The Importance of Peace and Political Stability in South Sudan – Part 2
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
January 31, 2018 (SSB) — Why is it so important to have peace in South Sudan? Remember, it is not me alone who is willing for peace to come to South Sudan but all of us are for peace and I think we have many reasonable answers to this question because days and nights of sitting under trees, moving in valleys, climbing on hills and mountains, and pulling behind our development are over.
It is not easier to end violence than peace but it is easier to start peace. Now in our conflicting state, the concept of the ideal state of equality, freedom, justice, happiness, fairness, democratic, unity, safety, liberty, freedom of speeches and expressions, and prosperity as a nation, we always sang may not appear to us as a prepared form from the blue. Each and every nation work for their stability and prosperity
I have a bullet to kill the war, not because I have great ideas about peace rather than other South Sudanese but my contributions toward peace and stability is a great asset and we all need our efforts to bring peace. The peace process in South Sudan needs comprehensive programs. These comprehensive programs must involve peace education following national dialogue.
Although these comprehensive programs need budgets, South Sudanese nationalists should take responsibility to educate civil populations about badness of war and conflicts with experiences of current crisis, and goodness of peace and stability with experiences in last short periods of peace from 2005- 15 Dec 2013 when new war erupted and confused our normal living in the country.
This war in South Sudan is appearing to everyone and every home in cooking materials, medicines, education, salary, lack of roads and secure transportations. If we don’t stop the war, it will be worse in future than in the past.
The nationalists are there in the country, those who love our nation to move in a right direction, they are available. Even if Present Kiir doesn’t get them easily among the common men, these nationalists are the real drivers of peace education I intended to run the programs. How do we identify nationalists in the country? They are identified in three categories: the first groups are human rights activists; the second groups are peace-lovers and anti-war, and the last groups are national dreamers and planners.
For all these three groups, their interests are not positions but fulfilling needs of humanity. For example, if you want to identify nationalist in your community, wage war or conflict against other groups of people and the nationalist will refuse to make war, simply he/she wants people to stay in peace. Spirit of nationalist is like that.
The other good examples of identifying nationalists are the ways people love their country, pride in your country, sacrifice, loyalty, and beliefs. We are proud of our country as South Sudanese people, and Peace is our culture. To justify the statement, we know it very well, if two people fight in the front of other nations, the first people to separate them, must be South Sudanese. Nationalists are not happy the way this nation is heading to.
You do hear South Sudanese nationalists questioning the war in South Sudan like they never know about it but because they see war as backwardness in terms of development. Coming back to the topic, peace education and national dialogue must be put forward as the first priority and it should be facilitated by nationalists, those who want South Sudan to be a peaceful country.
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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