Genius of success to lead South Sudan to prosperity

By James Okuk

June 14, 2009 — The break away of Dr. Lam Akol and the emergence of the SPLM-DC as a challenging political party to SPLM leadership of the South have generated hot debates on Southern Sudan political polemics. Dr. Lam’s audacity has nowadays created an unexpected hard situation and tough choices for the Vice President of the GoSS who has been looking forward for luck of getting the Presidency of the South on the expense of H.E. Slav Kiirs failures, using the same hierarchy of leadership structure that gave Kiir the best of luck to get SPLM Chairmanship in New Site in 2005 and in Juba in 2008. This dying hope has been detected from the subsequent writings of Dr. Riek’s supporters.

One of the revelations appeared in the exposition that was flip-flopped by Gatkuoth Deng of USA under the titled “SPLM vs SPLM-DC: A pig blaming the fox for quitting.” I can call this article dubious because of the deception tactics inherent in its message. In a silence mode, this article tried to persuade the readers to regard Kiir as useless leader to be given SPLM candidature for the GoSS Presidency in the coming elections. It also scared them to support Dr. Lam in his recent move to declare a contest for Southern Sudan Presidency without using SPLM platform.

The author of the article tried his very best to witch-hunt the Press Release by Dr. Lam on the official launching of the new political party (the SPLM-DC), with the aim of paving the way to the worried Dr. Riek. He looks at the move of Dr. Lam as a blockage to Dr. Riek’s leadership aspirations. But Mr. Gatkuoth got it all wrong and ended up doubting because it is really very difficult to refute that well-calculated Press Release, which carries at the same time tripartite advantage of amour of truth, logic and politics.

Since Dr. Lam Akol focus is on how to rescue Southern South from corruption, lack of development and leadership crisis, it will be misplaced and useless for him to criticize the NCP who only control the North and have no real power in the South (as provided by the CPA). The author of the dubious article has forgotten that as far as strategic thinking is concerned, it is the SPLM leadership that should bear the burdens of criticisms and blames for governance failures in the South.

The SPLM controls the maximum share of government power in Southern Sudan, which it mismanaged and abused for Four-Years that negated a timely delivery of the most needed peace dividends to the people at the grass-roots. Dr. Riek is part of this mess because he has been the Vice President of the GoSS, otherwise he would have resigned early if he tried to change things but was ignored by H.E. Salva Kiir. It was known that Dr. Riek accommodated so many idle people in expensive hotels in Juba in the expense of GoSS coffers. Therefore, he cannot be exempted from being an accomplice of Kiir’s repeated failures and perpetual disappointments to the people of Southern Sudan as Gatkuoth Deng wants his readers to believe.

What a big lie and a big deception in this statement of Gatkuoth’s article: “Dr. Lam Akol defected from Machar after he realized that Machar did not want to finish Garang’s faction.” What the author did not know is that history has recorded it well that it was Dr. Riek who dismissed Dr. Lam and some articulate comrades from SPLM/A Nasir faction. Ask John Luke, the GoSS Minister of Energy and Mining and he will prove my point of truth here.

But was it realistic that Dr. Lam and Commander William Nyuon Bany had the capacity and intention to finish up SPLM/A Torit faction under the charismatic leadership of Dr. John Garang who was surrounded by intelligent Commanders like Oyai Deng Ajak, Pyang Deng Majok, James Hoth, etc as Dr. Riek claimed that he could have done it with the help of SAF if he wanted to? Who allowed the NIF GoS to start exploring and extracting oil in Unity State in 1998 when Dr. Lam was opposed to the idea as premature at that time?

With the announcement and launching of the SPLM-DC as apolitical party that will aim at better change in the South, I would have expected Mr. Gatkuoth to urgently shake Dr. Riek Machar and tell him to resign from the GoSS and SPLM leadership mess so that people can believe that he could be the saviour of South Sudan if prophesy of Ngundeng becomes true and realistic?

The writer of the article could have told his man to declare his underground political party (before it was too late) if he did not want to join the SPLM-DC under the wise and concerned leadership of Dr. Lam Akol! It is said that when Dr. Lam approached him with the idea of change of SPLM failed leadership from without the party structures, Dr. Riek was hesitant to risk his current position in the GoSS and so he preferred to be content with the current worst status quo in the South because he has nothing to lose individually. He told Dr. Lam’s supporters to go and sell the idea in different states of Southern Sudan and evaluate whether it will be successful.

But the deadline for registration of political parties was running out while Dr. Riek remained dreaming for piecemeal leadership of the South without taking risks and the burdens of reactions by the opponents. Now the time is out and tough choices still await him in the shabby and dark room of the SPLM top leaders. Forming a new political party will not work anymore for the coming elections unless Dr. Riek is willing to join a registered party if he found himself thrown out of window by SPLM Leadership Bureau and Secretariat.

Compared to Dr. Lam, and as the disappointed masses are looking for a better alternative to Kiir’s leadership of the South, Dr. Riek is known as a weak leader who wastes his time on computer, playing Cards and Chess while the ignorant followers and supporters think he is doing a terrific donkey-work and service to the needy people of Southern Sudan. His staying up to late nights in his office in Juba does not imply hard work. It is also known that because of Dr. Riek indifference and slowness to address hot issues on the spot, the beloved comrade Uncle Joseph Oduho was killed in Panyigor during the hard times of the struggle despite the early warnings reported to him.

In my evaluation and judgment, Dr. Riek will never be a better alternative to ‘Dr.’ Kiir even if he waits until the last minutes when he finds himself in-between-and-nowhere in the SPLM politics of power sharing during the coming elections even if he campaigns hard to scare Salva Kiir and make him resign and go home. If he thinks that he could be nominated to stand as the SPLM candidate for the GoSS Presidency in the next year elections, then he is dreaming a fantastic dream whose end is futile because Dr. Garang’s Orphans (who were recently adopted by Kiir as his Boys) are also eying that top public job too, and they have majority power in Political Bureau that can easily oust the unwanted dreamer who they level as traitor.

The only better alternative (I am not saying the best) to Kiir in governing the South and taking it safely out of the turbulences that stand on its tough journey to independence, is Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin because of the best capacities of good governance he has. It is said that when the going gets tough, it is the tough who gets going.

Dr. Lam is a tough and savvy politician as well as the man of the people who has been willing to practice what he preaches. His declaration to contest for GoSS Presidency is a self-evidence fact that his heart is with the suffering masses in the South. Unlike the current SPLM leaders who have not been practicing what they have preached and who have live in self-denials for failing people’s expectations for peace-time, the leaders of the newly born SPLM-DC will never allow public financial thieves in the South to roam freely and go unpunished for their crimes against public development rights.

Also the SPLM-DC will never entertain the geniuses of failures in the GoSS and all the states of Southern Sudan or recycle them for committing more failures in delivering CPA dividends to the marginalized masses. The leadership of the new party has a strong faith for changing the South for better through strategic thinking and devising means for putting creative positive planning into successful practice on the ground. They know that the New Sudan Vision is an excellent and realistic political rhetoric that only need sincere commitment for its real practice, starting with the semi-autonomous South.

This gap of practice is what has been violated by the SPLM cadres for Four years now under their control of public affairs of the South; the SPLM-DC will fill up this gap and the people will experience the benefits of peace within short time. With leadership of geniuses of success at the helm of GoSS, things aren’t going to fall apart anymore because difficulties will be rigorously studied and efficiently dealt with so that the masses are granted their opportunities for pursuing dignified life of happiness on their own Motherland.

Under the control of the SPLM-DC for the GoSS and the ten states of Southern Sudan, both human disasters and natural hazards will be arrested efficiently without bias. No luxury and extravagancy will be allowed to be enjoyed by few elites in the expense and midst of mass poverty.

This wise quote from Antonio Rosmini’s book, “The Cause for the Stability and Downfall of Human Societies” will act as the guide of SPLM-DC Philosophy of Governance for inclusive and sustainable human development: “If we know what is true, and endeavour to arouse benevolent, virtuous affections in ourselves, we will come to do what is good; but if we ignore what is true, feed on falsity and put ourselves in the grip of evil, vicious passions, we will direct ourselves to evil.” This is to prevent the future of South Sudan and the desired destiny for her people to drip into the abyss of dooms from a failed state and any tendency of deformed leadership. Also the SPLM-DC cadres will seriously take the advice of the African famous Novelist, Chinue Achebe: “I think it’s more effective, more useful, to find what you can do rather than what you can’t do.”

The SPLM-DC will embrace with openhandedness whoever comes to join it with a good intention for better change in the South without selfishness of tribalism or clannishism. Masses of women and youth are impressed by the objectives and leadership qualities and capabilities of this new political party and they have turned out voluntarily and started nurturing it as a strong child born with mature teeth and strong nails.

No unjustifiable dictatorship or conspiracies shall be practiced within the SPLM-DC; only democratic constitutional procedures and mandates shall be above every member (including the top leader). “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” (Courtesy of Barack Obama).

Long Live SPLM-DC and long Live Dr. Lam and his team with a highly possible successful mission for real change that descends down from sweet words to sweet deeds. Forward Ever, Backward Never!

James Okuk, PhD Student, University of Nairobi, [email protected]