Play ethnic card in the South Sudan is not strong
Editorial, The Juba Post
Nov 2, 2005 — Political factions and tribal communities are complaining over parliamentary seats and state ministries. Some tribal communities are publicly accusing the president of the Government of South Sudan of unfairly distributing ministerial positions.
It is not possible to define ‘fair distribution’. To every community, an equal number of ministers seems logical, but is it excluding talented gifted and well-educated politicians just because they have been born in a small tribe?
The Anywak and the Nuer, but also other people who complain behind the scenes, could have a case if they argue to have excellent candidates who were just refused for tribal reasons. After all, to have the second strongest man, being a Nuer, as Vice-President in the south is not a bad outcome.
A minister should be appointed on the basis of his/her experience and ability to meet the needs of the people. But a government should also be a fair political representation of the people. So it has both elements: quality and representation. To play the ethnic card is not strong. A government is basically a coalition of key-players. But, like the South Sudan Democratic Front (SSDF), some tribes opposed for many years the objectives of the SPLA. It is of course not likely that they now will have a strong influence on the SPLM-dominated southern government. We are not talking about a new democratic government. That will still be four years ahead. But at least the new government for Southern Sudan is somehow a politically balanced coalition. Definitely more balanced than the government of national unity.
On the other hand, it is the full right of the Nuers and others to fight for the rights and prosperity of their people, including the right to have equal sharing in power, roads, schooling and jobs. Civil society today has a role to play in motivating the government to implement a radical change for their communities.
If a specific community does not have seats or ministerial positions, that doesn’t mean that they should be forgotten. The opposite, a just government will not be judged by supporting the strong, but by protecting the weak. Members of the parliament, regional ministers and the state-ministers are concerned for the interest of the whole country and not just the specific communities from which they come.
There is more substantial fear concerning the qualifications of some ministers. It is hoped that the Nuer-group and other factions will have the courage to address that also very specifically. If Uncle Salva Kiir, Mama Rebecca Garang and their nephew Riek Machar, all from the same Father, are not able to get the roads paved, the schools upgraded and the security restored, they will be held accountable. The voters will judge not their skins, but their skills.