Deng Vanag: Why I am Defecting from SPLM-IO to Federal Democratic Party
7 min readBy Deng Nyang Vanang, Nairobi, Kenya
My dear comrades and compatriots,
April 30, 2018 (PW) — There comes a time when one can be a member of certain political formation by an act of personal volition.
Whereas the same volition can again be freely withdrawn through similar voluntary consent.
It doesn’t matter whether one holds a position of influence or is just another non-descript member.
Since according to normal best practices the world over, one must first be a member of an organization whose creed, objectives and policies he either formally or informally agrees to before being Deng Vanang assigned duties to carry out.
For one to cease membership, he must come to conclusion that the principles he previously thought to be of cardinal value are either no longer held dear by very institution that created them or purely impractical as per the prevailing situation and circumstances of the day.
These principles are in case of democracy whose principal pillars holding it up as justice, equality and freedom Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition, SPLM/A-IO’s leader Dr. Riek Machar has put forward as the reason to oust President Salva Kiir Mayardit from Presidency of the Republic of South Sudan and which unfortunately turned out to be mere publicity stunt.
With the sole aim to hoodwink South Sudanese masses into supporting his quest for power devoid of any capacity and genuine intention to bring about the desired democratic change.
For there are no justice and equality when it is favoritism rather than professionalism and fair competition that appoints people to positions as well as removes them from the same.
No freedom when one man arrogates himself executive, legislative and judicial powers to solely make life and death decisions for a multitude.
With curious enquiry as to why such estrange thing happens is equated to undermining Nuer unity or conspiracy and rebellion to leadership.
Similarly, when there are no shared decisions and resources with which to implement such decisions in a system, transparency and accountability as the essential part of democratic checks and balances are no longer existing.
And no participatory democracy whatsoever when it is an individual whim dictating who to lead and be led, to be master or to be slave and to succeed or fail in any politically progressive set up.
This one individual whose highly extolled wisdom is unquestioned is none other than my elder brother, Dr. Riek Machar in all political parties and factions he ever leads.
All in spite of first ever Nuer massacre on planet earth being planned and executed on his helpless watch to the embarrassment of our fathers and forefathers lying dead in their graves.
But which has ironically become our pet project to commemorate and funds raise every end year as the political gimmick to gain diplomatic sympathy globally.
That is besides presiding over an anarchic leadership and monumental failures for years not akin to widely known international and Nuer democratic values.
Fellow comrades and compatriots,
Without guidance of the above mentioned tenets of democracy in addition to being led by assumptions, misplaced fear against making crucial decisions lest one annoys potential allies and allowing infiltration of a system by enemy spies and self-seeking opportunists with an aim to stifle popular struggle for change, it is therefore interchangeably means there is no visionary leadership that can realize any desired and agreed political objectives on the one hand, while on the other to actualize each and everyone’s potential and be of good use to society .
Which only follows that when people are led in lieu of vision by anybody they must equally perish, leave alone the quest to attain their life long desires.
Although, sometimes in politics one may not have all those values as mentioned, but could still impose his will on people and get what he wants, if only he has human and material capital backed by strategy which Dr. Riek Machar has been having except strategy ever since he launched his disastrous leadership experiment on August 28th 1991.
Standing on popular platform of self-determination, rallying all South Sudanese leaders of substance behind him through the formation of SPLM/A-United on 26th March, 1993 and establishing a more multi-ethnic based – South Sudan Coordinating Council, SSCC in 1997, the end result was his unconditional surrender on 6th January, 2002 to Dr. John Garang he was trying to oust for agonizing eleven years of sweat, tears and blood.
On 15th December, 2013 Dr. Riek Machar rode on popular demand to bring about democratic change and instill sanity in the system plagued by unguided politico-economic policies, willful ethnic marginalization and endemic corruption that have become regrettable symbols of Salva Kiir’s Presidency, he again failed as usual leading to his permanent incarceration in South Africa by the former who is widely known to be too weak to be dealt with by anyone who stands against him.
Such incarceration, despite being insulated in the shield of justice and to the embarrassment of his supporters, followed his single handed Congo made disaster when he went back to Juba on 25th April, 2016 with lesser military protection force and non-sophisticated weapons against the intelligence advice from those within and out of IO not to do so.
Simply because he wanted to secure First Vice President’s post and Troika’s promised rehabilitation funds as the reasons motivating him to rash back as if he had plan B.
But only to run for his own life to Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC when Kiir-Taban’s conspiracy struck, leaving behind several comrades dead in along swathe of territory lying between Juba and that neighboring country’s border.
Now desperately short of options and caged in South Africa’s dungeon, he is plotting yet another Congo-like-catastrophic capitulation to Kiir behind our backs in order to salvage his faltering political career.
These perennial failures as aforementioned crashed economic future of many generations who have hinged their hope on his unattainable quest for leadership, endangered once harmonious inter-ethnic relations and wasted lives of youthful men and women whose fathers and mothers don’t even have the chance to reproduce more and lead a productive life.
Much to stirring up of an intriguing question in the back of everybody’s mind about what more opportunity is left for Dr. Riek Machar to seize so that he succeeds?
And if my elder brother I have been following as my leader, except a few hiccups, since August 28th, 1991 miserably failed in the hands of shrewd political operators in the names of DK Mathews, Joseph Oduho, Dr. Lam Akol, John Luk Jok, Dhol Acuil Aleu, Samuel Aru Bol, Gabriel Changson Chang as well as experienced military strategists in the likes of Gordon Koang Chol, Paulino Matip Nhial, Arok Thon Arok, Kerubino Kuanyin Bol, William Nyuon Bany and now Peter Gadet Yak, Simon Gatwech Dual, James Koang Chuol Ranley, Johnson Olony among numerous others, then who else can lie that he will make Riek Machar succeed this time around in his costly political blunders of three decades?
My dear sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers,
Those are my questions I always pose to close friends and colleagues in the SPLM/A-IO and whose only answer is Ngundeng’s timing that is not yet ripe for Mr. Machar to succeed.
Which is partly true that it is only Ngundeng to help His Excellency Dr. Riek Machar having been known to lack both strategy and tactic so as to reinforce his set objectives, goals and programs throughout his political career.
But with three more questions desperately begging for answers.
Can a political process be left to guest work and dictate of more likely misinterpreted prophecies by politically self-interested individuals?
One living example being the previously and widely misinterpreted prophecy that it would be unmarked and left handed man from the Western Nuer to lead South Sudan to independence away from the Arab North.
This being the case, how an ideologically bankrupt and politically incapable individual can still lay claim to leadership?
And how many times do we want to fail because of a single mortal before we realize the gospel truth?
This political ineptitude is no longer for all of us to embrace and makes me in particular to continue foundering over in a completely different political set up in the name of His Excellency Gabriel Changson Chang’s Federal Democratic Party and Army, FDP/A under the umbrella of South Sudan Opposition Alliance, SSOA effective from today Monday 30th of April, 2018.
With that, let those who have heard correctly follow me in my new political home, while I wish those still interested in SPLM/A-IO and its leadership a success in continuous pursuit of political endeavors we all share and cherish.
Philosopher, Political scientist, Journalist and Author who once served in the following positions:
• Secretary for Information and Publicity in Dr. Michael Wal Duany’s led South Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, SSLM/A: 2002 – 2003
• Political Commissar as well as Deputy Director of Information and Culture in Dr. John Garang’s led SPLM/A: 2004 – 2005
• Member of Dr. Lam Akol’s led CPA pre-interim period team to W. Bhar el Ghazel State: 2005
• Director for an election unit in GoSS Ministry of Information and Broadcasting: 2009 – 2010
• Secretary for political affairs and NEC member in Dr. Lam Akol’s led SPLM-DC: 2009 – 2015
• Member of advance team secretariat for Dr. Riek Machar’s led SPLM/A-IO: 2015 – 2016
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