The Hyped May 16th Uprising in South Sudan is a Hoax, Forget It
5 min readBy Grarang Michael Mamingdit, Nairobi, Kenya
Friday, May 10, 2019 (PW) —- I’m not here to condemn or disregard political views of the architectures of what clearly looks like another dishonest attempt to mock the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. To pitch a shot at the thin lines between possibilities and impossibilities, I do expect a degree of skepticism and disagreement from the uprising planners with me on this matter but nonetheless, I’m obliged as a fellow citizen to zoom in with my two cents on the realities. An uprising is a coup, either violent or none-violent. So, take it with a grind of salt if necessary.
Folks, let’s agree to disagree. I agree, our nation is crying for peace. I agree problems are weighing heavier than solutions. Many are poorer, destitute and desperately surviving than living. Our sailors seemed tired and our boat is trembling, trying to weather the storms. I agree we need change either in form or shape. But any desperate, ill motivated approach borrowed from somewhere just because it worked there, and use it as a “quick fix” to such a complex and complicated political problems will only unprecedentedly plunge the country into further anarchy and chaos.
Who said it rains at the same time in South Sudan and Sudan? We might be neighbors, share a history but our problems and solutions aren’t the same. They look to Muhammad for blessings, we look to Jesus. Naive excuse yes but diagnosing these predicaments requires different doctors and different prescriptions.
Anyone who has been paying attention to the waves of successful revolts from Tunisia to Egypt and Sudan should know they were home-grown, led by ordinary people united in quest for better changes. Unlike South Sudan, these countries had built a sense of democracy, went through a series of political and social transformation in prior decades.
All these demonstrations were staged on the streets and freedom squares of major cities by laymen, ready to die for change’s sake. Not cowardly sitting behind keywords and Facebook lives in foreign lands to ignite an uprising.
What puzzles me about this political gimmick is not the timing but rather those behind it. I don’t need to be a rocket scientist to unmask them and conclude that they are the same, timid, political maniacs who have been fanning flames of tribal hatred and divisions at home and abroad since 2013.
Inspired by false belief and ignorance, these are the same extremists from the usual tribal, political factions mostly from certain tribes, purposely united to exploit the existing social discords among the communities to achieve a total removal of what they previously called as “Dinka government”, President Kiir’s tribe.
These tribal rhetorics sends fears and rages that has fed the years of conflict, further discouraging the large, suffering sections of the country from joining arms collectively in seeking change through a genuine cause. A true movement does not discriminate or speaks certain tones. We can read between the lines of hate and genuine cause by and for all the peoples.
As the saying goes “Better the devil you know than an angel you don’t know “. These propaganda peddlers lacks a revolutionary credibility and political conviction to lie to us. If anyone wants to change South Sudan, they must be intellectually and ideologically cleansed, speaks and looks democratic first before misleading the innocent youths to die for an experimental democracy and freedom.
It is a blind guessing to say that if they go ahead with this planned protests, the government will surely unleash its wrath and that’s when they will learn South Sudan is not ready for premature democracy nor are those fetching for uprising. Some bodies will be left on the ground on day, God forbid though.
A short cut to democracy and power is not always short but long, steep road paved with bodies of the innocents.
Contrary to the contemporary and civilized universal politics, South Sudan is trapped in those chaotic old century politics. If the last five years of war has taught us anything about power and rebellions, a thoughtful intellectual with deep understanding of our current dynamic will conclude that, any unconventional attempts which seeks to change the status quo will never succeed in South Sudan, not in the near future with existing misinformed, primitive political culture that values personalities over ideas, tribes over the country and at some extreme levels, it glorify “Us versus Them”, rhetorics.
While a power sharing agreement to address socio-economic and political challenges has been signed with all the South Sudanese political movements including the masterminds of the planned protests, some elements seems to be losing hope on the revitalized agreement and want to cling to political power forcefully; they want to take us through another cycle of violence.
Who is that saint they want to install and would rally South Sudanese for Peace and prosperity?
This one is a hoax if not at all a witch-hunt amidst search for solid peace and stability. South Sudan is at her lowest point right now, trying to find her place in the world. Our people are tired of war, diseases, poverty and all the indignities brought upon them by own their leaders. They need roofs, food, education, healthcare, and security, not another war.
If this is the signal Mama is showing you, it’s tragic signal. Go to Juba and lead demonstrations if you must but if not, give us some break. #Peace.
The author, Garang Michael, is a South Sudanese Journalist, and a businessman based in Nairobi, Kenya. He can be reached via his email address: Garang Michael <garangmichael05@gmail.com>
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