We have a very short-sighted leader
By The Khartoum Monitor
Sept 22, 2005 — From Kapoeta to Abyei, Nimule to Rank, Yambio to Damazin, New Site to Diling, the SPLM has thrown big mud on the faces of the gallant masses. The movement has let down the heroic people of these regions.
The Africans are working heads down like animals, afraid with tail coiled.
The gentleman we thought, was a brave and tough man turned to be cowardly. He landed us into the hands of the oppressors.
Shame on you for making a reverse gear, why did you decelerate the SPLM vehicle set on motion by late Dr John Garang? You told us during the burial ceremony of late John Garang that the SPLM vehicle is a vehicle without a reverse gear. Today you have installed two reverse gears in the SPLM vehicle.
Hence, we have lost. It was a terrible loss to the people whose morale you had boosted after the death of John Garang. Why did you not keep our dignity high as pledged by Garang before he died? Coming to the title above “Why we Lost”, we lost because we have a very short-sighted leader.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior member of the “SPLM said the movement had been under strong pressure from the United States, the European Union and the international community to yield the ministry to the National Congress party.”
And that because of the above reason, Salva surrendered to the Arab Shaikh, Omar Bashir and we were defeated because of that. I think this may be half true. According to my source, the other half truth was that Bashir threatened Salva that if he insisted on the oil ministry, let him unilaterally declare the independence or separate southern Sudan from the north but without the oil money.
So Salva bowed to Bashir fearing that if he insisted on the issue of the ministry , the SPLM might risk the whole peace agreement.
This fear is unjustified. Freedom fighters don’t fear verbal threats . if they fear then the people of southern Sudan will not smell the freedom the movement fought for, let alone feeling it.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) has given us a very thin hope for the new system. This skinny hope is begin dashed out by illogical decisions.
We will lament this decision until the day to vote yes for independent southern Sudan comes. Giving up southern Sudan oil ministry represents a sacrifice of our achieved freedom contained in the CPA.
This newly formed government is a bad omen and represents the will of the north to consolidate its domination on the southerners.