SPLM transformation may remain a goal difficult to achieve
By Ohiyok D. Oduho
Feb 17, 2007 — The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) concluded its four day leadership council meeting in Yei town on February 12th, 2007. Amongst the issues discussed are the relocation of the SPLM headquarters from Yei to Khartoum and the transformation of SPLM into a national party that would welcome into its rank and file Sudanese irrespective of their race and religion.
It is not possible to doubt SPLM’s commitment to a free, just, democratic, secular and decentralized Sudan. However, given SPLM’s reaction to Northern Sudanese in the South and the calling of South Sudanese who had lived and worked in the government-controlled areas before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), gives it a 50-50 chance to truly transform into a formidable national political party.
National political parties look for people but they do not send people away from their parties. In South Sudan, tribalism and nepotism practiced by some elements within the government of South Sudan (GoSS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) are so rampant that the rest of South Sudan has felt it so strongly. What this rest of the South is thinking about is anybody’s guess. In the same manner, what the Northern Sudanese and Muslims who have felt SPLM/A attitude towards them may be thinking about the SPLM is anybody’s guess again.
The other aspect is the occupation of lands in Southern Bari, Central Equatoria, Mogali, Nimule area, and New Cush or Natinga, Budy County, in Eastern Equatroria State, By the Dinka tribe. It appears that the top GoSS leadership, mainly made up of Dinka tribe, entertains this occupation and as such it declines from repatriating these people to their homes for reasons best known to it. Sometimes one wonders if this is not a policy to expand and extend the Dinka to Equatoria! It is known that the Dinka tribe is found in Seven States of the South and they now want to impose their presence in the three States of Equatoria, the only region in which they are not found.
The SPLM/A’s hatred towards “Jallaba” and Muslims, supporting the occupation of people’s lands in Equatoria and reference to South Sudanese who worked in the country before the CPA as “Jallaba” are very serious national issues that the SPLM/A needs to address. Otherwise, its transformation into a national political party may be a dream that would not be realized.
For SPLM to transform itself into a national political party that would be accepted by all the people of the Sudan a number of things ought to be done:
1). Come off the complex of hatred towards the Arabs and Muslims (Jallaba);
2). Stop tribalism and nepotism;
3). Stop referring to South Sudanese who have worked with “Jallaba” as Jallaba because
they are not;
4). Put an end to the occupation of areas in Equatoria region; and
5). Honesty and sincerity in trying to rally the Sudanese people behind it.
However, the tireless efforts that were exerted to produce the CPA were sincere and genuinely meant for the people of the entire Sudan to forget their differences, reconcile and open a new page. This is not seen from the way SPLM/A is acting. SPLM/A is acting as if it is a political party that is running an independent country called the ‘New Sudan.’ This is a dangerously divisive politics that may not necessarily rally North Sudanese and other alienated South Sudanese behind the SPLM and must be changed if the SPLM sincerely has the interest of the entire country at heart.
The Author is a permanent columnist with Sudan Vision Daily Newspaper. He can be reach on [email protected]