R-ARCSS Impasse: The Republic of South Sudan’s Thin Line of Sovereignty has Reached its Final Elasticity
By Molana Bol Joseph Agau, Juba, South Sudan
Wednesday, August 05, 2020 (PW) — The current deafening silence in Khartoum, Sudan is not a private affair, it is a public secret. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Bloc inherited the most serious political turmoil that the Sudan is undergoing. It is likened to the Nilotic phrase that it is the wrestling game of a pregnant woman versus a woman who just delivered. The feminists are begged to excuse my parabolic symbolism.
The decision to obey the rotational Chairmanship of IGAD was not well thought of in regard to the Sudan taking over the IGAD chairmanship during the most challenging time the Sudanese natural democrats are in as they’re struggling to reestablish the dictatorial Sudan into a democratic Sudan. H.E. Hamdok has an overflowing tray of the Sudan issues after the Al Bashir humble topple by the enlightened owners of the Sudan.
H.E. Hamdok shall NEVER give more attention to South Sudan political crisis at this particular hour as the same is needed for the Sudan. When South Sudanese see Al Dagalo, the Himeiti in Juba, you are not seeing a Guarantor but a ‘Delegated Guarantor’. Therefore, do not see hope in the hopelessness. For those who know the meaning of ‘Delegated Power’ you will side with me here.
As a concerned citizen and a stakeholder in the Republic of South Sudan affairs, it is One Hundred and Sixty Three Days (163) today with the PARTIAL formation of the RARCISS urgently required spheres of government i.e. Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (RTNLA), Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGONU), Reconstituted Ten States Governments (RTSG) and the delayed Security Arrangements (SA).
The Coronavirus Pandemic is not also an excuse for impasses and violations, there are measures in place that could be used to make necessary pressure for the parties to break impasses with patriotic compromises. These failures are with the parties and IGAD the Guarantor of this RARCISS. Someone might ask why am I saying that RTGONU is partially reconstituted, the parties never replaced the Deputy Minister for Interior, Capt. Mabior Garang Mabior who thought it wise to excuse himself from participation in a shaky peace implementation or call it impasse laden RARCISS. For this specific period in time I could borrow Capt. Mabior words, ‘a disguised surrendered position for the implementation of RARCISS’.
Late Justice John Luk passed on, may His Soul find peace in the Lord. Amen. However, his replacement came in handy without issues of delay or unnecessary periodic meditation. The main principals as the guarantors call them have a bone to chew over this Deputy Minister for Interior till now they are still chewing that bone.
The SPLMA-IO Boss is the first accused of political procrastination here unless his office tells the South Sudanese, why is SPLMA-IO refusing to participate in responsibility sharing here to provide security at Rock City suburb of Juba. Would this be a tactic to betray the partner in peace of lack of seriousness in carrying out constitutional duties?The incumbent numerous violations are very clear, the undersecretaries are coming in like rain drizzles that precede a major downpour.
The way the ITGONU Boss is reshuffling the Undersecretaries one by one is a crystal clear sign of the time of a looming apocalypse. It is like pruning a tree by removing the branches one by one before a final decision to fell it down. I would not dwell much to speak about the other guarantor of RARCISS in Uganda, the dumbest South Sudanese knows where what pains the country comes from.
I wanted to run through the threat to the thin line that is precariously dangling to break as its elasticity could not stretch anymore; the Thin Line is the Upper Nile State, a state where many political power wielders come from. It is the political power base where the NDM, the SPLM/A-IO with its mergers, the Government rented militia of Greater Eastern Jekeny at large and particularly the Gajaak of Pagak – Ochan and the Gajiok of Kuetrengke – Cipuor hail from not forgetting the Padang Abushok Defense and Offence forces, whichever comes first also depends on the nature of threat to the powerful community of the Armageddon of the ‘Sovereign Republic’. The oil possessors who don’t get the oil benefits.
For the last four weeks, I have gathered enough information to why the Upper Nile State Governor couldn’t be announced after the SPLM-IO nominated Gen. Johnson Olony Thubo Dak (Olony). Many rumours have flown and flared. The most ear catching ones are the following:
1. Gen. Olony is rejected by the Padang Community;
2. Gen. Olony should fly to Juba first to meet the two principals;
3. Gen. Olony armed forces, the Agwelek are not in the cantonment areas;
4. Gen. Olony does not belong to SPLMA-IO;
5. Gen. Olony is rejected outright by the President.
These and more are the reasons discussed about and around the lipton tea joints of Juba, the idle University Students and probably in the states capitals and possibly in the weeding period by politically aware subsistence farmers. I would like to run the readership into the five hypotheses that led the country to an impasse in appointing a governor of a red-hot state of the country:
1. Gen. Olony is rejected by the Padang Community
Why would a large community Special Dinka Branch by name Padang (Ngok Lual Yak, Luach Khorfulus, Rut, Thoi, Paweny, Nyiel, Ageer, Abiellang, Dongjol, Ruweng, Aloor, Ngok-Abyei or Ngok-Deng Majok) and by extension Hol and Nyarweng of Duk be so specific about an individual in the name of Johnson Olony Thubo Dak? If it is true that the Padang rejected Olony, then the RARCISS has an unknown or unwritten signatory that has a stake to select who to participate and not to participate. If that is also true that there is a barrier to block a party not to participate, to exclude and to deny collegiality, then the RARCISS has come out as a stillbirth from Khartoum.
2. Gen. Olony should fly to Juba first to meet the two principals
This is a time wasting rumour for taking more sweet tea or weeding more crops in case the discussants I mentioned above are involved. I went to the airport four weeks ago to receive Hon. Governor Sarah Cleto Rial, a Development Policy Forum colleague appointed as a governor while in the USA. She flew for 14 hours and waited for 4 hours to board planes at different destinations as she connected to Juba. Gen. Olony is in a two hour flight destination. If appointed, he will fly into Juba before Hon. Sarah and even take Oath of Office twice while Hon. Sarah is still flying her last leg to Juba.
3. Gen. Olony armed forces, the Agwelek are not in the cantonment areas
This is a lame excuse, since when are mergers with signed documents separated by any other third party without the agreement of the merged parties amicably departing ways in terms of the merger agreement? I saw the representatives Dr. Kuong Dak and Obudhok signed Merger Agreement between SPLMA-IO and Agwelek respectively on internet and confirmed with the signatories who are both in Juba. With this legal binding merger agreement, the cantonments of SPLMA-IO are the same cantonment areas of Agwelek. If the security arrangements are very important, why put them at last? Remember 8 months, 6 months and 100 Days Pretransitional periods were for cantonment sites preparations. What happened, resources squandered and high rise structures rose for individuals involved in handling the NPTC funds.
4. Gen. Olony does not belong to SPLMA-IO
This is similar to the rumour number 3 above, denying of one party in a merger by a third party does not hold water. It should come out loud and clear from the SPLMA-IO or Agwelek that they are no longer bound by their agreement.
5. Gen. Olony is rejected outright by the President.
This is the biggest blunder that some of our South Sudanese intellectuals buy with ease. This is absolutely against the letter and the spirit of the agreement. This is where the problem of the breaking of the thin line elasticity is anchored. H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit does not have any powers whatsoever, whether discrete or prerogatives powers in the RARCISS to reject the nominated person by the parties that are signatory and have a percentage responsibility sharing ratio as provided in the RARCISS. No, and BIG NO, the President has been denied these powers by design.
As a matter of fact, there are many things to write about the RARCISS and its implementation phases, however, I would like to conclude by saying this, assume the rumours above are true and specifically for instance, Gen. Olony is an armed entity not related to the ITGONU forces, SSOA forces, OPP and FDs Forces if any and SPLMA-IO forces and Dr. Riek Machar has tried his magic to offer him one of his hard won 3 states from a 5 month impasse of debating 2.7 is nearest to 3 against the argument that 2.7 is nearest to 2, and assuming that Gen. Olony accepted to join peace wagon and participate collegially to be a member of the RARCISS, why is it bad to those who hate it? Does the refusal by the President not to appoint him amount to hate of peace?
The nominating power has done the needful, the appointing function wielder is refusing to execute the function of announcing or call it appointment. People should know that nomination is power and appointment of a nominee is a function of the President as far as RARCISS is concerned. This was designed by the drafters so that the nation has a single person to carry out this function to avoid confusion to have many people playing this specific function of announcement or appointment.
It would suffice to say, let all the parties to the agreement nominate and appoint their nominees and they take oath of office in front of their party leaders. How would that look like, anarchy, right? The sovereignty we crave for would be compromised by such anarchic actions and the thin line of sovereign elasticity would be broken.
Let the 64 nationalities know that this was said; and if this happens, if the thin line breaks, the UN and DONORS will not only provide food, education, medicine, transportation, roads, etc. services to the vulnerable citizens, but also, they will demand our current leaders to surrender the so called South Sudan piece of land so that the two giants provide the only service that makes us sovereign: the SECURITY.
The Author, Molana Bol Joseph Agau, is a practicing Advocate and a concerned citizen in the state affairs; he can be reached on the following address email address: djbol2008@aol.com
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