Sudanese are not yet prepared for the change

By Roba Gibia

November 17, 2008 — During the Naivasha peace signing ceremony on January 9, 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya Dr. John Garang de Mabior said “It has been a long journey of more than 5,000 years to reach Naivasha and Nyayo Stadium today”. When Garang said this, he doesn’t mean that the bottom-line in Sudan’s crisis and predicament has been reached but meant that it is a step forward in reaching hundred miles, if we are steadfast, committed and do not discard the course of our struggle, we can turn Sudan around its axis and bring the everlasting tranquility and change to Sudan. On same occasion the son of de Mabior said “Sudan will never be the same again”! Why Sudan will never be the same again, because the eyes of the oppressed and marginalized Sudanese people has opened and no one in Sudan today will allow his/her self to be disadvantaged, marginalized and oppressed. And that is what we are witnessing today in various parts of Sudan. Dr. John Garang’s dream is to change Sudan and end the adverse and selective segregation of Southern Sudanese and the marginalized Sudanese people in order to restore everyone’s dignity to become equally stakeholders in their own country irrespective of race, color, religion, tribe or gender. But Garang was slain before seeing the change he anticipated, just like Martin Luther King prior to accomplishment of his dream. And despite the fact that Garang said that Sudan will never be the same again, but never said that today change has come to Sudan like Barack Obama said, because he anticipated that it is still long way for a change to come to Sudan, and believed that the real change will not come to Sudan unless Sudan transforms itself democratically and adopts genuine civil rights bill.

Thus, when Naivasha peace agreement was signed in January 2005 some people believed that change has actually come to the Sudan, but many and especially the marginalized people are still cynical and doubtful till when it happens on the ground. And indeed they are right because at this juncture, there is no authentic change in Sudan, there is no freedom of self-expression in Sudan and there is not even fairness in Sudan despite the so-called interim national constitution, there is no respect for human dignity in Sudan, but there is absolute tyranny, arbitrarily arrest of people and journalists, censorship on media and press which is the vital means of dissemination of information, fostering love, peace and sign of democracy in any free society that respects human value.

I believe Dr. John Garang was utterly correct by saying that Sudan will never be the same again, because since the signing of Naivasha peace agreement Sudan has been increasingly undergoing new waves of turmoil, between Old Sudan and New Sudan, extremists and liberals, oppressed and oppressors and every group is fighting for its own endurance and not for the country’s interest. The oppressed are blaring and fighting for the change in their daily lives, decent living, sanitation, clean drinking water, schools, healthcare, communication network, secured jobs and equal opportunities but their voices are met with excessive brutality and atrocities. This in my view is the real challenge facing Sudan. The so-called Sudanese political powers/parties have got no clear agenda and strategy as how to undertake and employ country’s copious resources to alleviate the Sudanese people’s anguish, and as how to categorize country’s precedence far from partisan and personal or group or political interests. Hence, in my view, racing for country’s advance and national interest with genuine and clear program, transparency and accountability is what we require for the progress of our country far from false, unfulfilled promises and empty slogans, enabling us to build a better country and future for our children and grandchildren.

After Barack Obama’s historic victory in the entire mankind’s history, one of the African-Americans from South Sudan said to me that “we have to bring Obama’s change into Sudan”. But I told him that Sudanese people are not yet prepared for the change because they are not yet equipped with the necessary tools for change like Americans. I went on saying that for a change to come to Sudan, first we have to prepare and provide Sudanese people with the required machinery for the change, open their eyes to see what they can not see like Rosa Parks when she opened the eyes of most Americans by not surrendering her seat in the bus for a white man, and Martin Luther when he inspired entire Americans with his dream of change and sacrificed his life for the just course of equality and liberty.

When Senator Barack Obama was elected president of United States of America on November 4, 2008, the entire world danced on the Obama’s famed melody “Change” and America’s creed “Yes, we can”. Obama pledged to bring fundamental change to Washington, restore America’s reputation and image around the world and cut taxes for the middle class Americans and affordable healthcare. But tears were shed during Obama’s victory speech that America has ever witnessed in its entire history! Africans and especially in Kenya at Obama’s village of Kogelo, people believe that their lives will change dramatically under Obama’s administration! Barack Obama’s victory offered high expectations not only to American people but around the world and especially his native Africa. But what can Obama give in return to his supporters, with these high expectations? Will Obama be able to eradicate African’s poverty in one or two terms? The task ahead Obama is huge and tedious, and as true son of America Obama will be pretty much engaged in resolving inherited problems such as Iraq, Afghanistan and terror war. And at home economic crisis, tax cut for middle classes and affordable healthcare for Americans but not in Africa. Thus, I do not think that Obama is going to change the well geared, build and pragmatic policy of America, but is going to build on top of it for the betterment of United States of America.

In my view, Barack Obama’s victory was apparently like the event of January 9, 2005 when a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed, marginalized Sudanese people and especially South Sudanese people has got high hope and great expectations that the peace is going to bring them the long awaited and everlasting change to Sudan and their lives under the leadership of Garang/SPLM. But when Dr. John Garang was slain on July 30, 2005, the high hopes and expectations of South Sudanese faded and were buried with their charismatic leader, John Garang while Martin Luther King’s dream was kept alive and continued to thrive because it was not buried with him. Now after four years of SPLM domination in South, nothing so far has changed the landscape of the South Sudan and the marginalized Sudanese people but absolute corruption, poverty, arbitrarily arrests, casual murder and lamentation.

Roba Gibia, is a Sudan Tribune journalist. He is also the author of John Garang and the Vision of New Sudan . He can be reached at [email protected]