Is SPLM re-grouping story a myth or reality?
By Longar Mathiec Wol, Juba, South Sudan
Monday, August 03, 2020 (PW) — When SPLM waged twenty one years of struggle it was seen as the only hope for achieving the New Sudan. Here, when we talk of New Sudan, we mean a new country with total new system of governance, where systemic inequality is flush out, where marginalization becomes thing of the past.
It is a Sudan where all citizens regardless of their creed and color are equal stakeholder with the same class status. That was the imaginary new Sudan assumed, someone else might have better explanation than this one.
To achieve that, we had to go through tough and rough time from 1983 to 2005 when the comprehensive peace agreement was reached in Kenya. Glancing at how far we have come, some comrades began to forget the philosophy that killed million of their comrades.
The began to forget the new Sudan they depict in brains of million of South and North Sudanese. After we gain independence, the tone and the language change from ours to mine. Our liberation generals began to behalf like kings and queens. The orphans and widows of martyrs had been forgotten.Everything turned upside down.
In the process of scrambling over who owns which, the party remained unattended as people battle over assets. Our heroes forgot the liberation machine “The SPLM party”. Having left unattended, the orphans of NCP running in disarray after being weaned from NCP due to the fact that South Sudan becomesindependence started to converge on SPLM as new political tool pushing out the original SPLM cadres.
As the cadres ran disoriented and unprepared, they hopelessly forgot to politically fight back, but remain politically defeated. In the process the NCP boys entered and began to control the unattended system.
Since then, the pressure within the party increases; in fight over control, SPLM got hurt and remain in coma for sometime. Marred with internal conflicts, lack of direction and rebellionsthat pushed out more cadres, the Khartoumers as they call them took charge. As many SPLM cadres remain at the edge, president Kiir fall in their hands.
Using their proximity to the president, they become president close allies and consultants. Under their Custody and consultancy, they made sure SPLM boys are pushed further, some were made to appeared like enemies to the president. The divide and rule policy succeeded.
While in wilderness, the wanderers have many questions in minds, but the obvious question would be where are we and what next? Well, with the rumors emerging that the remnant or SPLM boys are regrouping, whether that is true or not, we are yet to see and confirmed.
Many believe the appointment ofHonorable Nhial Deng Nhial as presidential affairs’ minister and overwhelmingly attendant by SPLM high profile or big boys during his swearing in one month ago is a sign of emergencyfrom submerged mud of political disorientation and confusion that led them disarray for long.
My prayers is that, it continues, if indeed the regrouping story is true, then the regrouping shouldbe extended beyond Juba. There are many cadres who are bitter on how SPLM conducts its affairs who live outside Juba and capable of contributing toward effectiveness and revival of SPLM once again.
Hence, with test of time, let wait patiently and see whether the regrouping is of any benefit to the nation or rhetorics as usual. For the party to be strong, it has to take care of its cadres welfare and concerns. No party on planet earth could be effective and deliver service to its people if it doesn’t have strong cadres.
In our confused state of affairs, most of our cadrestook up arms against SPLM and some gave up sitting in tea places in ever corner of the country wishing almost everything that they had no control over in their dire conditions. The SPLM intellectuals who believe matters concerning the party should be solved on table are seen to be weak and completely ignored and sidelined.
Everything has been put on lobbying and money, most of the SPLM members loitering frustrated on the streets of Juba, 10 states and world wide will attest to that claim.
SPLM can still be great party if we put thing in order. The weakness of SPLM is the fact that it doesn’t refers to its records,most of the historical members are forgotten. The business has become how close you are to elites not your loyalty and contribution, the closest you become, the better, the further you are, you are forgotten.
Party should not operate like that, if that is the case, then why should people apply for membership? There is no reason, if closeness is has become qualification, some of us could just go to J1 and become gatekeepers so that they are seen everyday if that is the situation we want.
To me, I thought the reason for membership is for record purpose and referral if need be; so that when ever the party wanted to assign the cadres, it goes through its records and recall the capable cadres and deploy them accordingly. I thought that was the uniqueness of having records. But in our SPLM, that had beaten the logic; when you are kick out of SPLM’s compounds that is the end of story and it becomes very hard to be reassigned again.
In that way, power brokers and curtails utilize the loopholes in the system and keep themselves busy doing a lot of nothing.These power brokers start recommending people to positions based on nepotism, favoritism and monetary influence instead of SPLM internal deployment. The results is tragic, SPLM was broken down into pieces, whatever names you call them, the become rivalry and bitter enemies.
In any country when the nation faces challenges, the ruling party shoulder all the blames. Looking at the current mess in our country, SPLM as a ruling party cannot completely exonerateitself from any wrong doing. However, the good news is that SPLM is not the only party to ever gone wrong, there had/have been many parties before it.
All we need to do is to open new chapter and new way of doing thing. It is time we learn from our past mistakes and rejuvenate our activities toward betterment of this nation. We have seen how devastating and disastrous the division of SPLM cost us.
From civil war, rampant corruption, economic melt down and many more. All these blames are squarely blamed on SPLM because it’s the ruling party sitting behind the steering wheel and had failed to some extent to drive toward the desire direction.
To some of us who had been following South Sudan political activities, you will concur with me that the efforts concerted by SPLM this year are exceptional and worth praising having seen challenges and negative impact of Covid-19. Many road projects had been launched, Juba received stable power for the first time in last fifteen years since 2005.
If these efforts were consistently put in place since then South Sudan would have been different country by now. As we gives credit where it due, we equal appeal to SPLM as a ruling party to give listening ears to the critics and improve on their points, where there is criticism there is development. With all fingers pointing at SPLM and its members if nothing tangible is done, SPLM is at the brink of loosing more supporters.
Refreshing their evoke sets and the way forward many cadres left frustrate and mum over any possibilities of SPLM total regrouping or unity, some adopt wait and see attitude. Many members see SPLM politics as not longer interested. Something drastic has to be done if we want to change the negatively portrayed image of the party and it has to be implemented as soon as possible. There is no time to waste
To conclude, the SPLM regrouping is not a bad idea, but whether it is doable or not is what we are yet to see. In the current state of affairs whereby the system has been overtaken by intruders many people remain adamant of its regrouping agenda.
We will be glad to see SPLM recalling its abandon desperate members and give them privileges and rightful places they deserve. With all doubts, let wait and see to whether the regrouping story is just a myth or reality as time goes.
The author, Longar Mathiec Wol, is a Concern citizen who Can be reached through email address: longarmathiech@gmail.com