Sudan’s Salva unfortunate decision
By Michael Koma, The Khartoum Monitor
September 21, 2005 — The unilateral decision by the First Vice President and President of the government of southern Sudan conceding the oil ministry to the ruling National Congress (NC) is very unfortunate.
This is a bad beginning for somebody the people of the south have pinned their hope on after the death of the hero, late Dr John Garang de Mabior.
If Garang was alive today the people of southern Sudan would have not received that big blow. Garang would have not surrendered easily to the Arabs.
The fall of the energy ministry to the NC is the beginning of the collapse of Salva himself.
By accepting to give out the oil portfolio, the SPLM seems to have accepted northern humiliation against the south. This move has also demonstrated the SPLM weakness. This fragility will continue to haunt the movement for the rest of the six-years interim period. The SPLM has not only disappointed the southern public. It has pleased the Arab world while it frustrated the efforts of the East Africa region as a whole.
Further more, by accepting that the NC takes the two economic ministries, it has accepted relegating the southerners to first-degree second class citizens.
The SPLM was given the second post after Al-Bashir, a southerner is the second at the National Assembly, a southerner is the second at the States Council, a southerner is the second in the ten ministries.
The best thing after this sheer humiliation is for Salva to step down from the presidency of the south. He does not deserve to lead the gallant masses of southern Sudan.
If he stays in power with that weakness, one is afraid he will continue with his conceding procession to the northerners in the future.
The issue of the oil ministry is not only a dispute over a single minister. It is abut capacity building , institution building , cadres training. I doubt if there is a single southerner in that ministry. Since it was established, a southerner was not allowed to work in that institution. Salva has denied training of southern cadres in the field of petroleum development.
The benefit the oil companies generate from several national petroleum companies does not enter the 50 percent of oil revenue allocated for the south Sudan in the agreement.
The reason advanced by Salva that he conceded because wrangling over the oil ministry would delay the formation of the National Unity Government is naive.
There were several options open to him to explore. One of the best options for him was to form the government of southern Sudan and then vie for the oil ministry. With the formation of the government of the south, Salva should establish the Oil Ministry of southern Sudan to award contracts, train southerners and build our oil facilities.