Bakosoro’s election will not be without a price

By Isaiah Abraham

April 30, 2010 — History was made in Western Equatoria of the Southern Sudan in the just concluded elections. The people of Western Equatoria State chose Col Joseph Bakosoro against the SPLM choice Madame Jemma Nunu Kumba. The contest was too close, a slim margin separated the two. Yambio the capital city of the State was forensic; it was flocked by supporters of the triumphant new governor. People congratulated each other for what they seemed to have achieved, and the man of the moment never disappointed anyone as he exuberantly roll out why he was the best; with a sigh of relief read out over his little face. My congratulations go to all, the winners and the losers for making this event a reality. Mr. Governor elect, my salutations!

Before we celebrate too much however, there is a ‘cost’ to pay as far as the decision to shun the party in favor of the person is concerned. Being an independent is particularly tricky in our case, where an ‘island’ (WES) sprang out of an ‘ocean’ (SPLM). It would take a bit of wisdom to wither conspiracies that are likely going to be unleashed on anybody would be challenging the ruling party. Technically to date, our independent candidates are renegades and sought after by other political groupings. They have made no secret of talking openly against the SPLM party. The SPLM looks resign to that fact and are not in hurry to waste resource and time to woe them back. The Secretary General of the party has hinted something related to the same.

Independent candidates in Houses in other parts of the world enjoy all the privileges like any other members of the ruling party. They are also the blue eyes of other political parties since their voting trend could swing and make a difference. They enjoy being independence since they are answerable to non but to themselves, and on remote cases to the people that brought them to power. That is about members in the house, but for governorship I don’t think its easy to play it safe all the time, the same way a member of the house could play his cards there.

Governors per our Interim Constitutions have specific responsibilities of running their states autonomously. This fact negates nothing on major policy practices stem from ruling parties. This is where the problem lies about this special case at hand (Independent governor). Someone has joked that by electing an independent candidate as governor we must not be surprise if he appoints an independent cabinet. I don’t know what that would mean to other arms of the government that are likely to be pro SPLM party, if that came to passed.

In simple English, Governor elect Bakosoro has a problem in his hands. If he goes defiance like he did at this election, the possibilities of him losing his seat would be high given SPLM majority in the house- gurbash known as impeachment. But even if the party chooses not to play conspiracy, the areas under party suspicion are slowly ‘tortured’. Don’t be surprised this is what happens across governments. I’m not saying this should be the case in, but am afraid we might not be unique! We have read parts of cities around the world through which opposition/independent candidates emerged winners. They are destined for raw deals with no clear way of stopping it, whether you shout it or cry it. Don’t make a mistake about power of the ruling system. Everything is possible and perfect when done, until someone changes the system; politics is all but interests.

But the lost of Governorship seat by the SPLM has sparked heated debate among Southerner intelligentsia. Some attributed it to poor show by the outgoing governor, Madam Nunu. They say Madam Nunu was presumptuous, sometime harsh, proud, and often gibe on his opponents. Others still feel (trivial argument though) that there is no need to have Kumba dynasty representing them- the husband as a minister and the wife as governor. She was also charged of having dropped civil servants from one particular community there, a charge that was denied.

On an overall, there are those who believed an argument that there is a sentiment created by two incidences in 2006 and 2007. One was tribal and the other was criminal. The former was a feud between Azande and Dinka and the other was the killing of senior police officers. The two weren’t nice incidences. Lives were lost and many homes and properties were destroyed in 2006. No one knows how did it end, or what measure was put in place to stop it from recurring. The big Vice President Dr. Riek Machar quelled it anyway. But smoldering of that incident still haunts the SPLM party that is unjustifiably tag as a Dinka party. Madame Jemma was too close to the party and to the leadership given her contribution to the party long enough. I don’t know whether these are issues in consideration.

In the process of grabbling/finding an answer (s), there is no way for us to look back, other than focus now on the aftermath or repercussion of whatever that has happened in the WES. The repercussion am talking about in few words is this: how will Governor Bakosoro fair with the SPLM dominated government when he has officially broke rank with it? In another word, how will his relation with his erstwhile comrades look like? Work sometime can’t hinge on rule, but relationships.

But the lost of that seat to independent candidate never bothered SPLM party. In the first place they didn’t put enough attention owing to its geographical position. It has been a strong hold of the SPLM after all, and that assumption never goes anywhere. Late Samuel Abu John Kabashi comes for that green state. No one would doubt the sacrifices made by the people of Western Equatoria state for the advancement of SPLM military cause there. 99% of WES are die heart SPLM members and nothing really could be suspected to be happening against the party. The incoming governor was careful to associate himself with the party, he’s one of the liberation heroes. SPLM didn’t do much there!

Yet politics is dirty as the saying goes. Mr. Bakosoro isn’t looking back. Am seeing a pariah governor taking an oath; he is most likely going to be isolated from within his state (SPLM majority supporters) and from his executive headquarters in Juba. This is a sad truth unless the man takes a leap of faith to start talking to the party for a kind of an alliance or political cooperation, since he is unlikely to declare himself back to the party, given Mr. Amum caution reaction to those who would have wish to return. The choice of people’s governor was well intended, and it is a right by the voter, but there is another ‘small’ choice that was overlooked, a choice the people of WES must now rectify or stand the chance of isolation from the rest of other Southern states. May that is my wild conclusion, what do you think?

Isaiah Abraham lives in Juba; he’s on [email protected]