Give Garang the respect he deserves

By Isaiah Abraham

October 4, 2011 — Our generation has become these days inquisitive, opinionated and worst contemptuous if not abusing to anything, even in this case of late hero Dr. John Garang de Mabior the true son and father of this nation called South Sudan. Someone somewhere here last week phooey that our big man Garang shouldn’t be amortized or celebrated; this is because he ( Garang) wasn’t a separatist, but a unionist who only beat an about turn at an eleven hour. He charged that Garang was an obstacle to Southern independence by killing separatists. The writer concluded that the family of late Garang are pushing hard their man, when in fact the credit of championship for separation should have been delivered to someone else, probably SPLM/A Nasir architects. I assume thereafter he was relieved and self elated for having hurt someone he thought could never be allowed a foot note in the history of this country.

Well, I have no problem with opinion or anyone criticizing somebody, the elephant however is that to fake and attempt to be heard out of self misguided malignant against particular person or community is outrageous, and unforgivable. Take it this way on the onset: that pejorative by that writer has nothing to do with the ideas of this man called Garang but more of his character being attack. I have never recall a situation in another country where leaders of Garang type could go through such an unwarranted flay. Though internet politicians have time and again to rub our society in a wrong way, especially matters touching security and ethnic division (and now history), the innocent people like you and me keep on burying heads in denial that such people aren’t doing any damage to us. Unfortunately, they doing what our archrival are doing.

Get me right brethren, no one has any monopoly to go against freedom of expression, yet the kind of abuses we have belatedly attached to our expression worry the concerned little people like this author. I believe with all of my heart that there is always a red herring we must be pussy foot, unless we hurt and later stumble and be laugh at by ‘onlookers’. Someone is laughing at us when we hurt one another for nothing. We must prove to ourselves and the world therefore that we are capable of being objectives and civilized in our expressions. Prejudices and the company aside! If we don’t, believe me we will not be believe but end up playing around with our own history and the people that brought us pride and dignity. Garang wasn’t god, no one could claim it that way, and no gods live among men/women. Each of our leaders has his time, we should be careful to give him the respect he truly deserves than go indirectly otherwise to raise a profile of a loser or under achiever whose political path is incorrigible.

Please, this is serious, unless we pretend and claim to nationalist by ‘day’ and devil by ‘night’. There is no incentive for us to allow scrupulous senior politicians to hide behind their pseudonyms and expect to get away with it. By the way, in which way should Garang go to no history because of his ‘new Sudan’ project? How did the rebellion of Akuot Atem and Samuel Gai become ideological differences? Strictly speaking, the issue then in Itang wasn’t about separation and unity differences but pure power struggle among the then leaders. Again when Garang spoke of fighting separatists did that change his strategy on the ground to free South Sudan? How about his other speeches in which he had called for separation, why didn’t we put them together with his speeches for unity and weigh his intention? How about the CPA structure? Common! A unionist couldn’t have called for separate systems in one country and still hope to unite the country; where on earth did you find such a model leading to unity my friend. I don’t think that specific writer didn’t know where Garang heart was but tried to rob us of intelligence by being corrupt and malicious.

Granted, Garang’s new Sudan project took a long time to be understood by Southerners, but the reality dawn later that he couldn’t have been more right. We then tried separation twice, yeah, and others around the other side of the world have also gone that way, but we all know the consequences of shouting it loudly- it never came through singing it. Garang new project after all have brought us freedom so safe and square, why again do we need to waste time piddle on a noble project done by a noble man?

By calling him father of the nation, we just giving him the acknowledgement for a good job he has done unto us. It is an appreciation for that man really did his part smartly. He is our father! We could be having other ‘fathers’ but even in a race not all runners win, there must one and only one that should be crown a winner. It is not about ‘running’ but about finishing. Garang with all other misgiving like any other human being should be celebrated and it is not about his family doing it but the entire nation reserve him the place for a great job he has done for our people. Give him space please!

Isaiah Abraham writes from Juba; he’s is on [email protected]