In this Christmas Season, Let’s Resuscitate South Sudan with Love and Forgiveness

In this Christmas Season, the patriotic resuscitation of South Sudan must start with forgiveness

By Ater Garang Ariath, Aweil, South Sudan

Friday, December 24, 2021 (PW) — First and foremost, Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year 2022. The patriotic resuscitation rhythm of South Sudan as a country must start with forgiveness. As leaders, we must know when to forgive past wrongs in the service of building a brighter future together.

Today, we are blessed to witness 2021 Christmas night and I wish our leaders all over South Sudan and in the diaspora to rejuvenate the previous spirit and love of the country through self-forgiveness.

As patriotic citizens, anytime we see our leaders retrogress from their commitments and pledges to consolidate peace and stability, our resilience jerked off! As the Christmas night celebration begins, leaders would prepare themselves with a keynote address to the nation in different modes of communication to assure South Sudanese of their pragmatic approach to the relevant immediate topics and concerns.

This is how they should move the nation forward than staying in the past, warming up their chairs of dividing the shares into different kinds. As one of the patriotic citizens, revitalized peace agreement cause of slow implementation in letter and spirit, unconditionally forgiveness, healing and reconciliation should top the Christmas messages.

I am aware, fully aware that 80% of our civil population celebrate Christmas in financial shamble, but God cares for them. My fellow South Sudanese citizens within and in Diaspora, we are all in situations of ” one eats, another watches, but God cares.

This marks the 10th Christmas festive season, South Sudanese celebrated since the declaration of Independence South Sudan from Sudan in  2011.

Therefore, I will not bore you with unnecessary narratives of where we came from rather than focus on what went wrong from our beginning and what could be done to escape a narrow path of the past.
The patriotic pride to defend my country and talk ill or against the wrong path chosen by our leaders need to take shape and institutionalize critics for better or for worst.

“We are created equal “, we fought not to enslave ourselves but to free ourselves from the past bondage of the monolithic Arab regime. The journey to our political, social and economic dreamland of South Sudan, paradox  PARADISE of stability and sustainable development, must be resuscitated.

My fellow country, men and women, this Christmas festival celebration spirit should be dedicated to forgiveness, healing and reconciliation among ourselves as South Sudanese citizens and our friends within and outside the region.

Our individual and collective determination in the framework of our common destiny, into a space of durable peace and security, of political, social stability and economic growth for the sole benefit of our peoples is indeed needed to be earned.  

It is our common duty and a national call as South Sudanese people, to put aside our differences and realise the social relations which bind us. Our shared dreams for our nation, develop a philosophy of doing it ourselves as South Sudanese must be given room.

Let us together unite to depoliticize ongoing debate and dismiss discussion of antagonism that continue to haunt us after paddling our canoe as South Sudanese. With revitalized peace agreement government of national unity in driving seat, forgiveness, through processes of healing and reconciliation are critical to be supported.

The situation is volatile, but great leaders work hard to forgive others and to foster forgiveness among their followers. We hope, the leadership of the parties to the revitalized government of national unity should do their smart work around the clocks and pay rich dividends of peace in return, especially to their support bases.

It ultimate responsibility too for religious leaders, to frankly engage and urge them to bury their differences and embrace what unite people and government. Christmas prayers should articulate for peace and forgiveness, space for civic engagement and economic reforms.

Mindful of the need to respect democracy and good governance as fundamental principles of our constitution. South Sudanese people have a huge responsibility to safeguard territorial integrity and sovereignty rather than pushing themselves to the edge of “nothing”.  

It is now time to invest in peacetime institutions and forces as we move to embark on peace restoration in our country. Our political and military leaders should be amicably engaged to build what unite us and dismantle what divide us.

At a personal level as a South Sudanese, I dedicated my time and ability as a true promoter of national institutions to safeguard mutual respect, forgiveness and reconciliation for peaceful South Sudan we all belong.

This year Christmas theme of forgiveness, healing and reconciliation on which I would like to reflect with you and with all who read this piece is one that concerns all South Sudanese on different levels besides the deadly pandemic in our midst.

Here, in conclusion, we are to support our political leaders, religious leaders, Media, organizations and well-wishers for peace and stability restoration in South Sudan.

Once again, my love and happiness are with you my people, as we face unusual threats in real life enforced upon us by Covid-19. Leaders must reinvent South Sudanese politics without borders as a spirit to support the voices of reasonable patriots.

Merry Christmas night celebration!!!

The author, Ater Garang Ariath, is the former Secretary-General of defunct Aweil East State, Civil Rights Activist, journalist, blogger and Member of SPLM. You can reach him here at Email: atergarang452@gmail.com

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