Sule: one thing at a time!
By Isaiah Abraham
January 15, 2011 — The leader of the one of the Southern Sudan opposition groups known as the United Democratic Front (UDF), Mr Peter Abdulrahman Sule, has painted a grim picture that the new nation to be will not be govern well because Dinka has already shown the ugly part of governance by posting its people in Interior, Defense and Finance on the expense of other tribes. He charged that these people have taken over lands in Juba by force, and Central Equatoria State or Equatorians are just tolerant.
My ears couldn’t take it as I pondered through vibes of the person I have known for a long time. I had wanted to die.
Brother Peter A. Sule, your interview this morning with BBC’s Uduak Amimo over Southern Sudan government imbalance was unfortunate. I thought such overtones are to be kept to ourselves and wait for their rightful timing. Going to the world at this time with such sensitive claims send a wrong signal to our friends and could cause us internal rift.
I think your claims are ill-timed, and hence are unforgivable, given our status at the moment. Please, such tribal rhetoric is uncalled for at a stage when we need each other most. Never again shall we allow this land to be thrown to the dogs because of tribal division. Every political party including the SPLM has been told to do better on issues to do with tribal division. Invoking division using the name of Equatoria further is nearly treason, and this isn’t freedom of expression but disturbance of our social harmony among Southern Sudanese communities!
Look brother, the grabbing of land claim has no basis, because it’s the same people around Juba that are selling land to Dinka; they can’t play double game here and then expect us to believe their theories. Who doesn’t know that elites among Bari people have spoiled the good stay in Juba. Other communities are living as second class residents in their own country. This is a fact.
Brother Peter, let’s celebrate our hard won freedom devoid of hate overtone. Dinka is nothing compare to what we are trying to lift out of our shoulders. Elders like you know better and you shouldn’t have been in front to incite your people against others.Why would anyone advocate division of our people at this point in time when we are just about to come out of the wood? I had asked myself this question a million times, but never find a suitable guess.
However, two things jumped into my mind: Mulana Sule was in the Dinka government a few months ago before he was kicked out, and he was quiet and very energetic, is it because he has lost that job, that is why he isn’t now silent? Second, perhaps the deadly and most likely reason why this intellectual and respected leader came out openly to pin a charge against Dinka is that there are still groups within Juba that want the capital remove to another place for fear of unknown.
Personally I had written much about moving away from Juba because Juba isn’t a nice place environmentally.
But to move away because a Southerner wants others out isn’t anymore a laughing matter. Tribalism is a cancer and we can’t allow it to go on among us like that. I don’t know whether our leaders feel the same. Anyone who’s interest in such a path, even if that person is Garang, we would wish him harm, and not to allow him to enjoy the fruit of our people struggle.
Brother Sule has staggered and should apologize to our people to the government of the people of Southern Sudan in Juba. The good man has touched nerves where suspicion and seeds of hatred are being planted before our eyes.
If you think I have defended Dinka, fine, but the truth is painful; generalization is bad. Not all Dinka are land grabbers. The government of the day is the government of the people of Southern Sudan, represented by all our colours and tribes, even if we don’t deny that there is a heavy presence of Dinka at key positions. I know this wasn’t a policy but coincidence since the SPLM party and the army inherited these people from the beginning and there is no way we can do away with them at this time.
In reality though, we won’t be fair to say brother Sule was entirely wrong. There are problems with our people Dinka but that can’t take attention away from our big picture. Mulana Peter, sir, please go slow, it’s time for our people to come together irrespective of what situation we find ourselves in. We are giving away our celebrated unity. It’s even too soon to talk about internal corrections.
Isaiah Abraham writes from Juba; he can be reached at [email protected]