Why President Kiir May Remain in Power for the Rest of His Life in South Sudan
7 min readBy Dut Kuot Akok, Aweil, South Sudan
Thursday, May 23, 2019 (PW) —- South Sudan is being inhabited by more than 64 tribes with outstanding sense of valor. They fought for more than fifty years collectively to liberate themselves from persecution, prosecution, oppression, servitude and inhuman marginalization under the successive regimes in the former Sudan. And after the hoisting of the flag in July 2011 with countless applauses and ululation, they thought like to have put an end to unbearable suffering they were enduring and acts this time as masters of their own affair in their blessed nation.
Their expectations by then were very high after they were free at last, their expectations ranged from smooth transformation of their living standards, infrastructural development, establishment of standards schools and health facilities and provision of clean drinking water just mention few. But to their dismay including the friends of south Sudan, their above mentioned expectations were made impossible to be achieves after their trusted leaders did selfishly turned against them.
Currently, majority of our people have deserted the country while others have camped in protection of civilian site (POC) for their safety. They are there not because of their willingness to be but they have no option since the company have unknowing or selfishly defiled all the promises they used to preach during liberation days. They are antagonizing any opposite views and treat the engineers of these views with cruelty as if we are still under the diabolic regime of Omar basher.
They were preaching of wanting us to be first class citizens in our own country, the country of equal citizenship rights and freedom where no one is untouchable by the law. But unfortunately and regretfully, the so-called animal farm scenario had occurred in the broad daylight since other animals are forcefully made to be more equal than others in the contemporary south Sudan.
The same classes we did experienced under the genocidal Islamic regimes in the former Sudan are currently in motion. How can they claimed that we don’t have classes when others are driving luxurious car, sleeping in luxurious hotels, sending their children to Jordon, Indian and Germany for medication as well as schooling their children and close associates in foreign countries while majority of people in the country have barely to eat, yet they insist that we are equal.
Apparently, we are a victim of unforeseen future because, if the future could have been foresee to see the incoming gloomy and bloody future as of now, perhaps, majority of our people would have voted for unity.
And to go directly to the above subject matter, let us not rush into conclusion and labeled the writer as a mere supporter of the government. The notion will possible draw mixed reaction among the suffering populous, but first let us outlines the feared factors that would accelerated the prolong stay of the incumbent for unknown timeframe as follows.
- Tribal fragmentations and inclinations
Currently, south Sudanese societies do see themselves on tribal basis; it is completely undeniable that our tribes are biggest than our nationality. We have tribal politicians and intellectual morons who known how to negotiate their way back to paradise on earth using tribal cards. They first engineered theirs plans and if they failed to materialize or achieve the outcomes of their conspiracy, they shamelessly shift/rush back to their respective tribes and start vomiting their tribal venom that the threat to their community is tribe X or Y.
Some days back, the so-called face-book movement sugarcoated as red card movement was merely labeled as a movement with the sole purpose of eliminating Dinka tribe by some extreme tribalists which was a white wash lies. How can it be that way when the current government of national unity is dominated by men with common interest and ideology regardless of their tribal background? Or are these extremists out to glue that Dinkacracy or Jienganization government is real as said by Alhaj Paul?
And after our illiterate fragmentation into tribes, another factor influencing unending stay is tribal inclination. People are cheaply cheated to line up behind their tribesmen thus they have barely to eat, no functioning schools for their school going children, lack of health services since other are dying of curable diseases and lack of clean drinking water.
How can we expect peaceful change of guard when the very people who used to stayed for more than half a year without salaries can without hesitation put on their uniform and cock their guns to the voices calling for peaceful change if it is not because of tribal inclination?
2. Vested interest
The current government of national unity is completely occupied by men/women with vested interest, they do prefer the present situation in lieu of unknown future thus it do provide betterment to the living standard of our poor masses. Perhaps the whole government of national unity and in particular ministers have celebrated the extension of revitalized peace agreement for another six months since it ensure the extension of their lifespan in their respective ministerial positions. They are ready to do whatever they can to cement their prolong stay in paradise.
Take for instance, the current first vice president and petroleum minister are totally different from those we used to listen to in early 2014, their statements of wanting to ensure justice to the Nuer victims and Kiir must go slogan are things of the past after they landed their unexpected positions they didn’t dream of since childhood.
Also our questionable Molana in presidency have shifted from beating the drum of truth to beating the drum of lies in presidential corner against his community. Sultan Dhieu is there celebrating his unbelievable hijacking of the front seat in the current government of president Kiir while general education minister is working silently like a sheep being led to slaughtering house thus their community members are being hunted down like animals in Nimule park.
How can we expect change when Thomas Cirillo have claimed to be fighting for Equatorian sake after the alleged embezzlement of army resources in Bilpam leave alone the silenced Lado Gore who is working like rat in the company of cats and the already baptized Bagasoro in the name of the would be form unity government.
3. Unethical language of generalization
Perhaps the most contributing factor fuelling the current civil war up to this far, the present government have been wrongly described by extreme tribalists as a mere Dinkacracy or Jieganization government trying to establish Dinka hegemony. Others went to the extent of generalizing innocent Dinka tribesmen who do survive on God mercy as to be looters of public wealth. These unethical languages of generalization including those who are discontented with the system do completely forced them and leave them with no option other than to seek refuge behind their alleged Government.
4. Poverty
Without exaggeration, majority of our people in the contemporary South Sudan have changed their usual way of listening via ears and instead, they opted to listen via their stomachs owing to the current prevailing poverty throughout the country. The current monotonous rebellions are undoubtedly accelerated by poverty among the youth since they can easily be sway by the fat-cat Generals to execute their evil conspiracies. They are cheap implementing tools to the ruling elites incase one is thrown out of paradise.
5. Illiteracy
About 80% of our people are said to be illiterate according to UNISCO finding. The notion of some currently is that they are happy with the present situation since Arab are no longer here to burn their houses, raid their cattle and abduct their children. They are unconscious in all fields whether it is politically, economically and socially for the reason that some have never interacted socially with others tribes since the creation of heaven and earth.
Henceforth, the above-mentioned factors do completely substantiate the possible prolong stay of the incumbent president for the rest of his life according to the writer perspective. We will be here murmuring among ourselves as to who will belt the cat and it will possibly remain unanswered for the rest of our lives
The writer is a concerned South Sudanese citizen and is reachable via his email address: dutkuot8@gamil.com
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