Southern Sudanese must get to work

By Isaiah Abraham

January 98, 2009 — After years of unrest and instability, Southern Sudan is now enjoying peace (relative one though) across its territory, a sign that informed us that the 10 years of negotiation with the Government of the Sudan weren’t in vain, they have indeed produce something for the benefit of the ordinary suffering Southern Sudanese. At least there is a breath of life once more in our lovely land. As you move or go around, there is every right to celebrate the achievement made thus far through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in Naivasha Kenya by two bitter nemesis’ in the Sudan (the South and the North). We have every reason to thank God and clap or shout Alleluia to the Almighty as well as our heroes in the SPLM/A.

As we celebrate the 4 Anniversary of that magic (something we never knew it would come), there is a need to give our hearty ovation and salute to our great hero of our time late Dr. John Garang de Mabior and his team for job well done. We will be proud of this man for many times to come, not forgetting our fallen heroes/heroines among them the first martyrs who were killed in Torit in 1955 and Bor & Ayod in 1983.

The struggle nevertheless isn’t over, the pace we are in through the CPA remain one step to the target in 2011, and hence a huge challenge to every true patriot to stand up and struggle in his/her small way to the very end. Our Government (GOSS) under his Excellency the President Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit deserves our utmost thanks for keeping up the torch of freedom. Despite push and shove here and there, we have an agreement and a leadership in that government we can anchor; a leadership that manages our affairs. They have kept our people united and never surrender their bargaining part as far as Southern Sudan interest with the North is concern. We pray for them for wisdom and guidance! We are within few laps, but tough ones however.

The road ahead of them and us is full of uncertainties and thorns; they got to put their acts together quickly, by adjusting their past mistakes and move on to make our people feel part of an over all project of liberation struggle. There have been terrible mistakes committed by our government and it’s high time that they avoid them within the next few years of the interim period. Everything we have been saying here before remains the same and nothing was created for malignancy; the tendency to make mistake is human we know, but it’s upon us to amend our ways of doing things for our survival and the survival of our generations after us. The foundation of our house must be laid out permanently the same way the American foundation was laid out several hundred years ago. Our Interim Constitution isn’t final, there are problems unfinished business there, but it’s a bases; it requires constant and conscious mentoring.

The onerous is with the present leadership; they have the opportunity and means to make things work now and for tomorrow. They have to listen to critics and other voices other than just brush aside every positive criticism because the author could be from another group or tribe. Whatever people say in writing or whispering in our ears if tap carefully by a humble mind, they can produce ideas for the benefit of the ordinary Southern Sudanese. A government must be creative or quicker learners from others. To get things done, the government must invest in the people.

We have talents and only to be used and therefore it’s incumbent that our government get aggressive to our people when it comes to enforcing some laws. People tend to forget and hence the need to keep them ‘whip’. Southern Sudanese nowadays are busy bodies only good talkers/dressers and gossipers, no more hard workers. Southerners were hard working and kind hearted people you will never find them anywhere in the world. Our true values are slowly disappearing and wonder whether it was relief mentality that has killed it during the war or failure on our side to connect our values from where we left them before the war.

These days Southerners are avoiding hard work; and are getting rude or out of touch with their roots. In education for instance, they are in politics, economics and law classes, rarely will you get three out of ten as engineers, doctors, mechanics, carpenters, brick makers, electrical or water technicians, craft artists, agricultural experts, tailoring, IT specialists, surveyors, geologists, environmentalists, etc. As we know, these are some of the disciplines that foster quick development, but somehow our young ones are unwilling to take them and the question is why? This is because our people these days are afraid to soil their hands or go through hard gain activities, forgetting that these are areas that create stable economy and push a country ahead much quicker. They don’t know even that these are places where money is taken by ‘shovel’. Self employment is the key!

Socially, there are some habits we must do away with if we mean business to catch up with other developed countries. We often run to other developed countries or semi developed, but they too had similar experiences and a start. They worked and work hard and are still working. With their values, they do away with some habits that are unproductive to growth and stick to what build up. Look, there is this simple but probably primitive one in our cities these days: the habit of sitting facing the streets near homes and then fix our eyes on every moving object, whether a human being, motor bike or a car. People relish and it becomes a habit after 3:00 pm everyday. Its worse when they begin to throw some few nasty words on innocent pedestrian minding his/her business on the public street. What are these people doing there really, gazing at walking people or driving cars on the streets? Others are just addicted of visiting some certain spots several times a day or sometime sit there for hours, doing nothing but gossiping and talking.

Governor Kuol Manyang of Jonglei States was heard to have outlawed domino or playing cards during working hours or outside the clubs. If it’s true, then that man must be true to our cause. There is even a need to spend that time doing something else than just sitting and talking. There are books to read, field to clear, fish to net, cleaning to do, exercise for your health, investment to plan, school to study, activities to follow etc. Arabs works and drink, but we on the other hand, don’t work and only waste time in sitting and drinking. Our Hon. Minister Commerce and Supply (GoSS), Hon. Lino Makana made matters worse by inviting a brewing company right in the heart of our capital Juba and no one stopped him. To him and others, it’s an employment creation project and have disagreed. Hon. Minister should have come up with a company that saves lives not this very one that takes it away. A garbage company could be better; he knows his colleague on Health has snoring on his job.

But time in development is a dollar and am puzzle why the government is sitting with its hands folded watching our society degenerating to bunch of idlers; who do they think will come and urge these people for purposes of rebuilding our land. Money could be there but its needs human mind to benefit everyone. Botswana and Singapore for examples are two countries in the world that started late, but never wait for anyone to develop them; they made sacrifices themselves using their local talents and wisdom plus local resources (money).

Sir Seretse Khama in particular (1966-1980-Botswana) and Wee Kim Wee (1985-1993-Singapore) revolutionalized their countries within a very short period of time to their present modern status. Their predecessors only pick up from them. So, duration in power isn’t an issue in any leadership, but good governance and proper utilization of that time is. We need badly therefore at the moment a proper foundation through conscious craft policies within universal ideals of progress. Someone needs to read SPLM Policy Frame; it’s rich, good and should have been our bases for our foundation.

Brethren, we have a life to live and a country to build and it’s upon us to get going. If we stumble on our way, let’s stand up and go. GoSS leadership has stumbled no doubt; it’s our duty to cheer them up again at this critical moment. Our focus must be born out of experiences as a nation out of war. We also know that when a low producing leader clung to power, actually on his stomach not doing anything, not knowing what to do with power, you begin to think on ways to kick that leader out. In case, we are seriously hand bound by Khartoum case and hence easy to tolerate any monster until things becomes clearer. Arguably, the people he claims to government are always taking stock of what you a leader does even on those dark political corners. We seeing one tribe everywhere and this must change. We are seeing mismanagement of public funds and that again has to stop.

The removal of Gen. Jock Riak from tanks and that of Brigadier Malwal Majok from security and their replacement from people close to the State House incumbent must not be repeated. There is no time to talk about promotion of Brigadier Boll Chan Nyiel for Brigade V and Gen. Achuil Manola of Police. That madness (tribalism/nepotism) must not be taken to the army or security organs. Merit and only meritocracy can make a different in our society. Even if these men were qualified, the connotation should bother the advisor. I have laid it bare to stop another tribalist (leader) tomorrow from spoiling our togetherness in rewarding his/her own people in the name of power. We are one people who have shared difficult past and facing another future; why ‘akulabarau’ by the way in the glare of the public? I failed to figure out that courage!

We are seeing inexperienced leaders playing around with the future of Southern Sudan and that again has to be looked into seriously. The usefulness of our leaders was yesterday (during the war); the time we are in is for politicking. The likes of Hon. Dr. Luka Tombe Manoja, Hon. Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, Hon. Dr. Michael Whal Duany, Hon. John Luk Jock, Hon. Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, Mr. Nhial Deng Nhial and Hon. Elijah Malok Aleeng are the likes of Dr. Nafia Ali Nafia, Dr. Ghazi Salah El Din, Gudbi Al Mahdi, Dr. Kamal Abdul Latif and Salah Abdullah Al Gosh. SPLM current negotiators on behalf of Southern Sudan can’t match those Arabs in their present form. Their (Arab leaders) tongues never strayed in public whatever; their emotions and what not are under strict check all the time, unlike our young leaders who joke around with words. Political words are double swords, they can harm anyone or a nation if misuse. At the moment within SPLM top brass, it’s hard to differentiate between talking politics and others, and being an opposition or partner.

For people to work furthermore, the leaders in question must show by example. President Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea and his Rwandese counterparts are people anyone could benefit from their humble but stable national plans for their countries as well as their personal engagement to national issues. Their chairs and homes they live on could tell it all. How intolerant are they when something touches the public. We are at a threshing hold of our freedom; let’s work and assist others to work. The government can’t create every job for everyone, but if we begin by producing our own food, fixing our own houses, removing garbage near our homes, sitting on our own shops, or water our own kitchen gardens, then we will have a Botswana type of land in the next few years, others will envy.

The author is based in Juba. He can be reached at [email protected]