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Sudan Tribune

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State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan

By Manyang Mayom

August 30, 2010 (RUMBEK) – The former speaker of Lakes state Legislative Assembly, Isaiah Alier Mashinkok, has suggested that if south Sudan becomes independent after a referendum in January it should adopt a new name by using the first letter from each southern State to avoid ethic or religious divisions.

Mashinkok who is currently serving in the Lakes state parliament as chairman of Land and Human Resource Committee told Sudan Tribune that naming south Sudan in this way would make the would-be-nation inclusive for all southern Sudanese.

”The whole of Equatoria has [to] be represented by letter E, and Northern Upper Nile and Unity state with letter U, Lakes, L, Warrap, W and Jonglei (J)”, Mashinkok explained.

“Out of them [letters] we can formulate acronyms that can sound well and which can represent all of us in the ten states and this can provide us with a good name”, he said.

“We can manipulate the six letters to form acronyms that would sound like KANU, UNESCO, SANU and so on that we can adopt,” he said.

Mashinkok said that his idea came from Joseph Lagu, who led the southern Anyanya rebel movement against Khartoum from 1955-1972. Lagu chose the name Anyanya from Inyanyi the name of a poisonous snake.

Mashinkok argues that the reason the name was so widely adopted was that it had no affiliation to “nationality, tribe, clan, or to any ethnic groups.”

If south Sudan was given a new name in relation to “holy names or sites, heroes, native historical places” then this will cause divisive arguments the official said. Choosing a name related to religion was result in “Muslims versus Christians or catholic versus Protestants,” he said.

Mashinko urged southern Sudan to conduct the referendum peacefully.

Mashinkok told Sudan Tribune that self-determination vote must be held in January as stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) – former rebels who have governed the south since 2005 – and the National Congress party (NCP) – who have ruled Sudan since a coup in 1989.

The south is widely expected to vote for secession from the north.

The state names and their initials are below.

1. C E Central Equatoria

2. E E Eastern Equatoria

3. J Jonglei

4. L Lakes

5. N B E G Northern Bahr El Ghazal

6. U Unity

7. U N Upper Nile

8. W Warrap

9. W B E G Western Bahr El Ghazal

10. W E Western Equatoria

(ST)

33 Comments

  • junub
    junub

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    Mashinkok,

    Before I defy your idea of using the acronym style to name our Southern Sudan if it seperated to an independent state next year as a poor idea, I would first admired to ask you this question: have you by any chance gave you thought to potential chaos the so calls naming will drag to our people. Why don’t we please be patient to ourselves to kept aside such weak idea to later on and get over with the sucession of our country first. It wouldn’t be matter to either you or anyone else to name our country after its birth since it’s in our African culture that we don’t named our children on their birth, but after they are born and named with nick names; such as Baboya and so forth.

    How important is the name to you than the percieving of out country? Sound like you do not know the true border of the Southern Sudan now.

    Please, do know I know you and me are mutual concerned compatriots of our Southern Sudan, who desperately indeed want to assured we suceded from the fanatic Notherners, Jalaba. But not really with ripping off the name South Sudan. Isn’t that idea weak really to merely focused on the name than the imperative that surrounded the seperation of Southern Sudan. Please slowed down abit and cease the spiring of the shadow of the elephant than at the elephant itself?

    Reply
  • Grader
    Grader

    Mashinkok is a tribal warlord
    Lakes former speaker is deeply intrenced in tribal politics that he can’t even reason beyond triabalism and nepotism thats bleeding Lakes to death!

    Does Mashinkok agree that States are tribal formation rather than political?

    Shame on you

    Reply
  • Aarai Baka
    Aarai Baka

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    there is no other names than South Sudan. Southern Sudan is much better than combining all those letters u have mentioning

    Reply
  • Achouth
    Achouth

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    Revolutionary Greeting to all compatriots of South Sudan,

    It is interesting to have an healthy of allowing different views to be explore on matters to do with South.
    I think Southerners are entitled to express their views in more respectful way, However, let us understand Southerners have a history and they need to continue that history by including state name, hence there must be strong link between the name of state (Currently South Sudan) and people of South.

    The notion of inclusion does not mean if section of South Sudan is excluded then it exclude them from being recognize, I think there must be a different way it can be address and that is through constitution of a State. With Sudan being the Land of black according to Arabic translation it includes each and every tribe/section in South Sudan.

    It is a good & healthy debate let us keep it up and I respect the views put across by all members of Southern Sudan.
    Hope we will come to a good consensus at the end of our discussion.

    God bless you all and the entire South Sudan.

    Reply
  • Samson
    Samson

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    Let not Spoiled our beatiful name which South Sudan, there so many name changes in world, wether we call it Equatoria States it still ould be the name for the country. But a good name is “South Sudan”, like South korea and north korea, they do not had any problem they still live side by side togather as neighbor and nothing wrong with that. South Africa, is part of Africa, why not Zuulu.

    South Sudan as well as there will be North Sudan like North Korea And South Korea.
    Long live South Sudan, its unified name for all of us we Southernese.

    Reply
  • Ramkel
    Ramkel

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    I supported this ideaof brainstorming and I suggested a smilar one earlier on sudanforum.net. Here it was like this…..

    Equatoria

    Bah El Ghazal

    Upper Nile

    Play a around with combining them and you can come up with a new country name. I did and I came up with EQUABAHNILE or QUABAHNIA. Try the idea without judging first, you will be amaze. If we can’t change the word Sudan in the new country, are we planning on possibility of reuniting with the north aftter separation? Anyway, the word Sudan didn’t fall out sky, it was also a result of brainstorming by the arabs…………So let not limit out potential here people……

    Reply
  • Ezekiel Athaya
    Ezekiel Athaya

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    I would like to register my present on this website after long time of silence.

    A lot of commends have been made by many and i didn’t go through all but the idea worth criticism and recommendation. I would first want former speaker Mashinkok to have formulate or put the selected letters of E, U, L, W and J together then see what they can form and how it also sound.

    But i agree with Mashinkok on the point of our country free from tribal, clan, and sectional affiliation although I don’t understand fully the meaning of Mashinkok.

    Mr. speaker let me hope that, the name you are trying to put forward will not embarrass you in your own tone leave others. This is simply because it doesn’t the sound with those few letters is akward cause we want smarter South Sudan come referendum.

    Reply
  • Peter Majok Chiengan
    Peter Majok Chiengan

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    To all readers,
    What’s wrong with the name South Sudan it agood name for us & as they have been mentioned Sudan= Bilad Elsud= land of black people,we are blacks and we are proud of it.
    And the name kush=the all land from Aswan(south of eygpt)Sudan and Ethiopia + Eriteria.
    So how can we call our cuntry Kush?????
    And don’t forget this we as ablacks people we were in the whol of sudan and I blieve that one day we will manage Sudan and the power will be in our hand!!!!!!.

    Reply
  • paul baak anyaar
    paul baak anyaar

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    I strongly agree with Mr. Mashinkok on the naming of would-be independent Southern Sudan. I think that our history has taken a different direction altogether. And therefore once we separate from the Northern Sudan, we don’t have to remain as South Sudan which is an immitation of Cold War divides likes North Korea and South Korea, congo-Braziville and Congo-Zaire. We must create new name for South sudan. The idea to combine the initials of the ten states of the South, is a brilliant one.

    Going by the suggestion of Mr. Mashinkok, I have immediately come up with real good name formed as the acronyms of the initials representing different regions. The new name is JUWEL.
    Whereby J=Jonglei, U= Unity and Upper Nile, W= Warrap, E= the whole of Equotoria and El Gazelle regions, L= lakes.

    The country name will be the Republic of Juwel. The people will be Juwelese.

    Reply
  • paul baak anyaar
    paul baak anyaar

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    I strongly agree with Mr. Mashinkok on the naming of would-be independent Southern Sudan. I think that our history has taken a different direction altogether. And therefore once we separate from the Northern Sudan, we don’t have to remain as South Sudan which is an immitation of Cold War divides likes North Korea and South Korea, congo-Braziville and Congo-Zaire. We must create new name for South sudan. The idea to combine the initials of the ten states of the South, is a brilliant one.

    Going by the suggestion of Mr. Mashinkok, I have immediately come up with real good name formed as the acronyms of the initials representing different regions. The new name is JUWEL.
    Whereby J=Jonglei, U= Unity and Upper Nile, W= Warrap, E= the whole of Equotoria and El Gazelle regions, L= lakes.

    The country name will be the Republic of Juwel. The people will be Juwelese.

    Reply
  • Manyieldit
    Manyieldit

    State prominent MP suggests naming of would-be independent South Sudan
    Dear Readers, Honorable Machinkok has nothing to be blame for, the person to be blame is the Journalist who publish this article, this journalist must be pro-Arab if not then he does not know more about journalism and the reporting ethic.

    I been observing his articles since in this web and it seem that the man (Manyang) may have been a self-imposed journalist who did not gone to journalism school.

    in the media society, there is what is call information screening and editing before publishing. Not all information who carry no value are to be posted and published in the web or media.

    I would like to advise the chief editor of this web to scrutinize all the article before publishing, otherwise we will be just see rubbish been publish in the good website

    Manyiel

    Reply
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