Who will Build a New Civilization in South Sudan?
Joseph Oduha
By Joseph Oduha, Nairobi, Kenya
Wednesday, May 13 2020 (PW) — Much as South Sudanese people are anticipating for a better South Sudan but their expectations under the present former guerrilla movement known by acronym as “SPLM/A” are just a waste because the party has failed for the last 15 years in power even as they continue grip on power now. Here is the most important question we must ask ourselves as South Sudanese people: “who will build a new civilization in South Sudan?” First and foremost, let me draw your attention to the definition of “new civilization.”
Scholars may give different definitions to the term, but for me, new civilization is refers to combating poverty, unemployment, inequality and create an economics of sustainability likewise ensuring political and social stability. This comes into effect through observance of good governance that entails accountability and transparency in public expenditures. Once good governance is observed, immediately the rule of law and justice become effective and all human rights are respected hence, a classless society emerges.
That is the new civilization we need today not only in South Sudan but Africa entirely. Therefore, the current leadership in South Sudan is a failed one because it is surge by corruption, lawlessness, bad governance, repeated gross human rights violations, unnecessary or meaningless rebellions, uprooting of civilians from their original homes to refugee camps outside the country of their origin and many other ills committed by the analogue generation we have home now.
Just days back, social media was flooded with leaked corruption letters done by the warlords who are pretending to be the leaders of South Sudan. Among those appearing in those corruption letters include: Special Presidential Advisor General Kuol Manyang Juk allegedly looted about $1.6 billion, Finance Minister Salvatore Garang Mabiordit requested and perhaps already took SSP 30 million for a funeral of his demise son, and many other President Salva Kiir’s associates. You can recover back the leaked letters for reference from social media.
So, the danger of this uncaring type of leadership is that it become impossible for millions of South Sudanese people to liberate themselves from poverty hence, dependence on aid from humanitarian agencies becomes the order of the day. What a grave sin even before the Bible and Quran! An African proverb says, “wickedness allowed to strive for long, becomes tradition.” This is exactly what is happening in President Kiir leadership because he had allowed the looting of the state resources by his associates at will since 2005 until now the looting become a tradition to the elites in Juba.
The negative results we faced from such a corrupt system include: lack of institutional services, poor education, poor health, lack of clean drinking water including sanitary facilities, poor health care, no access to electricity, environmental pollution, hunger and starvation just to mention but few.
On peace, even after they have formed the coalition government, many gaps are derailing the progress in setting up a complete administration. Instead of working collectively and showing political will to embark on post-reconstruction of the country, the parties to the agreement are working parallel to each other hence, endangering the whole peace to collapse. The state’ allocations remains unresolved until now with each party showing her own list to the public making the public not to trust them anymore.
Fighting between opposition forces of NAS led by former deputy Chief of Staff General Thomas Cirillo and a joint force of Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) and South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) is another indicator that none of them is willing for peace to prevails in our country.
The threats of ambushing and killing civilians on the roads leading to Juba by the rebels is equally an absolute indicator of lawlessness from National Salvation Front (NAS) likewise from other groups of IO and IG. Again, the two foes in Juba however, become very unrealistic to the eyes of the public to lead the African oil-producing country.
Back to the point of building new civilization, this is the very time the young men and women (youth) must be sensible that the future of this country lies in their hands and it will only be through this young generation that the country will strives to a better. The youth must rise up in anger against the impunity and unfairness of the current state of affairs so that we can fix up our country rightly.
The key point here is the youth should dissuade themselves from the manipulative politics played by the old guards to keep grip on power. The youth must have a viable dream of how they can independently help the old guards to unite the country rather than allowing themselves to be used by the old guards to continue looting the country.
Finally, I appeal to all South Sudanese people to observe social distancing rules by all means because COVID-19 is real and it is now surging our country seriously than we think before.
The author, Mr. Joseph Oduha, is a South Sudanese journalist, and can be reach by abunabet@gmail.com
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