thinks that his custodianship of registration certificate of the union gives him legality to lead. Secondly, he believes that he can rule in the same way they imposed themselves before when he was a deputy chairman. For him, legitimacy doesn’t exist in his dictionary.
To his critics, he is the very definition of unconstructive criticism. The real meaning of flattering. Good boy. To his supporters, he is the voice of the voiceless.
To whoever can’t remember Valentino Yel, just think of Simon Machuar and you will recall him sitting squarely next to Machuar shouting, “Gregory is not a good leader”
Some argue that he doesn’t want to lead for his mission has been accomplished and hence, he wants Majok on throne to sing OYEEEEEE for Gogrial state government. He only detests Achuek’s group. Ca wet yiok?
Politically speaking, good leaders display their anger with great aplomb. They are always careful with every single word they pronounce. Unfortunately, Majok and Valentino Yel turn this wisdom on its head. There is too much gratuitous and cacophonous violence in their condemnation letters. Barefacedly, they didn’t fail to placate Dr. Albino with every kind word their heads could generate.
I will end where I started. The witch’s brew in Gogrial state Youth Union must be called by its name. It is a political sycophancy. It is a superfluous greediness for leadership. This is a dangerous evil to our unity than rebellion. It will not be ad libitum to conclude that our leaders have inherited us this cancerous disease of lust for power before they die.
In my view, these leaders of three groups are the farthest things from leaders. They are the blight of our union. They are doomed planes flying without radar.
You are dead wrong if you think I hate them. That is the thunder of the naked truth. They are a pasquinade of our union. They represent anti- Youth union. They have nothing to do with our unity, but everything to do with our disunity.
As we are waiting for Dr. Albino to announce his verdict on them, they ought to know that we have concluded writing our judgment and we shall pass our verdict soon should Dr. Albino Bol take a side. We can’t be portrayed grotesquely in such a manner and we keep quiet. We are better than this!
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