Who is really virtuous in the Government of Southern Sudan!

By Roba Gibia

October 24, 2008 – When Pontius Pilate was advised by his aids not to release Barabbas, because he is the really Romans’ enemy, sedition and assassin of Roman soldier. The Roman Governor in Israel, Pontius Pilate murmured and said “I do not know who is the really enemy of Romans?” At this context, Pontius Pilate based his verdict to the Jesus of Nazareth on the scripture which says that Jesus of Nazareth, who was accused of treason and claimed to be a King of Jews, shall be crucified. Thus, Jesus Christ was crucified not because he is the really enemy of Romans, but because He is the redeemer of Jews, gentiles and the world at large.

The teachings of the Jesus of Nazareth and His words are much eloquent and influential than anyone of the faked Jews’ Scribers and Priests. His (Jesus) words and teachings seem to answer all the prospect, aspiration and dreams of the Jews people and the entire world. And that was what angered not only Jews’ elders and priests but even Caiaphas, the Highest Priest. And when Nicodemus, one of the God fearing and respected Jews elders addressed Jews noble assembly, and told them that, this Jesus of Nazareth might be the expected Messiah, and warned that may the Almighty God open our eyes to His wisdom. Caiaphas murmured and said “My God, a son of poor carpenter from Galilee! Jews elders and priests believed that their liberator should come in the glory of the new King Solomon and David, but has forgotten that King David started his life as a Shepard.

Jesus Christ is not the King of this world, when He says that He is the King, but the King of the everlasting Kingdom. He was sent to liberate the entire world from the bondage of slavery and lamentation, which is not going to be achieved through force or bloodbath but through peace, equality and forgiveness and above all by loving one another like ourselves. And that is one of the most significant hearts of the Christian faith. When Jews told Jesus Christ that how can He enter a house of a pagan (Roman commander), Jesus told them that “Everyone is welcomed on my table, Jews and gentiles, poor, rich, masters, servants, sons of Abraham and pagans”. Jesus’ message is the equality and justice among the mankind, but not oppression, injustice and selective marginalization. And indeed Jesus of Nazareth who was sent to save this world through a poor family is a redeemer of mankind regardless of their political affiliation, race, color, gender and ethnic group.

Jesus of Nazareth was also accused of healing and raising deaths on Sabbaths which was against the Jews fundamental teachings, belief and law, but Jesus of Nazareth full of spirit, knowledge and wisdom explained to them that if one of you has got a sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not go and get it out on the Sabbath! Sabbath is made for the man and not the man for the Sabbath, said Jesus.

When Barabbas met Jesus Christ in the Temple, he said Master, before Amos (disciple of John the Baptist) was killed, he told us to trust and follow you as our leader, because the day of reprisal against Romans has come. We have got lots of Temple guards who are ready to support us against Romans, because Romans have butchered thousands of our people without trial and whatsoever you say, we will follow, our people is in mourning and lamentation, said Barabbas. But instead Jesus told Barabbas that the day of forgiveness has come, and we have to forgive everyone, even Romans, as there will be no more bloodbath, agony and lamentation and a lion will lie down for a lamb! And whoever carries sword will perish by sword, said Jesus. He told Barabbas that his zeal has blinded him from knowing the truth and called on him to follow Him, but Barabbas refused. Barabbas believes that the Jews liberation from Romans’ oppression should be done through sword, and considers himself as patriotic and freedom fighter but Jesus a traitor, and never understands the fundamental and significance of the Jesus of Nazareth’s teachings. Jesus of Nazareth’s fundamental teaching touches our daily lives and behavior, and teaches us unforgotten lessons that rectifies and reforms our ego- centered behavior, especially we South Sudanese people, and requests us to live in synchronization as equal sons and daughters of South Sudanese regardless of our tribal affiliation.

Jesus Christ was tempted several times by hypocritical Jews in various proceedings, like in the case of adulteress when she was brought before the Jesus Christ to be judged. They (Jews) told Jesus that according to the Moses’ law this woman has to be stoned to the death because she was caught at the act of infidelity. Jesus told them that whoever among you has got no sin let he cast the first stone! All the people looked in bewildered and no one dared to cast the stone, but rather deserted the place one-by-one because they too are sinners.

The first fundamental teaching of this story conforms with the Sudan’s situation, as when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army was founded by Dr. John Garang de Mabior and his fellow Southern Sudanese brothers in 1983, its principal objective is to liberate Sudan from injustice, disparity, poverty, bondage and selective marginalization of Sudanese people and consequently formation of nation-wide structure of the country, that is “New Sudan” on new dimensions that accommodates all Sudanese regardless of their race, color, gender and religion but it was rejected by the Khartoum. Simply because Khartoum believes that if at all Sudan has to be liberated, its rescuer should come from Khartoum nobles but not from poor sons of South. Just like the Jews elders and priests who believed that their liberator should come in the glory of the new King Solomon and David. Thus, as we talk today Khartoum still rejects the idea of New Sudan, with pretext that it is foreign plot and agenda but being implemented through SPLM. But when National Islamic Front (NIF) currently known as National Congress Party (NCP) came to power by coup in 1989 with the Arabism and Islamic doctrine, it was never perceived conspiracy and implementation of foreign scheme! And this is exactly what the so-called Arabs in Sudan have intentionally forgotten as how they entered Sudan, started their life and whom are the original natives of Sudan, black Africans or Arabs!

The second key aspect and teaching of this story touches all South Sudanese people at various levels regardless of their political affiliation and backgrounds, but are all in same boat. The GoSS officials and leaders are behaving like Jews’ Scribers and Priests who claim to be pure, just and righteous at the eyes of the people but are the very people responsible for the suffering of their people, because they have cut off themselves from their own people and do not know their really and actual or day-to-day problems. And that is exactly what GoSS officials and leaders are doing today in south. Thus, how can you assist and deliver basic service to your own people, if you are cut off from their real problems? And this is simply because some tribes in South Sudan see themselves superior than the other tribes, and that is why tribalism and nepotism has infested GoSS which breeds corruption, and has become the definite enemy of South Sudanese. You can’t hold your relatives or tribesmen accountable for any kind of corruption because the relatives and tribesmen are the beneficiaries of the dishonest officials. In other words, you cannot indict, convict and penalize any GoSS official for corruption unless if you are not corrupt, even though if there are tough measures to combat the mismanagement culture of public fund plundering in GoSS that excludes no one in any capacity. But in my view even though if the bill of anti-corruption is passed, it will never curb the corruption in the GoSS unless there is dedication and transparency in the management of public fund and eradication of employment malpractices in the Government of Southern Sudan institutions, especially in the key and senior government positions.

Therefore, it is sadly enough that one has to consent that the SPLM-led Government of Southern Sudan has almost turned its back to the fundamental aspect which the movement fought for, that is equal opportunities based on potentiality, parity, restoration of everyone’s dignity and to make every marginalized Sudanese a stakeholder and to turn forever the page of selective marginalization, inequality and favoritism. This is simply because, we cannot claim justice and righteous if we do not have ethics and stay on course for what we believed in and fought for. SPLM fought war for more than two decades for the shake of justice and equal opportunities, and you cannot simply replace injustice with injustice or abuse of power with another system of abuse for human rights after conclusion of peace. Where are the least justice and equal opportunities that South Sudanese, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile’s people fought decades to attain it? There are wide spread practices of injustice, inequality and humiliation in the Government of Southern Sudan institutions which is being felt almost by everyone in South. And what is happening in the GoSS confirms the story of one of the private sector’s behavior. That private sector normally doesn’t recruit permanent workers but rather prefers to hire its workers on daily paid basis to strip off their legal rights, and not to have any kind of legal obligations towards them! The experienced workers were treated on equal foot with the inexperienced workers, and there was not slightest implementation of labor and public service regulations to preserve daily paid workers rights. The workers rights were denied with their counter-parts in the other private sectors and government institutions, as they have got no privileges such as insurance, incentives, traveling allowance and paid leave because they are daily paid workers. This is what is termed moderated slavery, and the workers have got no option but to work under such dire situation in order to earn bread for their family. And this is avarice which Jesus Christ warned us against, that if you can own all the wealth of this world and lose your life, what will you benefit from this world? Thus, it is vital to create and accumulate our prosperity in the heaven to earn eternal life, because we will return to our Living God without the wealth of this world just as we came to it. Therefore, it is imperative for the GoSS officials to pursue and stick to the labor and public service employment regulations and unified salary structures to avoid amoral, humiliation and moderated slavery of daily paid workers.

Hence, it is outrageous to decry that our hands are tied down in fighting corruption in the GoSS, administratively no leader could utterly say that unless he/she is incapable to curb the corruption, where is the government’s legislative authority, give your directives and request your legislators to come up with a package of bill to protect the public fund and to combat the infidelity in the administration. The people of South Sudan needs a leader who feels and shares their agony, delivers and sets up regulations and laws to protect the basic interests of its people, but not a leader where corruption in its all forms has become rampant on his/her watch and who always decries the lack of aptitude but surrounds himself/herself with its own kinship.

Based on this notion and lack of basic services in the entire south, most of South Sudanese people do not feel that the Government of Southern Sudan belongs to them, but to the few ethnic groups of South Sudanese people who are harvesting unilaterally the fruits of CPA, and denying the legal rights of others to exist. In this context, most of South Sudanese people are wondering as who is really virtuous in the Government of Southern Sudan! Beside that, those corrupt GoSS officials who claim to be righteous are fallaciously condemning, humiliating and trying to ruin some GoSS daily paid workers’ reputation because they are genuine and steadfast in executing their duties. While those who claim dominance are spending hundreds of thousands of US dollars from public fund on their own personal interests without answerability, simply because the GoSS belongs to them! And this is evident, that the corruption in the Government of Southern Sudan is being practiced through family bond and especially within a circle of one clannish group. Thus, there will not be any transparency and accountability in the GoSS, as far as the recruitment in the various government positions is based on the favoritism and tribalism but not on qualification and potentiality.

The author is a Sudan Tribune journalist he can be reached at [email protected]