SPLM-DC says claimed SPLM supporter attacked delegate in Khartoum

Has Dr Lam Akol got the response he deserves? by Yong Deng

Two months ago, something very curious happened amid the sons and daughters of South Sudan. After several months of malicious scheming with NCP cadres, Dr Lam Akol Ajawin revealed to the world that he was once again submitting to the vicious enemy of the South Sudan people. He officially defected from SPLM and formed a party which by all the basis of prevailing context is known to be a destructive instrument that the NCP can use to create discord among Southerners, and to set them against one another.

The political reality of this blatant betrayal was skilfully covered up and concealed from the South Sudanese people through the use of unproven pretext that Mr Akol had overnight become the saviour of the South Sudanese people and hence was on a mission to rescue them from an impending danger. Although, it was on his part (Dr Lam) an ambitious and audacious scheme furnished with all the glittering and high sounding slogans that an artful politician can command, it was a treacherous act that deserves the most scornful epithet.

Misjudging the magnanimity and political sagacity of our people, Mr Akol felt overconfident that the South Sudanese people will be entrapped in this net of trickery. He arrogantly announced beforehand that he had the backing of the entire populace. He said that the ranks and files of the SPLM mainstream would join him immediately in large numbers. He expected a landslide backing of the South Sudanese citizenry.

At some points, one could not help but to feel sorry to think what the fate of our mother land, Junub El Sudan would be if our people were to fall victims to this deceptive trap, and follow Dr Lam on this treacherous path. However, I have the greatest satisfaction in the knowledge that the people of South Sudan, from their wealth of centuries of bitter experience with the oppressive Arabised North, have drawn some lifelong lessons and from those lessons formulated a correct and objective characterization of the enemy.

Hence on the basis of such characterisation they can identify the enemy anytime it raises its head amongst them in whatever manner. I knew that, sooner rather than later, the people of South Sudan would uncover the masked face of this hoax of a new party and see the wicked NCP behind that mask.

Now, two full months later, let us evaluate how Dr Lam fared in mobilising the people of South Sudan to support his new party.
For the last two months, the subject of the new party has not gained any credence in the territorial borders of South Sudan. The entire public has ignored it. The political leadership has either reacted harshly in denouncing it (In the case of the ranks and files of SPLM) or disregarded it altogether (In the case of other parties).

The group within the SPLM which Dr Lam Akol might have thought were vulnerable to his ploy because of their recent friction with the chairman has warned him outright to reconsider his move. To paraphrase Mr Telar Deng who issued a press statement to Sudan Tribune on June 11, saying that Dr Lam Akol has gone too far by forming the splinter party. That he would have pursued his interest within the SPLM. He further urged him to reconcile with the movement saying that any difference should be solved from within.

Other individuals whose names happen to be connected to Dr Lam Akol by accidence or merely by baseless allegation distance themselves from him swiftly and explicitly. For instance, when the governor of Western Bahr El Ghazal, Lt Gen Mark Nyipuoch Ubang overheard the allegation flying in his state accusing him of being sympathetic to Lam Akol and his new party, he rushed to call a news conference in Wau on July 1st and denied the existence of such relation in the most unequivocal terms. He swore that he would do such thing over his dead body. Mr Nyipuoch also promised that he will remain a member of SPLM mainstream until his death.
From the above working examples among others, it looks like the brand name of Dr Lam Akol and his new party has become a flu-infected dust that sends Southern politicians to their heels whenever their names are associated with it.

In the exact opposite development, the SPLM which Dr Lam trashed as malevolent and unworthy of truth is thriving in a manner which has never been witnessed before. South Sudanese politicians are quitting their long-time political parties and joining it. For example, Honourable Joseph Lasu Gale of Central Equatoria, who was a long time supporter of NCP, joined the SPLM recently. He said that it was time for Southern Sudanese people to united their voices together and consolidate their resolve for self-determination comes 2011.

In a similar development, Honourable Jacob Duang Wan of Jongulei announced on June 25 that he was quitting UDSF for SPLM. On the other hand, the electorates are flocking to SPLM headquarters in their states, counties and payams to be registered with the party in record numbers. The SPLM has recently been holding its biggest rallies in Jongulei state, Western Bahr El Ghazal, Lake State, Western Equatoria and Unity State among others. We are yet to learn of any city, any town or any village in the ten states of South Sudan where a SPLM-DC political activity has ever since been hosted.

The question that can then be asked is why is this seemingly well-calculated political manoeuvre failing so terribly to convince the South Sudanese people? Why is Dr Lam Akol getting the exact opposite response to that which he publicly proclaimed? Besides Mr Akol’s revealing past which I will not give any of my time again in this paper, our people decided this time to give Dr Lam a muted response because of the following reasons among others:

(1) Except for his criticism of SPLM and the South Sudan parliament, which I think he was doing just to please his NCP godfathers, Mr Akol failed to spell out any different path where he intends to direct the country. (2) He completely ignored the deliberate failure of NCP to implement the monumental clauses of CPA .

Today, the people of South Sudan are faced with a critical and complex situation since the dawn of peace five years ago. The interim pace of the solution to our national conflict is coming to an end. The Northern political establishment, instead of embarking on a peaceful road to a permanent solution as promised by the CPA, has chosen to work on sabotaging the key provisions of the agreement which could facilitate such amicable permanent settlement. Our people’s last hope (to get an independent South Sudan) is about to be frustrated at the last minute. They expect all their leaders to fight for them to save that hope. However, Dr Lam Akol’s position on such important issues as observed in the following case studies betrays those expectations:

Referendum: The right of Southern Sudanese to decide their political future through an internationally monitored referendum, which many Southerners consider to be the cornerstone of the CPA, is now under severe threat. The northern political establishment is unable to stomach the fact that it is going to lose the vast oil wealth that has been keeping its oppressive regime alive for the last decades. The NCP, having failed to make unity attractive to Southerners for the last five years, have resolved to undermine the Referendum, either by legislative or military means or both. Besides their reluctance to enact the South Sudan referendum act since July 2007, the Northern ruling elites are now threatening to derail the exercise altogether.

On June 25, the NCP speaker of the national assembly, Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir told the press unequivocally that the NCP will do anything to make the secession of the South very difficult. That was a provocative statement that should have drawn outrage and called for harsh reproach from all South Sudanese. Quite the opposite, Dr Lam Akol instead criticised the SPLM that it was the one responsible for delaying the enactment of the referendum act-and he calls himself the saviour of the South Sudanese people! What a mockery and an insult to the people of South Sudan!

Census result: The results of the fifth population census were ruthlessly manipulated by the National Congress Party to save their selfish political interest in expense of the intended service to the people. The prospect of using such results as a basis for redistributing national resources and legislative powers will have a dangerous implication on the wellbeing of South Sudan people. The real risk of this happening is that it will facilitate a northern majority in the national parliament, which can then alter the interim constitution and therefore the referendum act.

Experience has shown us that the Southern right to self-determination cannot find an ample space in such a northern majoritarian legislative assembly. Instead of joining the Southern Sudanese of all political spectrums in condemning this chauvinistic transgression from the northern political elites, Dr Lam threw his birth right away and allies himself with the political North.

Insecurity: It is widely known within and outside Sudan that the National Congress has been deliberately orchestrating chaos in the South since 2005.Besides direct assaults like the ones in Abyei and in Malakal, that were carried out on both civilians and the SPLA by the Sudan Armed Forces, Sudan intelligent is also believed to be fanning the tribal feuds and supporting LRA. In October 2007, the late Minister of SPLA affairs, Lt General Dominic Dim Deng said that SPLA had reliable information that Sudan Intelligent was supporting the LRA. The same claim is widely shared among all Southern leaders.

Last month, Honourable Tako Moyi of Juba County was reported to have asserted that he also had reliable evidence that Sudan Intelligent is currently supporting the LRA. As president Kiir put it at the chiefs’ conference in Bentiu, the purpose of this aggression is to discredit South Sudanese as people who cannot govern themselves.
Dr Lam, Akol in his press release during the launch of his party, refused to acknowledge the fact that Khartoum is partly responsible for the insecurity in the South. He squarely blames it on the GOSS. This one-sided approach on Lam Akol’s part eroded the legitimacy of his claim that he is a saviour of South Sudan people. He appears to be more of Northern stooge in the eyes of our people.

Border demarcation: Delaying tactics has been used by national Congress Party since July 2005 to frustrate the border demarcation exercise. The political North fears the prospect of losing the resourceful border regions that it now possesses illegitimately. Moreover, the NCP is worried that a well delineated border will prop the SPLM to kick the Sudan armed forces out of the parts of geographical South that it now occupies illegally with the pretext that no clear borders exist. An undefined border with the North is a grave challenge to a possible independent South Sudan whether it is acquired through referendum or unilateral declaration.

Dr Lam Akol would have been relevant had he suggested what he can do different to make the National Congress changes its mindset and carry out the North-South border demarcation. Instead, his known position so far is to cooperate with and never criticise the NCP.

At this critical juncture in the history of our liberation struggle, Dr Lam Akol Ajawin, as one of the most educated Southern leaders, was relied on by the Southern people to fight for them against the oppressive Arabised north-whether he is in the SPLM or in any other political party. Instead, he has decided to throw away his mantle of protective responsibility and capitulated to the vicious enemies of our people.

Due to his inferiority complex, he feels that his political ambition will best be served when he set sail with the powerful Arabised North and put on the identity of the superior Arab race. He recently kicked off his new party activities by touring all the most radical Arab countries. In Syria where he met, on June 30, with the leaders of the Arab Baath Party (the ruling party), Lam Akol’s press conference was reported by SANA (Syrian government News Agency) as follows:

“
Al-Ahmar and Acol discuss developing party relations
Al-Baath Arab Socialist Party Assistant secretary-general Abdullah al-Ahmar and chairman of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Party, democratic change, and the former Sudan’s Foreign Minister Lam Acol Ajawin discussed today party relations and ways of developing them. Al-Ahmar stressed Syrian support to Sudanese territorial and people’s unity and rejection of external interference in its affairs. Acol, for his party, expressed his country’s appreciation over Syrian supportive stances to Sudan.

Ajawin hailed Syria’s stances which support the security and stability of Sudan, describing the Syrian-Sudanese relations as distinguished brotherly relations which depend on coordination and consultation in the common interests of both countries and the causes and rights of the Arab nations, asserting that the Sudanese choice proceeds from the determination on facing all the challenges and the adherence to its land and people unity and the bases of its national and pan-Arab identity.
”
This speech, from a person who regards himself and was regarded by his audience as representing the legitimate views of the South Sudanese, is an insult to our dignity. It is a sacrilegious betrayal to a people who bored all the sacrifices, who endured gross abuses and who suffered immense loss of lives at the hands of Pan-Arabists to have their freedom restored, their dignity respected and their African identity recognised. It, more than anything else, damages this claim of ‘saving the South Sudanese’. It exposes the hypocrisy of this political Manoeuvre. Our people can no longer be deceived by false promises. Their conscience is aroused. They have realised all these deceptions and that is why they have decided to quarantine Dr Lam and his sham of a party.

Dr Lam Akol Ajawin is our brother, yes. He, like all of us, is a native son of South Sudan, yes. He could deserve a better regard from us, yes, but since he has chosen to make his living by betrayal, disowning him is the response he deserves.

SPLM-DC says claimed SPLM supporter attacked delegate in Khartoum
SPLM-DC Oyeee!!!!!! SPLM-DC Oyee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello to all people of Sudan who read news. Iam glad today you saw,read,or heared the behaviour of SPLM. The attitude of SPLM supporter who disturbed a public debate in EI Nilein University in Khartoum is realy the way they act and run the government in South now. They do not want any party to compete with them because they know that they are not a qualify people to lead the South. SPLM its option now is to make aviolent so that people fear them and to about democray which is their illness in the Sudan. Iam calling on all people of Sudan specilly Sutherns who have deire to security, peace,value, dignity,democracy and love to see all people happy like him/her to come togather to change the life we see or hear everday in south. If you are skeptical about democracy then our families will continue to dieing through killing, diseases,hunger which SPLM is not able to stop.

Oduck Bol

SPLM-DC says claimed SPLM supporter attacked delegate in Khartoum
Does anybody know why most Southerners will never trust Dr. Lam Akol? – The answer is simple, he once betrayed SPLM/SPLA (1990s) and went to the Arab’s side just when the SPLM/SPLA needed him the most. It is very hard to trust a former betrayer no matter how sweet his ideas appear to be. And “trust” must be earned, but demanded.