Eulogy and Tributes to the Late Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut Bol
My personal Eulogy and Special Tributes to the late Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut Bol
By Ustaz Abraham Mabior Rioc, Kuajok, Gogrial State
Tuesday, August 27, 2019 (PW) — Though it is an old adage to describe a departed fellow as “Heroes never die”, I personally do shy away from such a description when considering the fact that you will never see the physical presence of the departed person in life once and for all. In this sense, I would say that such an adage from the political point of view does not adequately describe the person. Nonetheless, late Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut Bol indeed died a true and an undoubted hero of all times and spaces. He had left behind a legacy in relation to his political and military participations in the independence of this beautiful country, The republic of South Sudan.
As I eulogize a special tribute for a great man and a leader, I am devastatingly showered by tears of sorrow, unhappiness, and loneliness as hysterical tears roll down my cheeks to signal the departure of one of our Freedom Fighters who is none other than Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut Bol. Though sad and loss of exact words to describe this tragedy that is besetting the nation here and now, I personally hesitate to use the word mourning for the Late Anthony Bol Madut but prefer to give a special tribute in his then wonderful life and now in his spirit. Indeed, the late Lt. Gen Anthony Bol Madut Bol was a true Hero, iconic leader, liberator, moderator, freedom fighter, and above all, a family man.
Though I am in tears of the sorrowful event of the passing on of the greater leader, I am able to double my handkerchiefs in order to clean off the uncontainable tears in the course of exploiting and writing something about the man who had willingly and intentionally sacrificed his life and whose his short but impactful legacy ,touched the heart and soul of each one of us at this juncture when we really needed him most.
The late Late Gen. Anthony Bol Madut was a man who dedicated his entire life for the liberation struggles and freedom of this beautiful country. He was one of the few individuals who had South Sudan at hearts even at his last breath on earth. He was a man who did not embrace faint-heartedness, distress, or intimidations from both internal and external aggressors and exploiters. As part and parcel of his role during the liberation days, he had largely contributed for the mobilization of youths and resources mainly to be brought from all the way to Equatoria region and other parts of South Sudan where Sudan Armed forces (SAF) were heavily deployed.
Indeed, such contributions he popularly made did not happen out of the blue but through the executions of the orders from the chairman Late Dr. John Garang de Mabior and other superior commanders to whom he was answerable to. Definitely, he was one of the role models in the history of the liberation of The Republic of South Sudan. His numerous titles, meteoric rise through the army ranks, political appointments, and family life careers all contributed to his unchallengeable duties and the attention he attracted power never stood in the way of who, he was. He was clearly made for tough times to live and thrive. In his own personality, Late Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut was a true leader because his excellent mind was full of patriotism and nationalism.
On the other extreme, his constant and infectious smiles, his tender heart as well as his far-fetched energy and synergies, all sum up a life fully lived by all of us by every south Sudanese who is enjoying prospects of independence. In a military term and acknowledgement, his legacy will always remain to be the valid and dependable reasons for our noble independence and sovereignty we are happily and worthily enjoying today.
As on this day of his departure and beyond, I look back referentially on the brilliant life of the late Lt.Gen. Anthony Bol Madut, who bombarded and liberated Boma Garrison from Arabs during the liberation days because he hated Arabization and islamization being imposed by forced on the South Sudanese people. His military victory over the heavily-Arab deployed militia and armed over Boma and other areas such as Kenya, Morobo etc paved the way for the victorious road of the South Sudan independence. Thus, adding a heavy on achieving the immortal exploits before the country, its people, times and mankind as per se. While on earth, military missions to which late Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut assigned to had been very vigorously fought and successfully won, yet thousands of lives were sacrificed coupled by many commitments from other of leaders from all works of life.
Throughout his political and military life, Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut lived a life of an outstanding ideological strategist who ignited a road to victory with wisdom and bravery that was far sighted. It was also the history of an iron-willed brilliant commander who overcame all difficulties with unrivalled courage and a history of great leader who performed great achievements, forming an amalgamated unity with the people. In his thirst to total freedom of his people, it had never been an easy task or job for the Late Anthony Bol Madut to liberate the marginalized communities from oppression, suppression, marginalization, indigenous colonialism, crisis of identity, islamization and arabization with all its various forms.
From the political point of view, he was a non-starter, who did not know or interested on how to lobby for the political appointments. As presidential decrees could keep dismissing and appointing people, he had never been shaken by his dismissal or appointments of all sorts. His reputation preceded him a normal guy, yet you would pass him without noticing that this is the man, Boldit.
In terms of corruption and embezzlement, the late Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut went down in history as one of the freedom fighters who had never been accused of mismanagement of public funds or leading rebellions in the country. Indeed, he joined the liberation struggle when he was poor, led a poorly life until he ultimately died poor. The fact remains factual at some points, it could be hard for some people to believe that he was one of the generals with no constructed plot of land in Juba who led and lived a poor life like a watchman. No uncertain terms, these are the qualities of true liberators and freedom fighters to which due credits and acknowledgments could be given.
With his military victories here and then, it may today be noted and practically observed that his legacy and bravery during the liberation days turned out to be positive dreams for the eradication of the parameters of the old Sudan characterized by racism, political sectarianism, religious fundamentalism, tribalism and the associated economic collapse, instability and continuous wars constantly fought. Indeed, such military commitments to liberation have today become the fundamental realities and noticeable achievements of the South Sudanese sovereignty today through this independence.
For those who lived together in the bush and worked with him in the army who could often imagine that he Boldit was a public leader such as Col. Peter Akech Liai, Brig. Gen. Arop Deng Mawien Tach, Maj. Gen. Manyang Riing Ariik, Col. Dut Aweec, Lt. Gen. Akol Koor Kuc, Maj.Gen. Mawien Mawien, just to mention a few, have realized in him that he was the man of the people, for the people and by the people. This was sampled by my physical contact with him in Rumbek 2004 while I was in the advance security company meant to protect the chairman late Dr. John Garang de Mabior at Makoi area for the conduct of SPLM Liberation Council meeting. I had a chance to pay a courtesy visit to him and chatted the way out on my ambition to continue with my education. He was indeed surprised how I found my way out to the army when I was still at my tender age, below 18 years. He said that he one time told Dr. John Garang that people should be told the fact when considering the recruitments with regards to children in which Dr. John Garang himself was not in his intention to recruit children to the army.
In our short and impactful conversation, he was willing to take me back home, but I intentionally refused and insisted to remain in the army since I did not want my son to be kicked at by the soldiers in the future just as they did to me during my primary school days. However, these were some of his advice to me in his low but impactful voice “Nisif (literally means in-law in Arabic), since you refused to go home with me, the most important thing a leader must do is the orientation and sensitization of his forces. The current peace is not a real peace and soon you are going to face the enemy whether at nights or days and that you have been equipped tactically and strategically, so the choice of defending your nation is absolutely yours whether you need to be captured by the enemy or you capture it”.
Having critically learned from his infectious conversations and frank talks, I later learned that the late Anthony Boldit had an incredible brain power, his sharpness, his unparalleled smartness was a story of immense proportion in which others may conclude that he is a dictator, however, he was not. He was one of the types of the leaders who could not shy away from intimidation and oppression of his own people to which he was always admired. Indeed, he was a naturally-brave and extremely fast active bystander with a wonderfully made strategic mindset. To those who knew him, such qualities are reflected in his tone, manner and bold speech. He was conscientiously duteous, easily bored with small issues while extremely focused on details and always sought to convincingly win over an opponent with the power of his argument and quick actions.
He was indeed a consummate political and military mobilizer who could speak truth plainly, when others are falsifying, and holding steady when everybody has given up. Throughout his life, both in the frontline and at home, Boldit was so frequent in using command voice and hostile face, which are suggestive that the man was a real and sole freedom fighter. However, there are sometimes one could see and sense his normal which could suggest that he was a quiet man with great humility.
All of us, his soldiers, subordinates, relatives, friends, and indeed, his colleagues will be wondering at this time at what would happen to all the millions of responsibilities on his shoulders, now that he is gone. Fortunately, we rest in the confidence that he was not here for nothing, which his example will raise a billion candles that would light to the Independence of South Sudan and freedom of all South Sudanese as per se.
Late Anthony Bol Madut was one of the rare leaders with a wonderful gift of neither tuning to falsehood nor entertaining nonsense which undeniably put him in a class of his own. No amount of a size of a problem would put him down, even for a single minute, and that could be the reason why he had been leading a poorer life and eventually died poor.
Looking back strategically now and into the foreseeable future, I believe that Lt. Gen. Anthony Bol Madut was born and raised at a time when our nation needed brand-new practical freedom fighters, like him. The selflessness, the sacrifice, the readiness to die for a cause all made his comradeship mission a reality here and now. His persistent loyalty to the SPLM/A leadership during the liberation days and to the government in the post-independence South Sudan periods, clearly signifies and distinguishes him to day as one of Africa’s next unforgettable generation of leaders. Specifically, such determination gave him a win-win situation in a number of wars he personally commanded, physically fought, and successfully won.
He was a polygamous man who highly believed in the traditional settings and more surprisingly, his children are not fed on public resources as it has always been obvious with some former warlords. He was, still is, a family man who loved his children and wives to the last drop of his blood. Baba Boldit, you are gone phyically, but in spirit, your legacy will reign and live on forever. May your precious Soul Rest in Internal Peace!
The author is an educationist by profession and training who holds Master of Education in Education in Emergency (EiE) at the University of Juba and another Master of Education in Comparative and Global Studies in Education and Development at the University of Hong Kong. He is electronically reachable at mabiorrioc@gmail.com
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