Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
February 26, 2011 — We have heard the ruling party in the Southern Sudan (the SPLM) going by the name ‘South Sudan’ against other names on the believe that the name ‘South Sudan’ is familiar and many people have used it, fought for it and should be retained. The so-called political opposition groups have also seconded the said controversial name, and the Southern Legislative Assembly is left with the task of rubber stamp it any time soon before July 9 this year. The leaders of that party were upbeat that everything will just be fine there in that House (Southern Parliament) owing to their large voting bloc.
Few weeks ago after referendum it was understood that the government in power in the South was trying to use the name ‘South Sudan’ spasmodically before July 9, and also until majority agrees on the naming. Now we are coerce to accept the name ‘South Sudan’ because unionists have flanked our people under their ‘project for life’ named as new Sudan. To them, the retention of word ‘Sudan’ will ease in the future the reunification of the country. That is why these men made no pretention to keep the name of the SPLM party in tact, despite political realities facing the two regions. Some of us can’t understand what’s going on within that party when our people chose to look East African after Sudan unity was confirmed to be a mirage.
They know the remaining part of the Sudan is happy to keep the word ‘Sudan’ yet they insist on keeping the word ‘Sudan’ for reasons contrary to conventional thinking. Name of the country is as important as the country itself; as you can see from neighboring Congo. Laurent Desire Kabila senior when he assumes power in 1997, the first pronouncement and change he had to make was the name of the Republic. Norwegian 100 years ago made similar shift, and the list goes on. We can’t be different from others. We are breaking away forever, and this should informed our decisions on anything be it passport shape, colors of sovereignty or TV use in our offices.
The name ‘South Sudan’ hence is politically an amorphous one and doesn’t reflect why we decided to break rank with the North. We have said it sixty times over that the name ‘South Sudan’ must go along with an Islamist’s manuscript on top of our notes- ‘bismillah al rahman al rahiim’. After all, the name was a slur coined by Arabs to differentiate our race from others. Whether the North will still hold on to the word Sudan or drops it, let’s go for something else. I thought we have been saying that the name is about identity and nothing special and historic about ‘Sudan’ name. Rhodesia name was abandoned by Zambia and Zimbabwe, why? Because the name Rhodesia was attached to colonial masters in that region, the same way the word ‘Sudan’ is connected to Arabs (our colonial masters).
For record sake, our people had tried to name this republic long time ago using whatever name that came to their minds, and they were absolutely right. You have heard of Anyidi, Azania, Imatong, Sudd, Abyssinia, the Nile Republic among other names and these efforts were meant to severe us from the Northern Arabs. Today our leaders aren’t ashame of using the word ‘Sudan’, what a pity? The likes of Dr. Marial Benjamin are singing the tunes of Malek Agger on future confederation scheme between the two regions.
I have a conviction in my heart that the bunch of unionists within the people party (SPLM) has a larger project to unite us with the North in many years to come. Gen. Lagu had minced no word that the name ‘South Sudan’ should be left as a ‘room’ for possible reunification of the Sudan when ‘Arabs come to their senses’. I don’t know whether we can continue to blow hot and cold all the time. We are indeed bad students of history. Uncle Lagu fought so hard and has lived among ‘wolves’ and still carry a stomach to suggest living with the Northerners.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the people on the streets don’t care these days about anything whether be name or corruption so long as they are free. They could have told Uncle Makungu that he was on the wrong side of history. But for the sake of tomorrow, the two sides of the old Sudan should now amicably separate and there forever. Separate two names are good for the two sides. The House therefore should rise up against partisanship and do the necessary national duty of stopping the SPLM unionists from dragging us back to hell known as the old Sudan. We are tired and sick of warning these elements within us who aren’t reading the mood of our people.
Its not about the SPLM party however, that party is good but about a few that are still dreaming when everybody has woken up. Kindly give us a name, even if you call it Garang or Tafeng, not ‘south Sudan’. There is no way some of us should shoke it on our throats when they know that it is not popular. End the debate of the name by coming up with a suitable name that will cement our resolve we have just made in January (referendum). If you go by the SPLM unionists project of returning us to the ‘wilderness’ in thirty or forty years to come we will hold you responsible and accountable for failing the people. Away with the name ‘South Sudan’!
Isaiah Abraham lives in Juba; he is reachable at [email protected]
Garang
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
Mr. Abraham!
What is bad in naming the country after its people,s color? The name Sudan was given to Sub Saharan land by Arab scholars because the land was/is inhabited by black skin race. There is no thing to do with slavery here. The South and other marginalized regions in The Sudan fought the war of liberation because the Arabs in the Sudan wanted to impose their Arab identity on the black Sudanese.Why should they just suddenly drop their blackness to name themselves after tribes, leaders or waters.Why should you prefer naming yourself after a body of water than the color of your skin? Rhodesia was named after a leader in that country no matter he was colonizer or not.People there changed the name of their country into an ancient Kingdom, if am not mistaken.Rarely do you find countries named after leaders.Leaders come, leaders go! To honor leaders, name towns, cities or streets after them. So Mr. Abraham I am proud of being black and call my country after the color of my skin. Let it remain as it is to give self confidence to girls and women who like to change their skins int Arab light skin because the Sudan was known as an Arab country. I am Machar?Black!
taban
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
Isaiah Abraham
You really prove yourself as not intelligent as you try to claim all the time by your fake articles here and there over the internets.
south sudan is direct identity for the peoples and required name. to change south sudan mean southerns they have lost their identity as southernrs. you want southerners to call themselves Anyidis or Imatongis? what the fuck is wrongs in your mind. go find some other things to do. this is poor thinking and poor reasoning from you. little baby can do better than that.
Wally
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
South Sudan is not a proper name for the new country. The name should reflect more the African identity of the new country and its people.
Majak
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
Abraham,
Your article is very good and well placed. You mentioned that people in the street don’t care these days. That is right. But the SPLM leadership should starting being serious. These silent people have all the power.
I am one of the people who never thought that the SPLM Bureau (whatever they call it) was going to adopt the name ‘South Sudan’ because the SPLM said it want secession which we did for them. Now, why keeping us hostage? Why using the failed Joseph Lagu’s ideas to name a country that caused millions of lives? It is sad and time will come. The SPLM will listen. It will come to the people and say ‘sorry’ but we shall say go home and rest because your chance is done.
The SPLM lost vision and forgot why our uncle, brothers, sisters and fathers died during the war. The SPLM is acting as if the 26 men called highest political making decision body are the ones we lost all these resources for decades. That is not true and will never work.
Historical Boy!
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
Hi my favorite Professor Isaiah Abraham,
Well, you are wrong, Sir.
We have been known as the people of Southern Sudan. We recently voted by 98.83% for independence as the people of Southern Sudan.
The name South Sudan is not the favorite name of the 1.7% unionists in the South. They are after Cush or Kush, which they didn’t know means “Crazy Bird” as was revealed on Sudantribune report.
If your worry is about reunification with the North after thirty years because of the name Sudan, then you should not hurry now.
We have legal issues to settle first with the North, etc., using the name South Sudan. We may change the name later after 5 to 10 years. So don’t worry about the 1.7% unionists. They are burried forever in our hearts and the name cannot reunite us with the North when it failed in the referendum to make us vote for unity.
Even the current flag will be changed by 2013, about three two years from now. Every thing is temporary, okay?
Garang
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
Sudan has been one country since God created the Universe till the people of Southern part of Sudan decided to divide the Sudan into two separate entities. Sudan in the north of the old map and an other one in the south of that map.There are Sudanese in North Sudan and also Sudanese in South Sudan. South Sudanese means we are Sudanese in the separated part of the Sudan. Our identity here is Sudanese/blacks and not South of the Sudanese.We were Southerners in the South of old Sudan. American Continents were named after somebody called Amerigo! So you have two Continents: South America and North America. The people are call Americans. So you have South Americans and North Americans. In North America you have United States of America, Canada and Alaska. In USA, you have Northerners in the northern part of US of America while there are Southerners in the Southern part of US of America. The people are called Southerners and Northerners because they happen to be in the geographical points of the map.Their true identity is Americans not southerners or northerners. So we are Sudanese not Southerners.
JAMES KUOI STEPHEN
Southern Parliament, throw out ‘South Sudan’ proposed name
Parliament of Southern Sudan, are leading the truth perception of Nation of Southerness. New name will make new country still stronge as they were struggle on the aim on an objective for changing the names.I hope we shouldn’t left the purpose why we were margenalised.We were black- in Arabic and who are those, we were the people who had their freedom after seperation of opinion.Also,Be patient and follow all things according to why we were struggle. Don’t leave SUDAN to others better be South-Sudan or New Sudan.