Where is Salva Kiir Mayardit when we need him
By Luke Kuth Dak
March 14, 2009 — In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. And if a man hasn’t discovered something that he would die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
There comes a time when a leader must take a social or political stances that are neither safe, nor popular, but ones that must be made because they are the right thing to do, especially when the nation’s future is in jeopardy, which is the case in Sudan, today.
An overwhelming majority of Southern Sudanese, or perhaps the whole country are clearly deeply troubled, dismayed, angered and concerned over the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement’s (SPLM) handling of the crisis of the aftermath of the issuance of the arrest warrant on the embattled strongman of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir.
To this day, apart from some meaningless and in some cases unauthorized irresponsible comments by some high ranking party and government officials, the SPLM’s official position- whether against or for the International Criminal Court ( ICC) arrest warrant on the indicted President al-Basher is anyone’s guess. Which, furthermore leaves its supporters and sympathizers, alike in a confused state of mind and bewilderment as to what could have happened, or has become of, perhaps, one of the most powerful political organizations in the whole of the Sudan, if not the continent at large.
Clearly, the SPLM is seriously underestimating the enormity of not only the crisis in the Sudan, in the wake of al-Basher’s arrest warrant, but also what its inactions and indecisiveness could mean to the International community, without whom the comprehensive Peace Agreement, also known as CPA, would have not been born, and without its safeguarding, it would not have survived. The reality of the situation is that the SPLM has everything to gain by being on the side of its allies in the world community, but everything to lose siding with the indicted President! It’s only a matter of time before the United Nations see to it that the arrest warrant is carried out. At that time, however, it would be too late for flip-flopping that is taking place right now.
Therefore, it makes an paramount that the SPLM makes its position unequivocally clear, that it will not be a safe-haven for a war criminal and the world’s second most wanted man- after the terrorist Osama bin Laden. It can also be sure of the support of most of the Sudanese people, especially from the South. This brings to play the concerns of some Sudanese people about what the transparency that President Kiir had promised them, time and again, on just about any opportunity he ever had. on the contrary, each and everyday, he is making people question his hard-earned leadership qualifications and trustworthiness.
That brings us to the must-asked question: where is Salva Kiir when the country needs him the most. When tough decisions have to be made; when despair is in everybody’s eye; corruption at its peak, and tribalism is spreading out like wild fire?
Mr. President, we need you to act right now.
The author is a former anchor with radio Juba and a contributor with Sudan Tribune. He can be reached at
[email protected]
Samani
Where is Salva Kiir Mayardit when we need him
He made his point clear !! what are you ignorant ??!
Under the peace deal with South Sudan, Kiir is now Sudan’s first vice president, as well as leader of the southern autonomous region. Kiir said he would not execute the arrest warrant. “It is not my responsibility to hand him over. He’s my president and I’m the vice president,” Kiir said. “I’m not the police of the ICC.” (Reuters, March 12)
Akol Liai Mager
Where is Salva Kiir Mayardit when we need him
Very touching and interesting Article that I wish President Kiir, his advisors and SPLM Sec. Gen. Mr Pagan Amum get good time to not only read, but a tripple and comprehensive reading.
SPLM leadership’s sense to observe situations for the sake of people and of its own interest is completely either dead or diverged to the cheapest personal interests.
Mr president, his advisors and party secretary general need to understand an outcomes of subtracting one from zero [0-1] regarding SPLM’ multiple responses to current political situation [Issuance of An Arrest Warrant by ICC]. The article’s author made it clearer to Mr President and his Aids that “SPLM leadership has more to gain by siding the international community than siding internationally’s 2nd most wanted man”. He further said that; “an wanted man will be apprehended” so, the author of this article is fit in an advisory position to the SPLM leadership isn’t he?
I included Mr Amum in my comment despite his patriotic position in all Sudan’s national issues including his called for NIF to cooperate [NIF to hand-over all suspects to ICC without exceptions] with ICC use a legal based challenges to challenge Mr Ocampo. The reason is that; how a secretary general of a party keeps silence while his party being distorted in the parliament as we have seen Ghazi Suleiman and Lam Akol talking in the tongue of Al Bashir and his aids on behave of SPLM on Omdurman’s TV coverage of NIF so-called National Parliment discussing ICC Issuance of Arrest Warrant. Al Turabi the man who gave birth to and brought radical Islamic movement was even moderate than SPLM guys and it was horroable so, I shutdown my TV and gone to bed wondering about the future of SPLM in the hands of these guys.
We all know that; Mr Amum is a most wanted man by NIF because of his “Sudan a Failed State Remaks, Charismatic and popularity” but the author of this article has a good message to him too that’s a quoted statement made by Mr Martin L. King.
Finally, can Mr Amum and his two duties use his Failed state’s remarks which was overwhelmingly supported by SPLM supporters and non-supporters alike as a tool to assess economical and security situations in all states under SPLM authority? How do they tell and covince the New Sudan citizens that SPLM will manage those issues over the whole Sudan if it win this year election in case?
jeff
Where is Salva Kiir Mayardit when we need him
The president in southsudan has no knowledge of governance he is a bushman.
Only my country France can rule Africa,When we colonized Africa the situation for the people was much better then when we gave it back to the natives. Look what we did in latin America, we delivered the native indians from the bush to the cities,we did murder alot of them but it is because we do not want too many of them because they threaten our European security so it is not a genocide it is self defence what happened in Latin America with the indians.
But the British kiss ass did kill more blacks during colonialism than the French did,they and American killed more people in Ieaq to Afghanistan than us the French,I like German because it produced Hitler the best leader Europe have seen,Hitler gave the jews a good lesson.
Israel cannot fuck with France or German because they know we will finish what our hero Hitler did not finish.
We the superiir French we took child slaves from Chad because we wanted to educate them to be civilized like Europeans,We will take more children from south Sudan soon to educate them to be good leaders in Africa not like present corrupt African leaders who do not respect international laws and ignore the UN.
Koja Rubi
Where is Salva Kiir Mayardit when we need him
Hi Southern Sudanese,
I to want bring to your attention that the SPLM as party and as a pertner to CPA is afraid of formally supporting the ICC for only one reason;
1. Being the ruling party is Southern Sudan, the SPLM failed to prepare for crisis like the one of the ICC. The SPLM has put the GOSS government in a begging position to the governemnt of National unity, that is why they (SPLM) if they support the ICC, Khartoum will cut all the 50% oil revenue which the Southern Sudan Governement relies on. They have no alternative becasuse they mismanaged all the locally resource which could help govern the South even without oil money. It is very unfortunate that our governement has failed to learn the fact that there many countries on earth which are flourishing without oil.
If we continue kneeling down to Bashir’s government, I am sorry our children will regret their Southern Sudanese nationality. Shame on our leaders! They claim to have Doctorates. these are hopeless papers.