Too Frequent Turning of the other Cheek is a Road to Ruin
By Peter Lokarlo Marsu
June 23, 2007 — Definitely, the National Congress Party is hardly an honest peace broker and cannot learn to play by the rules, when it comes to dealing with ensuring the viability and effecting of the CPA, yet Juba, the principal watch dog and esteemed steward of the CPA seems to be oblivious of this conspicuous and prejudicial penchant of the NCP against peace and the entire Sudanese people, especially the underprivileged and the destitute constituencies for whom the SPLA had gallantly waged war of liberation to force Khartoum to the negotiating table, and raised high the placard of emancipation in Sudan.
Right from the formation of the government of National Unity SPLM did not maintain firm and assertive stance to secure the Ministry of Energy and Mining from the greedy Jallaba, and the consequence of that mistake is now translated into the continuous loss of the streams of revenues in the form of dividends accruing from the oil wealth extracted from South Sudan’s backyard as well as the absolute monopoly of the oil industry in the country by the NCP.
It is probably the second cardinal error after the loss of the Ministry of Energy and Mining that the authorities in the government of South Sudan have easily allowed the French Oil Company to take over from the White Nile Company. What degree of leverage did the NCP use to coerce Juba to relinquish control of its previous 50% stake with the British White Nile Company, only to be levelled down to 10% share in a new arrangement with TOTAL and the NCP? Did Khartoum entice GoSS with its appealing bait of trading the Abyei and the controversial Border issues to take over the oil fields in South Sudan, knowing quite well that Southern leaders would effortlessly give in without an argument? The question of Abyei and the January 1956 border are not subject to further negotiations, as they have already been dealt with. Immediate execution should be in the offing, and not re-negotiation. Additionally Khartoum has more often than not failed to honour agreements reached with other parties. The issue of Abyei and the border demarcation should not have remained on the pending tray of business if Omar Al Bashir and Company were serious about resolving the thorny problems in Sudan.
It is time to end the painful whiplash being vituperatively and contemptuously administered on us by those Jallaba wielding power in Khartoum through constructive discourse with the unruly regime. SPLM as a progressive Party must work hand in glove with the majority of the marginalized communities in Sudan to unseat the NCP in the country in the next general elections, as it would be extremely hard for the NCP to solicit sympathy from the aggrieved Sudanese, and the way would easily be paved for their honourable exit from power. This would herald the down of a new age of tranquillity and prosperity in Sudan. Hence, too much appeasement of the NCP while turning the other cheek by the government of South Sudan visibly amounts to Achilles’ heel and definitely a road to ruin.
Alsir Sidahmed the Sudanese freelance journalist is preoccupied with flamboyance and window dressing exercises and is attemting to put up utopian structure in Sudan, devoid of realities and honesty assessments on the ground. In his article to Sudan Tribune, he argued that the new oil deal would benefit all parties concerned. The eloquent journalist seems to have misread the likelihood that the issue of control of the oil in Sudan coupled with the unfair revenue distribution is a ticking time bomb that would explode sooner or later, given the myopic and incendiary policies of the NCP in Sudan. South Sudan is not getting the 50% agreed upon by both parties to the CPA. We are not a party to, nor do we believe in Alsir’s tendency of settling of old scores with the USA, or the customary Arab-West ideological confrontation.
The American government is simply predisposed to assisting the people of Sudan to end the quandary in Darfur; hence the debate about the sanctions on the recalcitrant and unsavoury regime in Khartoum that has transformed the country into a prototypical failed state and an international outcast. Further more, establishing relationship with Iran in order to acquire Iranian weaponry for use in Sudan is not an issue to be applauded but should be abhorred and condemned by all including Alsir himself.
Perhaps a third slap on South Sudan’s face might come from Juba, and that would be the giving away of the Jonglei canal project to the Egyptians. There is ample evidence justifying such possibilities and fears. During his visit to Australia, a well-placed SPLM official, when asked about the Jonglei Canal issue, he repeated the official position maintained by GoSS, which envisages the carrying out of a comprehensive technical study to determine whether or not the project should go ahead, but he quickly gave away his inner feelings and added that, surely no one in South Sudan would condone floods from the Sudd area and the accompanying train of calamity, of course suggesting that it would certainly be fine to complete the controversial project, albeit he did not say it.
Even if the contemplated technical study turns out to be in favour of Egypt, a valid pronouncement and certitude must come out from South Sudanese in a well-organised referendum as such a move would diminish future complaints against those who might be held responsible for mortgaging the welfare of future generations. Anyone would agree that the Egyptians would always pursue their interest by all available means at their disposal – setting up a University and despatching their instructors, installing power generators in Southern cities etc. But look, would that measure up to giving away the Jonglei canal project? I believe that GoSS is capable of making shrewd appraisal of the whole situation and deliver the cargo to the expectant Southerners, thus a lot of spadework including self-denial is a panacea to the numerous problems of this autonomous region and GoSS must prove worthy of walking briskly to provide the Manna.
* The author is based in Australia, he can be reached at [email protected]