Southern political expediency is no brainer

By Isaiah Abraham

June 23, 2009 — We have been engaged for the past few days doing literally damage to ourselves than good especially over the formation of another SPLM party under Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin; the very topic that has refused to go away on ground not necessary constructive. Some of us went a notch higher to throw every bit of gauntlet to support or condemn the move without taking their time on the substance of his defection. In the process we were left with dints of irrationality that haunt our conscience as we reflect back to our reaction..

What am talking about here really? This is what we want to say: some of us have curiously narrowed the whole case at hand to the personality of Dr. Akol on the expense of his message or matters he has raised. In another word, we had spent enough time chiding the ‘package’ leaving the message to slips below/under our belts.

I thought Dr. Akol had talked about the need to overhaul the system called the SPLM from its proclaimed tenets, and this is in terms of its direction towards peace, democracy, governance and freedom of expression and opinion among others.. His timing and the move however might not be popular to many but the man has raised critical issues that might help the SPLM in the long run or make it stand the test of time. I doubt whether shouting and personal assassination tirade could do away with those pertinent issues he has raised and of which we have been monotonously talking about them often here.

So what is the point? Am tempted to highlight some mists, or mistakes we have been making as we attempt to absorb the second SPLM split under Dr. Lam Akol, and the efforts or what have not, to find ways out of that hassle. But, I shall do it briefly with no much comment to add.

Here is the first one: some of us have suggested that Dr. Akol SPLM breakaway is a touted arm of the NCP and therefore a fronted mole aimed at frustrating the SPLM ‘fight’ for its rights against the NCP. These people purported ‘evidences’ that include the base of the party and sponsorship.

Granted, no one knows what had gone under the bridge or say between the Dr. Akol new party and the NCP in the case of support and backing but that isn’t a deal so long it isn’t interfering with the quest for freedom by the people of Southern Sudan and other marginalised regions. He knows how many times Khartoum have tried to undermine the people of Southern Sudan through its own sons and that never worked, what will make it work today when we have entrenched in the South more than any other time before.

Second is that some people have accused Dr. Lam Akol of insincerity and power hungry man. That he has been denied the ministerial appointment in the last res shuffle after he had lost his first job in Khartoum. This is partly true, and had expected the President then to appoint him anywhere specially the ministry of Regional Cooperation that has done nothing to our people under Dr. Marial Benjamin Bill. This is serious, the President knows the followings this man has besides his talents, but chose to toss him and continue to ignore him for reasons dated to the land of Jikany in the 1991. Who never rebelled against the SPLM by the way? What did he do that others didn’t do that makes him a refuse within the structures of the party and the government.

Pause a minute, am on brief for Dr. Akol here or agent of the group pocket stuffed by the NCP? No way, am no 467 of the Tumsah Battalion and will be the last to leave the party when my breath is gone! What will I tell those who die ahead of me when I join them if I shuttle between my stomach and my heads? Shame on me if…

Let’s return to where we were (the story). The third mist is this: some of us have subjectively written Dr. Akol off by arguing that the man has put a pen into his political obituary and will go alone or that he will have no impact at all. This is a fallacy because the indicators so far show that Dr. Lam Akol command a sizeable support from his tribesmen. and other ajacent areas, even if some of them aren’t coming out openly but opted to suppress their support momentarily. Time will betray them anyway!

Forth is the blanket dismissal or loud silence about some issues in Dr. Akol case. Take for example the vice named as corruption, is that the creation of the SPLM man (Dr. Akol)? I thought we could push our government to the wall about this matter so to change tact against its current futile fight. Before we dismiss perhaps we should have investigate and the writer isn’t picking from the web sites to peddle idle insinuation but the Anti-Corruption Unit is right here among us and could testify. Even banks could act as witnesses since we channel our money through them to our families in neighboring countries, Europe and Khartoum. May be this isn’t a small thing because we won’t go anywhere with evil among us. Bishop Lukudu where did you go, pray hard!

Fifth and the final is a claim that Dr. Lam Akol has exaggerated charges about the NCP-SPLM relationship. People who condemned him on this path of reasoning want that partnership severe because they thought the NCP is the problem in the implementation of the CPA, even forgetting that we have gone a long way out. They are urging the SPLM to look for another group within Northern Political forces and Juba a week ago has seen the ‘treachery’ with its own ‘eyes’. What a gamble! I don’t think its right to buy this freaky strategy. The NCP is our partner and something must change from us to keep that partnership flourish than die for the smooth running to the finish line.

At a nutshell, just to repeat oursleves, we got to make peace and unity among ourselves as a priority. We gpt to talk to each other and listen to one another. We need to examine our attitudes against the NCP. The President last week stole my respect when he delivered his splendid speech in Parliament. His handling of Dr. Lam Akol argument with sobriety and calmness has gone well with many. He need therefore to extend it by talking to Dr. Lam and his group. The SPLM must seize the opportunity to do something about issues that are necessary for our existence. Dr. Lam on his side must rethink his position and start to talk to President Kiir or the Vice President.

The party ought to inject fresh blood in its systems of governance particularly democratization of its structures. If a loser loses, he loses; what a point to keep him/her there. To repeat myself, the NCP-SPLM relationship presently is bad and had to be rejuvenated. One of my learned brother last week passionately talk about it here. This is important and if it means that the SPLM abandon its ambition to unseat Al Bashir by allowing him to contest that presidency with non signatories of the agreement, so let it be! Census row therefore must be oppressed, it must not be allowed to stand in the way, when we are just months away from our overall pictures. Long live the SPLM/A, long live the unity of our people under Kiir-Machar leadership.

Isaiah Abraham is based in Juba; he is on [email protected]