Making Sense of the Mass Defection from SPLM-IO of Dr. Riek Machar to the Govt of President Kiir

Gen. James Koang Chol and Hon. Dak Duop Bichok: The Mass Defection from SPLM-IO of Dr. Riek Machar to the Government of President Kiir

By Pal Chol Nyan, Juba, South Sudan

Monday, April 20, 2020 (PW) — The SPLMIO is struck by a lightning of a mass defection, which unfortunately transpired in the midst of the implementation of the R-ARCISS. Last month, a towering IO number two General unceremoniously tendered his resignation and defected along with others to the government.

It was news for a week and no more. Two days ago, Hon Dak Duop Bichok with a coterie of disgruntled IO members did the same. It will be news for some days and life will go back to normal.

I don’t know how it escaped the intelligence of the veteran politician that he was once a Minister of the same Ministry. Is the 2016 scenario repeating itself where somebody who thought he had the divine right to take up that Ministry did what he did?

Before God, nobody in his or her right mind, including the IO Chairman, could deny the contributions of these leading figures as well as the Generals and more specifically General Koang popularly known as CDR.

What they might not know is that their bete noirè is the key peace partner to President Kiir. If the whole thing revolves around looking for greener pastures, J1 camp is reportedly full to the brim. The share of His Excellency the President was not enough to accommodate his even his own inner circles.

Do the defectors really think the President Kiir will leave those who stood with him during the crisis to favour the same people who blew the trumpets in 2013 and 2016 to chase him away from J1? Those who think so must be myopic.

The truth of the matter is that those who provide jobs are two people; the President and the FVP, there is no reason whatsoever to run from one to another. In the words of Dr Aldo Ajo; the stability and the implementation of R-ARCISS lies with these President Kiir and the FVP.

He asked the President not to accept old floating politicians to replace the ones already in J1.He referred to them as anarchists invaders.

Decode it; you will figure out that Dr Ajo doesn’t want the 2016 war to repeat itself. They have the experience of those who said they were going to perform miracle in 2016 but unfortunately the situation got out of control.

The defectors, whom a senior Civil Society activist called re-defectors, didn’t do much more than Hon Puot Kang Chol. Hon Puot, like any other IO cadre, deserved to be appointed. He has the same academic and political credentials like any one of you.

Politics aside, you can hate Dr Riek Machar ad nauseatum but he still commands much popularity. Over!

The African political dynamics

Most African political ideals of liberation struggle ranging from freedom, comradeship and patriotism; to mention but a few , form the basis of the initiative to fight  wars. These ideals are usually abandoned after the attainment of Independence.

Once power is handed over to those who embraced the ideals sang very loud during struggle, they quickly   replace the liberation ideals with greed, mafiasm, sycophancy, kleptocracy and worst of all king making by spitting on liberation ideals.

Former comrades have turned into bootlickers tasked to sing praise songs to please ruling class hence creating an intimidating and unbearable situation for some comrade who would want to sing the liberation ideals. Some comrades have thrown in their lots or leave the country. Everything becomes a matter of life and death.

In most countries that were born out of a struggle, the country gets divided into two categories, the rich and the poor. Enmity and scramble for wealth becomes the order of the day and puts former comrades at odds with each other.

By a layman’ s definition, the rich are the supporters of those in power aka government and their apologists. The poor are the citizens and those opposed to the ruling clique.

Increased political pressure and lack of all forms of freedoms gives birth to another rebellion. That explains why wars never end in Africa.

Some comrades or liberators, who are vocal in reminding the rulers about liberation ideals will be isolated, sent into exile or eliminated. The cause of political dissent is never addressed even if it is known.

You must be a bootlicker and allow yourself to be an ignoramus to earn bread in Africa or else die in exile.

The author, Pal Chol Nyan, is a Graduate from the College of Radiological Medical Sciences from Sudan University of Sciences and Technology. He also holds a Diploma in Teaching Methodology and a Diploma in General Medical Sciences. He was a red army soldier, a former Primary school teacher, currently serving as a General Medical Practitioner in Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan. He is a columnist with local newspapers in Juba/South Sudan and contributes in many websites about social, security and economic. You can reach him via his email: palcholnyan2016@gmail.com

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