Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
January 1, 2011 — Since the independence of the Sudan in January 1956, Sudan has never had a leader with such political charm and intent like Field Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir. I will talk much about him, and would request your patience, if you think otherwise. Whether his Ingaz Revolution is seen to have polarized Sudan society politically, his regime should be credited for achieving peace in the South and the East; as well as edging away the sectarian leadership in the North. The country Sudan though still reel from mistakes committed by a few behind his back in Darfur and the South, there is no doubt that this man called Al Bashir has done wonders in his leadership to facelift the country, something others have failed to do it in their 30 or so years in ruling. The North to be exact is far better developed now under him, and the economy has shown signs of booming; this might continue even if the South goes away.
But the biggest achievement for his government and the party he leads is the agreement he signed in the Kenyan Capital Nairobi in 2005. There is no better gift a leader could give to his people than to give them peace ( I will repeat the same thing at the end). From the word go in 1989, the NCP started on the right track of identifying strategic direction for the country. Your interpretation however might be different from what you want done for the Sudan, but the truth remains: power is about purpose, and for that reason, the NCP has beaten others in putting forward something for this country, whether raw or good. The parties before it didn’t do it. No wonder, the same faces are still crying foul, looking for routes back to power. The NCP efforts were rewarded handsomely during the last election. The party (the NCP) trounced their opponents like nothing.
Yeah, no clear mind can deny serious problems in the leadership of the NCP against black man in the Sudan; say the ugly role of hardliners within that party. We all know the pathetic status of people in Darfur, Southern Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains or their vulnerability in the face of radical Islamism. Today the black man in the West, East and the two areas of Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile is cursing the day in which Dr. Garang disappeared. As the South independence is increasingly becoming a living reality, they see no hope anywhere under the NCP hardliners. But I have good news for these people, something you can dispute or accept, and this is it: the man called Al Bashir is a serious leader in the real sense of the word. With him in power, he’s going to unite the North, and spread out development like grains.
Why am saying this? I have observed him for sometimes now and came to doubt not his ability to take charge. He is a courageous man, an orator, who cares for his people. I looked at the flow of his promises and the man never swallows his promises easily. What is more? I hear him say, he will take care of the West, the East and other marginalized people in the North once the South goes, was he kidding? No, he wasn’t, he means it. I know he’s going to reign on his radical Muslims.
You see, his major problem has always been about the South, and in fact, leaders in Khartoum who came before him were beating around the bush about what to do on the Southern question. They know precisely what the South wants, but insisted on tired strategies of denial, or dividing them, on the expense of their cause. Mr. Al Bashir carefully pick the matter up, and in Khartoum, he sat down with Dr. Riek Machar Teny and agreed for a political settlement. Though the agreement known as Khartoum Peace Agreement (KPA) didn’t live, the spirit never died. KPA was the capstone of what that became the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). That later agreement (CPA) didn’t just come out of the blue or due to any factors people say are external and internal. It took the credit of the big man called Omar Al Bashir to reach a compromise in the face of stiff resistance from the hardliners. If wasn’t him and the Ustaz Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, the Referendum that is now a week away couldn’t have been celebrated.
The man had weathered storms within and outside to bring peace to the South, an adventure done only be level headed people. Some Southerners are taking their time to trust him, but I think it is not about trusting somebody, but about sacrifices he had done on our behalf. The other day in El Gezira he announce his readiness to support the new coming nation, what do you make of this move, in as far his public relationship with his people is concerned? He took a risk to inform his people about what is going to happen. This reminds me of what the then President of South Africa Frederick De Clerk did to the Africaans when he was about to release Nelson Mandela. President knew very well that the future of the South has already been determined, and hence timely for him to prepare his people for the reality shock. His message was well received, and was indeed came at a critical stage.
Mr. Al Bashir could be a devil to you, but for Southerners, this man deserves respect and honor for what he has done for our people. No better gift than freedom. Mr. Al Bashir did, and therefore fair for Juba leadership to name a road or built a monument in his name. Even if we still think that a political week is precarious and an eon, I know President Al Bashir will deliver in his promise to allow his people (Southerners) to choose the future of their own. My congratulation goes to our President Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit for taking the initiative to mention Al Bashir big role in making referendum a reality. Even the other outstanding issues (Abyei on top) between the South and the North, with Al Bashir in power, the two nations will one day come to an agreement. Long live President Al Bashir, long live the NCP, long live the SPLM!
Isaiah Abraham writes from Juba; he can be reached on [email protected]
harry
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
I hope that you should be the first journalist receiving Albashir on Tuesday when he visits Juba. Oh, wait! tell him not to infulence the choice of Souterners. Please!!!!
AAMA
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
Please Mr Author,
Keep your ideas to yourself as the last thing Sudan need is Bashir and his NCP. And also please know that the Bashir you love, and the one that gave you the right to separate and even forced you to do so didn’t do that out of his high moral values. He did that because he wants to get rid of you and your associated problems and head ache that spread throughout the whole nation (he and his party view you as a cancer in the body of Sudan that has to be amputated). On top of that, he wants to impose his manipulated version of Islam on the remaining part of the nation, something that he can’t do while you are part of Sudan. So please, get out of this box and see the world in its true colors.
Peace.
mohammed ali
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
AAMA,
Some people might agree with you that they want to get red of the South,others might say that this the argument of those who want to use the support of southerners over-throw Basheir’s governement.All the political parties agreed on self-determination some fought with the SPLA ( with it’s hidden agenda of seperation , Garang was bluffing, read the recent book of F.Deng) NCP fought for unity.
No doubt that there is some economic progress unprecednted in the recent history, though it is far less than our ambitions and far less than the cpabilities and the potential of the country and nation.
NCP and Basheer might not be that which you would like to see , but fortunately or unfortunately they the best choice avaliable at the moment.Otherwise the senile group of Mahadi,Turabi,Marghani,Nugud all over 75 years old are no longer capable of runing their homes.They are already demented.
I think our main problem is “disunity” .We have been suffering from “political” wrangling of these two selfish families for decades, and they were competing only over wealth, fame and more previlges for their families only, we ‘the people come after that.
I agree NCP did alot of mess , but they will mess much more!
Marco A. Wek
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
Let us hope not Mr. Mohamed Ali, people have suffered alot and it is time for things to be straightened after part of Sudan has gone. Yes we are humans and humans learn through mistakes. Our brothers in the North should sit and rethink a better way to run a country. Sudan is going to lose its biggestness in African because of selfishness and love of one identity in a country of multi identities and faiths.
Although North and South have had wars over years, we will still remain neighbours forever and that we might not reunite again but we will hope for good future relationships.
Thyinka
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
Erect a monument for Bashir? Wow! Are you dreaming? Bashir did not concede to referendum out of love for the people of the South. The South demanded its right through arms. Why didn’t the KPA lead to the referendum and why did Riek had to defect back to SPLM if Bashir is a person who keeps his promises. Why did referendum had to be agreed on again in the Machakos Protocol when it should have been implemented through the KPA? Why was Fashoda Agreement of Lam Akol trashed and he had to trace his root back to the real cause of the liberation for the Southern Sudanese? Please give credit where it is due. Bashir is nothing but a genocidaire who is willing to use force against all and sundry to keep power in Khartoum and suppress the marginalized all over Sudan. Wake up and smell the coffee man. Stop your misplaced praise of Bashir.
Aleu
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
Dear Author whatever your hiding name are.
Maybe you never know the whole story when Omar Hassan Ahmed al Bashir overthrowing Mr, Sadqi al Mahdi. Al Mahdi was about to give up his power to Dr, John Garang to be a president of Sudan while he was demanding or saying that, he need to be the first VP to Dr, John Garang after they signed CPA according to him but look if Omar was not overthrow him probably the great numbers lost in Sudan nation like this 2.5 million lives during the civil war and also plus 300,000 people dies in Darfuri would have not died if Omar al Bashir was not overthrow him. The plan for Sadqi al Mahdi would have help Sudanese people to save united and lives, because Sadqi realized that, the only solution for Southern Sudan and the Sudan in general is to let others ethnic share power in Sudan’s government as a citizen.
You might be thinking that, Omar al Bashir was the one who donated CPA to Southern Sudanese people but think again please, if you were the leader at that time, what would you do differently when you look at Eastern Sudan region and then, you find out that, the SPLA are getting close to Khatroum, on the hand also the South part were almost just remaining big cities meanwhile, the SPLA were very much aggressively to take Juba and Wau off under Sudan government some thing that, if you ask SAF then, they will tell you that, CPA was better for all of us. On the other side of Darfuri, the Rebels were growing against Omar al Bashir’s government basically, the signing CPA was the only good optional left for Omar al Bashir to accepted otherwise, he would have lost power to all these Rebels which I have mentions and that is what Omar al Bashir did not want to take that Road. The International world also were pressured both sides, the Bashir government and the SPLA leader to come to the end as a result of human losing in the Sudan those things are all undeniable.
The Unity of Sudan also would have been rescued if Omar al Bashir step down after his indictment from the ICC to shown to the Sudanese people that, he was not leading Sudanese people by force which mean the Sudanese people would says, this leader is very honest by giving his people easy way to judge him about his case and quite frankly, it would have save unity of the Sudan nation but he missed it and every time they does things terrible like what the SAF did in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Abyei then, they lose trust on Southern Sudanese people. Bashir also would have done many things differently for example, he was supposed to started develoment immediately in Southern Sudan in 2005, so that the Southern Sudanese people will get excited and enjoying attractively unfortunately, his NCP and him have failed to do this promise. The new constitutional also should have been restarted if Omar al Bashir was caring about the unity of the Sudanese people but their focusing were far from good plan that will united all Sudanese people. The fragmentation of the last April election in 2009, was the good signs for the SPLM to say, Sudan dictatorship Military government system wouldn’t change if those in charge are still act like they didn’t learned anything during 21st civil war and thus, there are many things which Omar al Bashir’s Party have mess up. The argumentation is part of the daily life in the politics any way, you can say whatever you can says, you can post all these nonesense whatever, you want to pharses him but I would like to let understand fully that, CPA was not a donation brought by Omar al Bashir and his Party but it was a combination of all problems which were facing his government seriously you can disagree base on you political rhetoric however, you might most of the truth at the end if you can trust me.
Bol Deng
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
Isaiah Abraham,
Your failed KPA brought CPA!
Your argument is a laughter matter.
Thanks for your recent changes that we had known for years.
Paul Ongee
Hate or love him, Sudan needs Al Bashir
Thyinka, Aleu and Bol Deng,
Keep up. Abraham Isaiah is still naive about the political world that we are living in with these monsters who do not care about religious and cultural diversity. NCP and its Islamic fundamentalists were forced by both internal and external factors for the sake of peace and full recognition of the rights and dignity of Southerners and the other two marginalized areas (Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile) to sign the historic CPA of 2005. It was not a donation or political will of NCP and its associates.
Those ruling elite of Sudanese black Arabs who claim to be racially and religiously superior to other Sudanese of African origin are one of the most ignorant elite I have ever shared a country with. The removal of that kind of mindset is already underway beginning with the recognition of the results of the referendum of tomorrow Sunday January 9, 2011.
As I have mentioned repeatedly in some of my previous comments that Northern Sudan will never be governed on the basis of Sharia law following January 9, 2011. Period. If the effect of separation of South from North is not yet fully felt by the ruling elite, what about the remaining parts of the North which will soon follow suit on the basis of New Sudan?
I agree with the comment of Mohammed Ali who just saw the truth yesterday since 1956 that NCP (and the previous regimes) didn’t and does not have a political vision of keeping Sudan united on the basis of equality, justice, and progress. They are blinded by the insistent application and abuse of Islam and Sharia laws that keep the country disintegrating.
Sudanese Arabs need to learn another lesson of rejecting cultural diversity and orchestrating consistent marginalization that they have never learned before. Now the choice is theirs to be good, faithful, reliable and trusted neighbor at all times or not.
Paul Ongee
Khartoum, Sudan