Has President Al- Basher Gone Insane?!

By Luk Kuth Dak

November 24, 2010 — In the United States of America, the President’s state of health, his personal income tax and travel expenditure, all are a matter of public interest and a right to know.

Ultimately, the public has the rights to know that the President really is in a good shape both mentally and physically when he/ she makes those tough decisions that in one way or another impact the lives of not only the American people, but the world at large. Not only that, the public also seems entitled to know what’s on the President’s dinner table!

Only two years in office, President Barrack Obama, has already gone through a couple of physical examinations, and the results were made public. “ The President is in a good health,” said his medical team, at a press conference.

Unfortunately, in the Sudan, no human being who knows the state of mind of President Omer Hassan Ahmed Al Basher, how much he makes and the taxes he pays, if any. Certainly, no one knows just how he’s able to support a family of three obviously well-fed wives, or how his siblings became an economic powerhouse?

Of course, in a country like the Sudan, anyone who asks those legitimate questions will literally be crossing the so-called “ Red lines” as Vet. Doctor Nafia Ali Nafia has notoriously been known as saying.

Much to the contrary, President al Basher is showing signs that he might not be in a mental capacity to run the affairs of the largest and most problematic country in Africa. Recently, he’s been downright giddy, and in most cases finds himself in an enormous difficulty in choosing the right words to describe his anger about the right of the people of South Sudan for self- determination, which he -himself – has signed into law nearly four and a half years ago. “ We will never accept an alternative for unity,” he said to crowd of lunatics launching a unity campaigning at the 25 Th hour, as Ustaz Pagan Amum once said.

With that said, only a couple of days from that statement, President Al Basher was quoted, this time by a friendly newspaper, as saying: “ We will respect whatever the Southern people decide.” Really! Now the fair question: How can we believe such an unpredictable leader, who says one thing and does the exact opposite in just a matter of hours, not days?

You be the judge!

Now, most South Sudanese that I spoke with during the course of preparing this article, all are asking the question: What part of being “ Sick and tied” that our brothers in the North do not seem to understand? And how in- essence- do they think that those of us who have gone through all kinds of torment, oppression, enslavement, torture, rape and murder, for a half a century long and counting, would simply and voluntarily walk away from a lifetime opportunity of becoming a free people?

No, we don’t think so, Mr. President!

In human history, there comes a time when enough really is enough, and in this case, the people of South Sudan have had had it to the maximum, and they are now well into the road of independence. No one will turn them around. And if the NCP extremists don’t believe me, then all they really have to do is to send their pit bulls for a visit to the ten Southern states, and I can guarantee you, they will be blinded with the slogans such as “ Unity by force is slavery.”

Still, however, even though both the NCP and NIF are in such a disarray politically, mentally, morally and organizationally, you cannot count them our or take for granted their ability and agility to create drama, havoc and chaos to discredit the referendum process. The fair question is: Why isn’t the SPLM fighting back? If the SPLM thinks that the NCP is going to go away without a fight, they better think again. After all, those people are about to lose their lifeline in a matter of 46 days, today. More so, they are about to loss the cheap laborers from South Sudan, mostly Nuer, who now will be heading South to build their own nation.

However, it’s so true as well that the NCP’s unleashed pit bulls do mean business, and if you don’t believe me, chances are you haven’t been following the Northern media of late. Otherwise, you should have known- no doubt- what their hardliners, such as: Vet. Doctor Nafia Ali Nafia, Muhammad Mandour Al Mahedi, Dr. Kamal Obied, Ustaz Haj Magiid Siwaar, former President Abdulrahman Muhammad Hussan Siwaar Al Zaheb and Abdulrahim Muhammad Hussien, the defense chief, just to name a few, have been disgorging on air and print.

So in truth, whether we- Southerners- like it or not, their message is the same and abundantly clear: The referendum outcome will not be accepted, no matter what.

So far, it isn’t all clear what the international community will do in order to insure that the referendum results will be biding, but the SPLM must do its part in truly making certain that the referendum process is as flawless and transparent as possible, because it will deny the NCP’s haters –in their wildest dream- the chance of even thinking about “ Not accepting” the referendum results.

Yet in the accelerating of our demands for freedom, we ought to do so with dignity and integrity. There should be no room for hatred and intolerance against Northern Sudanese who reside among us, because some of them have not only supported us morally, but physically during the war and beyond.

The author is a Sudanese journalist writer and a former anchorman at Juba Radio. He can be reach @[email protected].