SPLM flag should not become the flag of south Sudan
By Odongi IbaluKirram*
August 5, 2006 — So, the gospel according to some fellow Sudanese, those refusing – though not only them, quit literally, to go beyond mere functional literacy says, government or some charlatans [in gov] stand beyond reproach; do not deride ever, they charge, employment procedures GoSS for example is pursuing since sectionalism understandably is what informed the [ir] thinking; and by extension, so they urge us, discontinue possibly quickly your vigilance as we badly want carte blanch to put your mother country Sudan to ruin as we did during arm-conflicts times even kokora while you were yet unborn perhaps residing in exile. Please understand our orders!
Right, you want to employ people of your choosing (using what procedures?) and as far as your limited thinking goes no repercussions would abound because after all you lack vision. And not only that you see also us as sand to borrow Taban Lo-liong term, or creatures made from an inferior clay – dim-witted a people always waiting for your high-handed instructions. Perhaps with all due disrespect, allow us as power-less as we are, to air our minds knowingly bullying, of course what else, is to be expected from you Mr leaders and your dear hench-men?
When you decided to participate in arms struggle, I suppose a sense of concerned urge you to voluntarily (sorry, if you were forcibly conscripted to fight … still that gives you no free hand to unleash wrongdoing, instead better thoughts) picked up arms like many others were using such methods to redress the pain a cross-section of Sudan society went through because people of your ilk (Ijata humo jo aye Ohure – or thanks be to Hahuli you’re now in same club!) would give up not meting out injustices to the many for peaceful mutual co-existence, democratic-good-governance and the recognition of human equality is conspicuously absent from your day-to-day vocabulary.
Now assuming you temporarily took leave of your senses, what do you honestly expect becomes of Sudan future given your ?Jim-Crew’ tactics of nation building? We assert our right to remain not silent and instead expect more unrelenting, daring, good-purpose journalism your way. This, and we mean business, is your last chance to mismanage Sudan for the real ambassadors of positive change and good nation building have arrived – The true visionaries the country always cried for! So throw up a consolation party for your impending but necessary exit. Uninvited we would attend.
If your reign of terror, corruption, tribalism, segregation, racism, bad-leadership et cetera et cetera is what you anticipated to continue; then our razor-sharp criticism, utter disrespect, albeit quest for freedom, tolerance and urgent demand to live in a climate of genuine peace is rightly what heaven has just ordered as a deterrent to your evil schema. Your excuses that our criticism floors your developmental focus rings hollow; it is because you are innately disorderly and wandering off the point. You if you rework your governance and leadership style the citizens will all but stop being censorious but applaud in positive reception of your actions.
“… Forsake all your ethnic affiliations and rally around: Sudan Protagonist against the Liberation of Marginalized people, aka SPLM, this body is now the holy of the holiest cows.” urges Salva Kiir. May be some person born yesterday or very simple-minded would buy such commie trash talk, I say au contraire. It is elementary truth the SPLM is never in touch with itself and evidence would tell it is nowhere near that goal. What in the world will convince/justify the multitude of Sudanese people to support such a ceremonial political party?
Without any prejudice, offence, SPLM flag cannot and should not automatically become the flag of south Sudan; the latter can be arrived at through negotiated settlement. SPLA is composed of soldiers from all over Sudan, not only south, even though they happen to be mainly southerners their role as party defence force must be clear cut from that of regional or national. Some people were (in fact are still in SPLA) in the arms struggle not because they subscribed to SPLM ideology for itself but because their aim was/is unambiguously to help rid off the country from repression.
The implications of Kiir comments that all must support his party need to be probe; as such contaminating utterance contained the dictatorial intentions I earlier referred to. The SPLM apparently is mulling the possibility to install a-one-party-state in south Sudan – if it ever succeeds in seceding from the rest of the country. Given the current innuendos has SPLM, authoritarianism without doubt would naturally flow like Hinatia river from the mountains of Imotong thereafter; for south Sudanese how nice divorcing themselves from repression only to be re-oppress, is logically invalid an option come what may. Please let’s all beware and guard against the fallacies of SPLM or any person proposing for single-partism, it is a recipe for future disaster.
* Odongi IbaluKirram is a South African based Sudanese journalist he can be reached: [email protected]