Why Murle Community Must Learn from their Past Actions against Themselves and their Neighbors

By Peter Maze, Pibor, South Sudan

Monday, June 29, 2020 (PW) — I am sometimes very agitated and developed some wild perception about my own Community which I dearly love to death. Murle are born intelligent and mentally fit to digest and overcome certain conditions easily or hardly regardless of how sophisticated matters could be.

In my great surprise, Murle fail miserably to analyze and understand the nature of civilization and how is it important for existence of Murle people as great citizens of the republic of South Sudan as a nation.

This misconception had paid Murle unbridgeable cost in terms of the community good leaders of all times. In other terms, many well known and important Murle leaders died because of the inner interpersonal grudges emanated from curses and bad wishes within community elders and respected Murle Red chiefs who are traditionally deserve right for total dynasty over community affairs.

The failure of Murle community to differentiate traditional leadership and political arenas or formal authority has become the devastating dogma which has continued to pull Murle people back to the stone age period up to the moment.

Just to pick up few excerpts, here are the long existing problems which had painfully contributed to the Murle community’s leadership to ramble:

Dating back to 1960s, the first commissioner of Pibor or I can call it the administrator of both Pibor and Akobo districts was Mr. Hassan Ngachigol, he was very respected leader who took many Murle young generation in 1950s (Dorongwa) to schools for the first time in Murle history. At the main time, Hassan Ngachingol was Arab supporter and he developed hatred with Anya-nya 1 supporters led by Murle sons such as Thalamunthe and John Kireru.

That disagreement gave little share to the Red chief of Lekuangole named Yangkon who was supporting Anya-anya 1 Murle soldiers. Driven by the anger, Hassan Ngachingol went to the home of red chief Yangkon who supported Anya-nya 1 with his pistol and started killing Yangkon cattle, the old man begged Mr. Hassan to kill all the cattle but to spare the live his only admired bull. Hassan ignored the plea of the old man and he went a head and shot the very bull of the old man dead.

The old Yangkon got very upset and prophesized to Hassan Ngachingol that, you will (Hassan) kill yourself with the same pistol that you used for killing my bull. In fact, in 1965, Hassan Ngachingol used the same gun he uses to kill the bull of the old man to commit suicide while he was in his office in Akobo town.

Again, in 1984, late Lukurnyang Lado was arrested by his own Murle intellectuals and requested for his immediate execution, I gathered that, many senior SPLA cadres from other communities had objected for Lukurnyang execution, but Murle individuals who were present at the moment has insisted till Lukurnyang was executed.

Before execution, I was told that Lukurnyang who was also traditional red chief has uttered a curse against some senior Murle officers who engineered for his death, subsequently, some of these officers were killed within one year from Lukurnyang’s execution period. Most them are not with us today, but am yet to understand wether their death has a connection with Lukurnyang death or everything was just natural.

With continued agony, Kennedy Gain, the brilliant and well talented young SPLA officer and good fighter in 1980s during SPLA struggle has disagreed with elders and got cursed by the Murle community for wagging the war against Sudan armed Forces in Pibor and for liberating Pibor town from the hands of arab and local militias.

The curse has cost Comrade Kennedy his eyes through pressure lamp in 1991 in Pibor, the disability of Kennedy Gain has contributed to huge vacuum and setback to Murle individuals who were in SPLA liberation struggle.

Again in 1993, Ismail Konyi who was known to be the most respected by Murle for almost 25 years of being in Murle leadership was not left clean. While he was in Pibor leading his Militia brigade, a group of young Murle officers concocted a cup which had listed Ismail and his senior commanders for attempt immediate murder. That failed plot was discovered and 10 from those who masterminded the game were prosecuted through firing squad.

Some of most recognizable revolutionary leaders during the SPLM/A struggle like Lt. Marshal Stephen Babanen, Maj. Gen. Vorgol Alan, Akot Maze, Polis Kengen, Ret. Maj. Gen. John Lorech, John Konyi, Maj. Gen. Logocho Kolen. Brig Gen. Abula Kuthura etc I hear several times being disrespected instead of always being respected and strongly encouraged than neglected as it sometimes happen because of political differences.

Now came a time when the God still blessed the community with yet another abled and highly respected figure both nationally and across Murle community. THE DAVID YAUYAU, Yauyau is a hardworking young person with all kinds of qualities of leadership. The guy (Yauyau) is soft spoken person, industrious, generous, friendly, nationalist, fighter, and the son of well known Red chief of Kubal or Gumuruk area by name Jangkuch Kudumoch Ole, Yauyau is equiped with excellence education that qualifies him to work independently and to communication with everyone internationally without translator unlike others.

Yauyau was the one who led protest rebellion against Jongle internal political leadership not even South Sudan as a whole which had also resulted into the creation of Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), and the only leader in Murle history who always tries (want) to reconcile Murle with the rest of the neighboring communities such as the Nuer, Dinka Bor, Anyuak, jie, Pari, Taposa, Bar, and others.

He has managed to collect more than 68 children during his two year tenure as governor of defunct Boma State from Murle criminals and he finally returned these children to their biological parents. He reopen Bor Pibor road for all kinds of businesses, he took more than 50 students to Gabella Ethiopia to attend university education.

He was the only person who returned more than 90 Ethiopian children in 2016 back to Ethiopian government. He reached out to Northern Bhar El Ghazzel where more than 10 pupils from Murle and Anyuak were accepted to study in Awiel as sign of nationalism.

As a gesture for peace and unity among South Sudanese, he led his bodyguards to fight with Murle criminals who resisted to hand over stolen children and cattle, 7 of his bodyguards were killed include his own step brother Mr. Moses Babayo who left his two (2) widows now helpless on Gumuruk streets. In both 2013 and 2016 Yauyau stood with South Sudan government firmly.

As a governor of Boma State, Yauyau worked hard to strengthen SPLM party in the state level. He encouraged every SPLM member to support the party financially for the SPLM activities, no governor has ever done that. He bought SPLM Red T-shirts & Red caps for all SPLM liberation council members, all state government officials, singers, women representatives, youth leaders, religious representatives, and other government & party supporters.

He organized visit and special gifts to former SPLM heros and heroines include Maj. Gen. Kachinor Mothan and others. He is always stands as diehard supporter of South Sudan government under President Kiir. Walking cheetah who can travel by foot in rainy seasons to different counties without difficulties ete.

There are some good narratives about David Yauyau that I can continue to register at this article but I can leave some of them for next time.
Regardless of all these contributions, few elements from the community are still fail to recognize the effort of Gen. Yauyau. I was very disturbed when I saw handful politicians were running from one corner to another try to manufacture fake news against Yauyau, others were trying to push him out by creating scary rumors in one way or the other, some has gone very far by airing that Yauyau had rebelled. All these were witch hunt from spoilers of peace.

Now the question that am trying to drive through is actually to know WHAT DO MURLE COMMUNITY WANT and WHAT KIND OF LEADER DO THEY WANT?

I think at this around, Murle should gear up for truth and this should be the high time up for Murle people to turn around and rethink twice if not million times. The pride that our community normally hand through physical fight will come to an end and if it doesn’t come to an end, yet that will not give us certificate to heaven either.

What all of us want to do is to emulate our brothers and sisters from other ethnic communities for us to catch up with the rest of our South Sudanese citizens.

In addition, the right way for us to transform our society to achieve holistic and modern social modalities is to identify and support visionary leaders with all our might. We should refrain from supporting illiterate individuals who are fighting hard to access financial pools.

We should also respect our elderly red chiefs while providing them with rich information which can vigorously feed them with clear distinction between red chiefdom and central government positions which transcends devolution of power from the Presidency to the position of the Boma chief.

Murle must learn from the past by placing each leader at a right spot.

Knowing that, South Sudan constitution is the binding principle for all South Sudan citizens include Murle. Greater Pibor Administrative Area is for all, hence, as demanded by the law, we can not afford as citizens of GPAA to lobby for unqualified person to be appointed with translator for governorship. That can not happen in 2020 my community comrades.

This is the time to protect our good leaders, encourage our young men and women to acquire quality education, and to develop our GPAA. We have to rally resources to construct Pibor airstrip, renovate those old buildings and schools, hire qualified teachers, organize our organized forces, negotiate to connect Pibor with Jonglei with all-season road, and seek more scholarship for our students who want to join universities and colleges meanwhile maintaining peace with our neighbors as we always support SPLM vision.

SPLM Oyeeeee.

End

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