Dr. Deng is entitled to his opinion but…

By Isaiah Abraham

August 31, 2010 — Sudanese Oil Minister Dr. Lual Deng was reported to have preferred unity over separation. The London based Al-Sharg Al -Awsat newspaper that purported the report, reports that the minister justified his choice based on his experiences from the American system. The Minister there (in that interview) confessed to have been a convert of late leader Dr. John Garang, about the unity project. It has become no more any secret therefore-unless the minister clears the air about that matter- Dr. Deng in his capacity as a national leader from the South is a unionists, and people of the South respect his democratic rights. Others like him will come, and this is normal. No one can stone Dr. Deng for going for unity but am afraid the minister has treaded on dangerous ground! We wish him and his group good luck. We shall meet at the polling booths on January 9, 2011.

Yet deep within my heart, I doubt whether Dr. Deng had actually uttered such remarks at such crucial stages of our history; when our people are only left with few months to finish off a great job left behind by two millions dead Southerners. Its unfortunate if it becomes true that Uncle Lual wanted the future of his people with Arabs. My eyes couldn’t believe what I read on this website on the same, given energy this man called Lual put to help his colleague Dr. John Garang at a very difficult moment of the movement struggle. Unity we heard Garang talked about was about fundamental changes at the center, a total shift of 360 degree. He knew it would be mirage however. Being a seasonal politicians, he never left his people without clear position. We can prove him right; may his soul rest in eternal peace. For the past five years, nothing has changed; we still at the same status like before (before CPA was signed) saved for appointments to positions at the top. Even with that its too earlier to start trusting the North because few changes happened here and there. I don’t think the minister remarks and his choice for unity will go well with our people at all levels including the constituency that elected him to parliament.

Dr. Deng should have been careful not to expose himself to media once more given an incidence in December 2007 when he was also quoted out of context, of having openly criticized why SPLM Political Bureau pulls SPLM members from the government. But his open lecture about benefits of unity over separation is probably the most risky statement so far on his side. This has stunt even a street child, because of our experiences of living together with Arabs/North again. The price paid to bring about CPA and the freedom we enjoy today didn’t just come out with no sweat and blood. Men died not for the sake of unity, but separation. Unity of the South and the North to be exact will not become true, when Southerners still have breaths! Southerners reject unity long time ago. I didn’t know what makes the minister to talk like that. Our people should wait and hear an official statement from Dr. Deng.

To you Dr. Deng: remember a short while ago (a month ago, as one of the commentors put it yesterday), a story of oil transparency, or say irregularities/uncertainties surrounding the exact proceeds going to the South from oil was nip in the bud and our people around the world made no mistake to blame you for trying to clean up the dirty/mess left by Dr. Awad Al Jazz in that ministry (oil). Who doesn’t know the oil revenues figures coming to the government in the South don’t agree with exact barrels that are send to the world markets. Now on this particular case of unity or separation, the honorable minister should have allowed waters to cool down on that matter of transparency in the Oil Ministry; is too much anything to go public at this stage. The SPLM top should know this fact. Look, Southerners at whatever level aren’t joking about their future, they know precisely what tomorrow will look like. Dr. Deng you started well and no one can dispute your developmental achievements in your area; people were made to believe in your leadership quality and your change of heart to listen to others than your people has raised more questions than answers about whatever you have been doing in development there. If they hear you talking unity, what do you think they will do on January 9, 2010? You played a bad game to the benefit of someone in Khartoum; kindly return to your people!

My simple advise to our leaders is this: please stay away from utterances of this nature even if this is your legitimate rights; we aren’t anymore interested in what others think is the best for us. How about us, don’t we have our own minds to figure out what is best for us? Is Dr. Deng the right person to tell us where to go, when Dr. Garang showed us the way? We don’t need your caution Mr Deng, we don’t anyone generally to lecture anything about our future, please. We are tired of our leaders not being conscious of what people that support them want. We want separation, raw or ripe! I don’t believe in glossing an error when it is so; Dr Deng owes his people and the people of South Sudan an apology (if the story is really true). We don’t care about his past records, we care about our future more. Even if Kiir or Dr. Machar says it, we will challenge them in their faces. Southerners from all walks of life are shock by the minister statement. Unless the paper has put it on Dr. Deng’s mouth, Dr. Deng needs to tell us more about his new found relationship with Arabs. He has inflicted pain to our people. This is too much to bear for a heavy weight like Deng, unity by the way is an insult. Let no another leader talk about it in our land. I also doubt so much whether Dr. Garang was a unionists as claimed by Dr. Deng!!!

Isaiah Abraham, lives in Juba; he can be reached at [email protected]