Not Yet Uhuru for South Sudan

3 min read

By Malith Alier, Perth, Australia

South Sudan’s coat of arms, in which the eagle symbolizes vision, strength, resilience and majesty, and the shield and spear the people’s resolve to protect the sovereignty of their republic and work hard to feed it.

Saturday, 18 May, 2019 (PW) – This may come as a shock to the few South Sudanese who belief that the independence from Sudan in 2011 translated to freedom. The world does not see it that way. Believing that simply moving away from the old Sudan amounted to freedom is a subjective faith in deed.

Mzee Jaramogi Oginga Odinga discovered many years ago that the departure of the British and the subsequent independence of Kenya did not amount to freedom as claimed by some guys in the new government. He therefore, authored a book whose title I used for this piece.

The same scenario, I believe, happened to many other African nations including South Sudan the newest country in the world. For those who have not come into contact with Kiswahili, “uhuru” means freedom as the equivalent in English language.

How freedom is measured matters here. According to Freedom in the World 2018 ranking, the followings apply in the context of South Sudan:

Population: 12,700,000

Capital: Juba

Political rights rating: 7

Civil liberties rating: 7

Freedom status: Not free

Electoral democracy: No

Legend: 1 most free 7 least free

Electoral process: 1/12
Political pluralism and participation: 1/16
Functioning of government: 0/12
freedom of expression and belief: 2/16 (-2)
Associational and organisational rights: 2/12
Rule of law: 0/16
Personal autonomy and individual rights: 0/16

You can see that the country scored zero or one in the A – G categories above. The above are also subdivided into subcategories in the specific areas such as the judiciary where justice is endowed.

Last Thursday, 16 May, South Sudan woke up to the 36 anniversary of the 1983 rebellion that went on for 21 years against the Khartoum regime. At least 2 million people died in the hope of gaining freedom. This is not yet realised even after 6 years of self-rule and 9 years of independence. I can add my criterion for what I believe might mean freedom to me right here:

Freedom to move

Freedom from hunger

Freedom from disease

Freedom from ignorance

Freedom to gain employment

Freedom to enjoy life to the fullest

Freedom to have a say in government

Freedom to protest unfair government policies

Next Thursday, 23 May, when 16 May is commemorated some government bigwigs will declare that the country is free. What freedom?

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PaanLuel Wël

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PaanLuel Wël is the founder and editor-in-chief of PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd, a news website that covers news, opinions, analysis, history, culture and literature of South Sudan and the world. Founded in July 2011 by PaanLuel Wël to create a platform for free expression and constructive dialogue, the website features articles from various contributors, including columnists, commentators, poets, authors, activists and academics. PaanLuel Wël believes that media can play a vital role in informing, educating and empowering the people to participate in nation-building and social transformation. He also believes that media can foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance and diversity among different communities and groups, and hopes to inspire and mentor the next generation of South Sudanese writers and journalists.

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