The Importance of Peace and Political Stability in South Sudan (Part 3)
By David Matiop Gai, Juba, South Sudan
February 8, 2018 (SSB) — Being nationalist does not harm coexistence. During six years conflict in our beloved country, Some South Sudanese Bishops were good ambassadors of peace among South Sudanese communities. Those nationalists Bishops are Archbishop of Catholic Dioceses of Juba, Archbishop of ECS, and Archbishop/General Oversee of Pentecostal Church, Bishop of Presbyterian Church, Bishop of Tambura, Bishop of Maridi, Bishop of Munduri, and Bishop of Yei and other Dioceses not mentioned here.
Their contributions to make peace, and educate people about peace as church leaders are wholeheartedly welcome. National dialogue open grounds to share views, ideas and grievances, but peace education will educate us on how to live together, and building our nation. People learn from mistakes, you bit your tongue not because you intended to bit it but the action determines to injury your tongue. Our direction right now must change and turn on two principles: Principle of national dialogue and principle of peace education. Several visitations to different communities and raise our voices on peace can remove fears and stumbling blocks among communities, and the government.
Peaceful initiatives or people to people and community to community dialogue is what South Sudan requires. We know our problems better than anybody and we can fix these problems peacefully. I know people have different ideas, opinions, views, comments, and recommendations about peace, but we have to prioritize them toward our public peace and national stability. We can’t undermine truth even within rebel’s camps; some among them have good ideas about peace and tranquillity.
We are the great people; we fought for our rights over four decades until we achieved independence South Sudan. Great people always turn negative ideas into positive. You can view things negative today but tomorrow, things change and you can blame yourself I wish. In politics, Mr.X can become your enemy but tomorrow, you turn to be friends. Peace is our golden price together and we can benefit a lot all from it. Peace is not a president owned the asset for his position because a president is only one person and we are many. We have to buy peace, lived in it, educate our children, develop our nation, opens health centres, building schools, and rehabilitating roads.
2 Corinthians 5:20, says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God”. If you have peace with God, you too have with the man. In South Sudan, there are two peace: positive peace and negative peace. Positive peace is a peace where we look after silencing guns and see peaceful means of resolving hottest issues pertaining our failure the as nation while negative peace is where South Sudanese negotiate conflict issues on one side and guns are taking their part vigorously, and ceasefires are being violated and people are provoke to fresh violent. Peace building can be achievable, and it is not a power sharing positions.
I wonder when I heard people are negotiating positions in Addis Ababa than negotiating peace. How do we bother positions valuably than peace? And how do delegations put positions as first the priority while people of South Sudan are in brinks of conflicts and killing? Peace is our first priority and as a driving force for gaining positions. Peace building is creating our positive ideas and brings them together in our lives, in our offices, on the roads, in our societies/communities, in our workplaces/homes and in our thinking.
It is important to safeguarding our pure unity through peace. We have cripple unity yes, but we have to transform, and rehabilitate whatever messes created by war. Let’s reduce our high gears of senseless war and brake at peace while peace may heals our land from shaded blood of innocent South Sudanese. By supporting peace and political stability in South Sudan, we must have a lasting choice about peace and strive to our actions to prevent war, reduce war, and resolve conflicts between Warring parties and among victims’ communities who went through war consequences.
Nowadays seriously am supporting and campaigning for peace because without peace in south Sudan, terrible indicators of foreign dollars exchanges reveal bad indications dominantly. One hundred USD ($100) bearing 25,000 SSP before we reached in the middle of the year and how will ordinary citizens who cannot afford to get $ 100 survive? But if we join hands and support peace, our country will have peace, political stability and security that may highlights the theme of nation building, peace and prosperity in South Sudan.
God bless the African youngest nation.
The author is a co-founder of South Sudan Mental Health care 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 reach at david.matiopgai@gmail.com
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