Why Dr Lam Akol is not innocent (1)

By Yai Joseph de Dut

March 3, 2007 — As part of an Open Letter titled “End …End Occupation and Free ….free People of Southern Sudan from Nepotism Practices” and it was addressed to Dr. Lam Akol Sudanese Minister for Foreign Affairs but in this juncture I would like to focus on what he represents in terms of ideology and literature in a post CPA context, and will also explore the historical and social dimensions of Lam Akol as an attempt to relate to the public in terms of his political relationship to the SPLM and ideological orientations. I will also explore the dialectical interplay between the political import and the aesthetic qualities in Lam Akol character in a view to undermine his tribe-mates leadership (SPLM leaders from Cholla/Shilluk i.e. comrade Pagan Amum and Dr. Peter Adwok). Since the basis of this article is one among many requests for Dr Lam Akol release/removal from Ministry of foreign Affairs. I will define the term in relation to it. Moreover, I will contest Lam Akol conclusion that is not genuine, creditable and authentic human beings to represent Southern Sudanese interest in Foreign Affairs Ministry. As he usual in political dating with NCP because he does not produce what we assumed. The outcomes of Lam Akol political implication and social disorder are the unavoidable product of NCP contemporary POLICY to upset the CPA implementation and to cause troubles in SPLM.

So let’s go back two decades as from 1983 – 2005. Dr. Lam Akol is not the architect or father-thinker of Self-determination for the south as per the claim of Shilluk International Congress Worldwide (SIC) in its public statement dated Feb 23rd 2007. It is shameful enough for imaginary SIC to manipulate the history of Southern Sudanese struggle and other marginalized people by attributing self-determination to Dr Lam Akol – chief Manipulator of unlabored credit) for the demand of people’s rights. What is . . . lacking in the public debate these days, is the sense of what our larger purposes/interests are, what capacities we can apply to achieve those, and how we intend to apply those skills to achieve those ends without distorting our history. So called SIC- Worldwide does not possess a grand KONWLEDGE of who is the architect of self-determination and when it entered into the Sudanese political vocabulary. Although it is not a big deal to waste time at!

There was a simple reminder that for the first time ever in Southern Sudanese containment of power imbalance South versus North . . . but after the fall of General Ibrahim Abud, both political parties have failed to fill that vacuum of political imbalance and therefore Sir-el-Khatim called for “Round Table Meeting in January 1965” the agenda is not a topic of this article but during that Round Table Discussion ‘Self-Determination’ as popular demand for South Sudan Front Political Party. For decades after 1965 Round Table run, this ended in May 1969 Coup. Lam Akol by then was living in a political obscurity. Afterward he practiced teaching in the University of Khartoum and joined the movement 1986. Now, in 1991 in which SPLM/A split into Torit and Nasir Faction, again SIC claimed Lam Akol to be the architect and leader of that incident as an attempt for a political comeback by applying his work in political theory not engineering. There is an implicit assumption in Fashoda Peace Agreement signed on 21st April 1997 that Self-determination has been included in the agreement. It is not true. Lam Akol laid out four basic points in what he deems an essential political framework for a post-War with NCP and post-Sept. He spoke of encouraging democracy, constitutional amendment, leveraging economic strength to help people of Sudan none of those points talked about self-determination where Lam Akol could be described as the father of this popular demand, this prove the point that SIC claim is bogus.

Dr Lam Akol represents the traditionalist mentality who believe in monopolistic way of approaching political. They don’t look beyond the framework of classrooms and textbooks during school days as a brilliant student. This seemed to be irrelevant. The modern political leadership required being well equipped with nationalistic lenses in order to look beyond your own interest, tribe and immediate relatives to have the ability to diagnose and look beneath the surface of nations or communities setup. Lam Akol has failed the test and quotes his policy on Foreign Affairs recruitment. Lam Akol did not comply with SPLM leadership advice on the appointment. However, this conflict, which leads to the conclusion that he, cannot preserve his traditional values in the modern, and that tend to repudiate his past and mimic the lives and cultures of NCP. What remains and encourages is only greedy and ill-disciplined desire. Dr Lam Akol was on spot in Yei SPLM National Council Meeting for his implication and double standard deal as being GNU Spokesperson. What Lam Akol offers us is a condemned, fragmented society (Public Statement released by Shilluk International Congress – propagating for political instability in UPPER NILE Region). Comrades you may recall Malakal incident of November 28th 2006 which is still fresh in our minds. The causes were alleged to Militia and NCP but there were hidden hands from the South if Shilluk International Congress SIC of Lam Akol supporters trying to instigate violence again in Upper Nile that shows lack of creative potential in Lam Akol camp. Lam Akol would like to stress “Jalaaba ill-theory” a black society cannot govern itself: a society that should be governed by an external power. I will argue that this conclusion is not true but not different from the racist ideology of Lam Akol that justifies blander misuse of public position to achieve personal interest and then defends the so-called Government of National Foreign Policies face of NCP. One cannot avoid discussions of politics including nepotism, corruption and NCP colonialism spirit that it trying to insert into SPLM weak and new returnees minds in any serious note. Nor can one avoid the historical circumstances that still play a vital role in shaping post-CPA. It would be a mistake to argue that Lam Akol is innocent with his implicit and explicit concerns with power can be interpreted as a high, autonomous aesthetic literary work. Lam Akol has localized himself to be Upper Nile Foreign Affairs Minister not GNU! Indeed, NCP colonialism politics has played such a major role in making Upper Nile as the weakest-link out of the ten states of the South that its pervasive presence in Lam Akol should come as no surprise. In this regard, he is not unique among post-CPA hyenas.

In fact, the challenge presented by the victories of SPLM as national liberation movements as a whole, regardless of the political orientation of its various contingents, and the failure of the attempts at evolvement and development in a series of NCP, leave many questions unanswered concerning the validity of Lam Akol supporters. The primacy of our liberation success and the omnipresence and universality of SPLM/A class struggle are attributed to the ideological and military commitments of comrades: Salva Kiir, Wani Igga, Deng Alor, Kuol Manyany, Pagan Amum, Dr. Marial Benjamin, Dr. Peter Adwok, Dr. Mansour Khalid, Yasir Arman, Daniel Awet, Gen Sammuel Abu John, Rebecca de Mabior etc… since 1983….the list is long. In this sense, that why we (SPLM members and entire Southern Sudan) give full respect to comrade Pagan Amum more than NCP daters for those who are interested to follow up on Upper Nile local politics. Underside NCP and its allies culture is blood, torture and death. This is NCP model which has invented all means to keep what it has unjustly gathered, and which legitimizes these unjust gains through support of cold blood murder complicit intelligentsia like Lam Akol himself but NOT Pagan. Dr. Lam Akol and SIC forget, or tend to forget, that the establishment of their ideal society at Fashoda land was actualized on the corpses of millions of people through appreciation of efforts right from King to individual person who gave SPLM Secretary-General respect as their son and reliable freedom fighter and hundreds of millions of human beings in Africa shared the same feelings.

Comrade Pagan Amum has led the movement in a selfish less style under critical condition low living standards, huge class gaps, national liberation debts, and most importantly fought in the bush for twenty years against NCP regime supported by Lam Akol movement. Pagan Amum is innocent from Lokurnyang Lado-Pagan’s brotherin-law and Bol Kur death as claimed by Shilluk International Congress. Dr Lam Akol instead of inviting Pagan Amum and Dr Peter Adwok to depend on their power in a relentless struggle against the existing NCP order with all its injustice and hegemony, and instead of motivating them to seek an alternative by proceeding on the basis of their own concrete reality, cultural heritage and history without losing. Lam Akol offers no solutions but dancing to the NCP tune. But Dr Lam Akol ill-disciplined action toward SPLM Leadership plays an extremely important role in creating non-ideological justification for his irresponsibility practices of such kind of diseases (personal gain – or me first as children usually say as they cruel over piece of chocolate). This is a fact that Lam Akol cannot cope with, and, therefore, ignores it. There will always be peoples who will not trample on their past as Lam Akol, rather they will do what pig does, and walk straight ahead and turn their faces sometimes to the past. Although Sudan will not remain the same only for NCP or what it is, still these peoples of Lam Akol example can not change it in order to create a better or other one .

We continue in the next article (2)

* The author, who is a SPLM member based in Southern Sudan, played an important role in the initiation of the SPLM Northern sector and in contacts with the Darfur rebel groups. He can be reached at [email protected]