Enough of negative criticism of President Salva Kiir

By Luke Kuth Dak

June 13, 2008 — Power struggle is Sudan’s deadliest disease that claims more lives than Cholera, Aids and Malaria combined.

Some niebouring countries, too, are victims of some form of power struggle or another, just like we saw in our immediate neighbor, Kenya. Also, the political mess and unrest that’s engulfing Zimbabow, is just another example of how ugly power struggle can lead to!

Consequently, South Sudan’s not an exception in this pandemic. After all, it’s in this growing nation, that everybody wants to be the president, vice president, on down, regardless of whether or not an individual processes the credential to hold that position. For one thing, it’s a good to dream big, but, too, you have to have some dreams that are realistic and achievable as well. In a democratic system of governance, each and everybody has a shot to become anything and everything he or she wanted to be, including the highest office of the presidency.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t have but one president at a time, and in this case, it’s President Mayardit’s turn. Those of us who’re yearning for the job, have no choice but to accept the delegates’ decision who have just re-elected him for five more years.

Sadly, Kiir’s re-election didn’t fall well with some who think of themselves as journalists. They could not even allow the man to celebrate the monumental victory. Instead, he became a subject of a vicious unfair, uncivil, unjust and unwarranted kind of criticism, by the so-called South Sudan’s journalists. Some- if not all of those critics were not very diplomatic. In fact they were very personal and disrespectful of a man viewed as a hero by the majority of Southern Sudanese, that they have just bestowed him their full confidence. After all, this’ a man who has spent most of his adult life fighting for the very same freedom that we seem to take for granted. Certainly, Mr. Kiir could have been anything else he wanted to be, but he left a promising career in the military to join force with late Dr. John Garang and others, to fight for the liberation of the great people of South Sudan.

Moreover, it’s not a free-speech issue. It’s an issue of good judgment and good taste. Just because you can write or say something, it doesn’t mean you should, especially at a time when our unity’s at stake. Obviously, I’m not suggesting that our leaders should have a free pass, but it’s the objectivity, accountability and more importantly the trustworthiness of a positive and sound journalism that am after. We, Southern Sudanese owe so much to Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir and the rest of the heroes, both fallen and alive. I get angry when I read some articles that are insulting to their characters and demeaning of their heroic sacrifices. I, for one, can understand if such unfounded criticism came from the northern extremist media, the like of Al- Intibaha and Al- Ray Alaam, but it baffles me tremendously when the source is the southern media. Now, what does that say about us?

Personally,I don’t know President Mayardit, and I am not even a member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- his party, but he deserves to be defended against the kind of trash being thrown at him by the so-called South Sudan journalists, whose motives are nothing more than just pure tribalistic. It’s too bad that we have become so narrow-minded that we can seem to see others for who they really are. Such mentality’s not going to lead us anywhere. If it did, we would be in the Moon, today.

My hope is that, the editors of Sudan Tribune (ST), the New Sudan Vision(NSV), South Sudan Nation(SSN), Gurtong Trust (GT) and South Sudan net respectively, will not allow their distinguished publications to be turned into a forum for the slashing, negative and destructive style of journalism.

Enough’s enough.

Luke Kuth Dak, is a former anchorman at Juba Radio.
E-mail me at: [email protected]