Is the SPLM in panic?

By Luke Kuth Dak.

September 21, 2008 — For some reasons yet to be uncovered, the leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and its executive branch- the government of south Sudan (Goss) are in panic, paranoid, blemished and seemingly lost the sense of direction and leadership. There has been just too much flip-flopping on the most urgent challenges facing not only the South, but also the entire country- Sudan. Indeed, if you are an SPLM member, you should be worried.

Outrageously, however, a total of 15- probably more- high-ranking party and government officials, time and time again, weekend in and week out have enunciated that Lt. General Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Chairman of the SPLM, the 1st Vice President and the President of the government of south Sudan, will be running for President of Sudan, against the incumbent, President Omar al- Basher, in the elections scheduled for 2009, only to be recanted by high-ranking others, from the very same party and government, in a way that suggests, among other things, that things in the party of late Dr. John Garang might not be as rosy as all of us have been made to believe, after all.

In reality, nothing is out of the ordinary or unusual, for Mr. Mayardit to seek the highest office in the country. That’s within his rights as a Sudanese citizen. It is also a right that he should have had at birth, in the first place. In addition, isn’t it that what the Southern Sudanese have been fighting to achieve, for half a century? Sadly enough, the only thing between him and the Presidency, is his own party, which is literally trying to obliterate the heroic past of one of the most unprecedented revolutionary movements, not only in Sudan, but also in the entire continental Africa, with their preposterous behavior and disregard to the public opinion and confidence.

As we all know, in any government, a political party, or even a private organization, there is always that designated person, whose primary job is to serve as a bridge between that government, that party or that organization, and the general public. For instance, in the United States of America, the Bush White House, has hundreds of the most highly intelligent employees and advisors, yet there is only one person that transmits the President’s message to the public. That person, of course, is the spokesperson, or the press secretary. The reasoning is that, a message, conveyed with one tongue, will most certainly be more accurate and unambiguous as opposed to many. Hence, I am not trying to compare between a two-century-old giant with a three and a half years old (baby) government of south Sudan. But, at the sometime, I see nothing wrong with emulating a system that has been tested and proven effective.

Unfortunately, such model formula, dose not seem to resonate very well, as far as Southern Sudan government is concerned. The tumultuous weeks of a total chaos, of high-ranking government and party officials publicly and deliberately contradicting one another, on just about all the issues on their political agenda, indicated that organizationally, the SPLM has a long way to go, to be considered a contender in the Sudanese political ball game.

Then, to make matters even bizarre and weird, and to add more fuel to an already full-scaled fire, Dr. Luka Biong, the GOSS Minister for the Presidential Affairs, dropped yet another bombshell, by asserting that, the elections scheduled for 2009, might be delayed or postponed indefinitely, due to the rainy season in Southern Sudan, which makes transportation very difficult. Rainy season!! This is about as ludicrous as it gets. Unless, of course, Dr. Biong is telling us that those who negotiated with the National Congress on the election date and time, were foreigners who didn’t know precisely when the rainy season begins and ends in Southern Sudan.

Well, it’s too bad, with all due respect to Dr. Biong and the rest of the SPLM leadership. The truth is, south Sudan was handsomely represented by its own sons and daughters who undoubtedly knew the environmental changes in the country. Therefore, they should have brought up those concerns before the deciding date and time for the elections was signed into law, certainly, not after a year has come and gone by. Frankly, this doesn’t look good at all, and the SPLM ought to be ashamed of its actions, and remember that consistency and accountability are essential components of wining the public trust and confidence, if you want it to stand by you, and vote for you in the upcoming elections.

Thus far, there has been an absolute silence, as if nothing is going on. Let alone an explanation, no apology was given by the SPLM leadership to the public, for their outrageous behavior, and why they can’t seem to speak with one voice. Well, the only thing the Southern Sudanese are going to make of this (mess), is that the party they care so deeply about is in fact incompetent at the leadership level, after all.

Therefore, it’s vital for the SPLM and GOSS, respectively; to move very quickly to change the rules of the game, enact policies that will consolidate this army of multiple spokespersons into only two: One for the executive branch, and the other for the party.

The current spokesman for GOSS, Mr. Gabriel Changson, a renowned banker/economist and an alumni of both the Universities of Khartoum and Duke in North Carolina, in the United States, is certainly the right man to carry President Kiir’s message to the public. After all, he is one of the most-if not the most honest human being you would ever meet. However, his success by and large depends on whether or not the intruders are kept at bay.

Luke Kuth Dak is a former anchorman at Juba radio and a Sudan Tribune contributor. He can be reached at: [email protected].