The Unfulfilled Promises of SPLM and the Looming 2024/5 General Elections in South Sudan
Daniel Athior'o Atem Manyuon
By Daniel Athior’o Atem, Juba, South Sudan
Monday, March 27, 2023 (PW) — The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 ushered in a fresh era of politics in South Sudan. The CPA set the ground for a self-determination referendum for the South, leading to South Sudan’s Independence on 9 July 2011.
To Independence was a remarkable feat for the SPLA/M revolutionaries led by Dr John Garang de Mabior; it is also worth noting that the Khartoum government’s years of neglect, underdevelopment and marginalization primarily fueled SPLA’s armed resistance against the North. Hence the liberators were full of promises to the masses that after gaining Independence, all would be well for the South.
Likewise, the groups put all their trust in the SPLA/M revolutionaries to liberate South Sudan and deliver services such as education, health, roads, security and employment for sustainable economic development.
Not to say that progress has not been made, but is this where the country should have been a decade after independence? of course not. After independence, the people of South Sudan were eagerly waiting and anxious for democracy, unity and service delivery to thrive. However, two years later, internal political rivalries within the political elite led to the 2013 conflict undermining the revolution’s objectives.
South Sudanese felt betrayed by the political rift between vice President Riek and President Kiir, whom the public had entrusted to steer the war-torn country on the development path. The egocentric tendency of the SPLM political elite is a clear indicator that they have derailed the party’s founding principles and instead are riding on politics of deception.
Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese who would be strong pillars in the building of their country have somewhat lost their dear lives while millions have been displaced internally and to neighboring countries. The country has been reduced to ethnic divisions and tensions, with rebel elements targeting members of Kiir’s group while government soldiers targeting Riek’s group and beyond.
Even when a peace deal was signed between Riek and Kiir and a national unity government was formed on 22 February 2020, politicians have yet to deliver on their promises regarding the economic development of South Sudan. After forming a national unity government, the people of South Sudan thought the government would now prioritize peace and national development.
However, the situation remains fragile with continued violence between militia groups at the community level almost countrywide, which according to United Nations, “far exceeds the violence between 2013 and 2019”. The cost of living remains high, the health and education sectors are in shambles, and infrastructural development has also stalled. Public trust in the national unity government led by President Kiir is fast declining.
With the first democratic elections in South Sudan set to be held in 2024/5, political analysts are pessimistic that SPLM in government will hold ground. The key argument is that President Kiir and the associates have shifted posts from politics of service delivery as envisioned in the SPLM founding principles to politics of appeasement.
Of late, President Kiir is making ‘handshake’ appointments to key political and government positions rather than making appointments based on qualification and competence. In fact, one school of thought holds that the political elite in Juba satisfies their personal interests at the expense of national development. They have amassed wealth through dubious insider dealings with no oversight.
Unless the current trend is reversed, the opposition is gaining leverage in the upcoming elections. Even when the party endorsed President Kiir to run for the country’s top office in 2024/5, his support from allies and the masses greatly diminished.
However, hope is not frail for the ruling party. Sticking to the core founding principles of SPLM, a people-centred broad-based government can instill public confidence in the party. As a country, we need more highly qualified and competent individuals to serve diligently in critical political and technical positions.
Therefore, the politics of ‘handshake’ should cease, and the SPLM government should draw without bias or favor from the large pool of qualified citizens for effective service delivery and shared prosperity.
Yet, they hope. They Can hope.
-#Hope
The author, Daniel Athior’o Atem, is a member of the Youth Transforming Africa (YTA) and can be reached via his email: DANIEL ATHIOR <atemathior@gmail.com>
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