SPLM October revelation
By Sabrino Majok Majok*
October 31, 2007 — The historic decision by SPLM Interim Political Bureau (IPB) in its second meeting on October 4-11 has revealed and highlighted contrasting political and ideological mindsets of signatories of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA): the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). Here are some of the differences:
Democratic Transformation of Sudan, Power and Wealth Sharing
While SPLM works tirelessly for political transformation of the old Sudan into a New Sudan through a participatory democracy, the NCP is hell bent on maintaining status quo of oppression, subjugation, marginalization, and dictatorship. What’s more, since they came to power through coup in 1989, Field Marshal Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and leadership of National Islamic Front (NIF) have mostly been ruling the country along family’s or one-party’s lines, to exclusion and marginalization of majority of Sudanese people. For instance, Al-Bashir and elites’ recent rejection of appointments of Hon. Dr. Mansur Khalid and Hon. Yassir Arman to serve in Government of National Unity (GONU) respectively as a foreign minister and an advisor, was for obvious reason as stated above: Dr. Mansur and comrade Yassir do not ideologically belong to Al-Bashir’s group, otherwise their treatment would have been different.
In regards to power and wealth sharing concepts in the Sudan since independence in 1956, separatist, radical Northerners—now represented by NCP—always oppose to equitably share the country’s wealth with the rest of Sudanese simple because they erroneously think that God has bestowed Sudan with wealth and precious resources exclusively for their use. To date, billions and billions of dollars have been recklessly wasted and consumed by these radicals and others before them without any slightest sign of satisfaction and accountability, unfortunately. These are the same individuals who recently turned around and accused SPLM of mishandling of some $60 million in early 2005.
In addition to Al-Bashir’s behaviour and attitude in mishandling the resources, there are other visible factors to suggest that the radicals will continue on the same trend for a very long time, to debilitating effects on the country’s economy and its wellbeing.
War and Genocide in Darfur
In the wake of war in Darfur four and a half years ago, SPLM has been advocating and striving for peaceful resolution of war there. So far, it has formed a Darfur Task Force (DTF) to facilitate and narrow the gap between the warring parties. Furthermore, DTF enjoys support and mentorship from SPLM leadership. On top of regular contacts in the country with a number of Darfur Movements, for example, Dr. Riek Machar, the current 1st Deputy Chairman of SPLM and GOSS Vice President, went in September to France and United Kingdom for consultations with leaders of SLM/SLA and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Secondly, on October 16th, 2007, SPLM hosted more than 40 delegates from various Darfur Movements to form a “unified Darfur delegation with one agenda,” for successful and fair resolution of the conflict.
Now pause a little and ask yourself two questions: First, “What has NCP been doing during the same period?” In a nutshell, NCP has been terrorizing Darfur region resulting in 500,000 deaths, and forcibly displaced more than 3.5 million others.
Second, “Is NCP ready and willing to negotiate in good faith to resolve the crisis in Darfur, signs an agreement, and subsequently implements it?” The answer to the first part is a big No; because members of NCP haven’t been faithful in anything vis-à-vis conflict resolution in Darfur. On whether or not NCP is willing to sign peace in Darfur soon, the answer is affirmative: NCP can sign anything, but would always stop short on implementation. Cases in point are four near death agreements (1) Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), (2) Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), (3) Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA), and (4) Cairo Peace Agreement (Cairo-PA). Unless NCP changes its true colour and embraces peace, halts all military operations in Western Sudan, swiftly allows AU-UN peacekeepers and grants them unrestricted access to vulnerable masses that are in imminent danger, peace in Sudan will always remain elusive. In fact, if NCP continues to be a ruling party, true peace in Sudan will be nothing but a dream that will never come true.
On genocide question in Darfur, SPLM and NCP are world apart. For example, we know that this twenty first century carnage in Darfur is a creation of and being carried out by the same NCP which is pretending to make peace. While SPLM says a “genocide in Darfur must stop,” NCP counteracts and says “there is no genocide in Darfur.” Technically, what members of NCP are saying is, 500,000 deaths, as reported by experts, aren’t big a loss and that all Darfuris of African descent must be butchered to suit their bizarre definition of “genocide.” Indeed, Al-Bashir’s senseless killings in Darfur defeat a role of a loving and caring president.
Peaceful and harmonious co-existence of Sudanese people
SPLM believes that peaceful and harmonious united secular Sudan must be based on equal and fair treatment of every citizen irrespective of race, colour, gender, creed, relgion, or region. On the contrary, members of NCP think that unity can be enforced through oppression, slavery, subjugation, marginalization, commandeering of people’s wealth, power and land. Examples abound to validate NCP destructive and manipulative policies in Sudan, enumerating them herein is tantamount to restating the obvious. I agree with those who assert that Al-Bashir is a first class separatist and dictator!
Outcome of SPLM withdrawal
Indeed, SPLM suspension of its active participation in the Government of National Unity (or should I call it October Revelation) is an eye opener for peace loving Sudanese and the world at large. Bravo SPLM for revealing and highlighting NCP’s totalitarian, oppressive, unfaithful, divisive, genocidaire tendencies against Sudanese people. At this historic juncture, the marginalized Sudanese must join hands with SPLM to force Al-Bashir and leadership of NCP to implement all peace agreements they have signed thus far (CPA, DPA, ESPA, Cairo-PA). Or else they must be ready to face the music. But Al-Bashir and entire leadership of NCP should know that the costs of not implementing these agreements are much higher than the costs of implementing them!!
Regardless of Al-Bahir’s response(s) to current crisis, however, one thing is certain, “Sudan will never be the same again!”
*Sabrino Majok Majok is a Sudanese; reach him via [email protected]