Who’s the Founding Father of the Republic of South Sudan?

By Isaiah Abraham

December 7, 2011 — I’m probing to seek genuine answers not to provoke anyone or anything against our heroes, dead or alive. History is a beautiful thing, if it is interfered with and poorly written it back fire against values that guided human dignity and honor. Every leader in our case is a founding father in his/her own right, and the public will have no choice but to accord them the necessary place in the annal of our history. We owe them utmost appreciation for what they have done for the freedom of our people!

Now that the liberation dusk has settled, and the mission is over, to whom should we tie this title called ‘father of the nation’ or ‘founding father of the Republic’? This is an important question whose time is right. The other day in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Juba, I found a beaming man distributing small books written by so-called Bahr El Ghazal Council headed by the former Chief Justice Judge Ambrose Riiny Thiik, in which they have labeled Kiir as the Founding Father of the Republic and Garang as the founder of the New Sudan Vision and Nation. May be there are other books in which Garang was equally given the same title (founding father of the nation). If that is the case, then there is a problem that needs deciphering.

I find it less talk about matter (because of its sensitivity), but for us in the media we always go for the truth and solutions for any anomaly or vague picture. Keeping quiet and allow the matter to die alone won’t help. It won’t die naturally, it will hurt many, it has to be made clear on the onset. Talking underground either isn’t a nice thing to do. Mr. Ambrose mind has this argument: that Kiir should be the man, since in Kiir watch, the freedom of our nation and its proclamation were consummated. To them Garang is like any other great leader such as Saturino Ohure, Emelio Tafeng, Joseph Lagu etc. I don’t have to stand on their way of thinking.

The issue here by the way is not about personalities but about us. Every leader we have had is fresh in our memory including every martyr that died in the course of our freedom. We are free at last and proudly grateful for a job well done by our leaders. The challenge now is whether we could keep up with the cause they have been fighting most of their lives. May we make the dreams of our leaders a reality. May we have a truly united and stable country under President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his able Assistant and man of the people H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny! May we have showers of blessing anytime from now, and that we should live in peace among ourselves and towards our friends.

Having prayed and sincerely wish that things go for better for our people, I however don’t see any reason of taking you away from our topic. To this little author, there is no incentive to deny a credit to one of our great leaders and award it instead to his colleague in the arm struggle Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit. Gen. Kiir is aware of it, and always reserves himself a second fiddle accolade (at least publicly) to his brother and boss Dr. John Garang. Some people have tried the button of malice on the expense of Garang’s legacy, but Comrade Kiir has resisted them, and I wish he continuous that way. Garang for starters was too heavy a man, so superior, unique and anything (a joker if you like). He was original and wasn’t a pretender, but above all was an inspirer and a visionary, qualities that critical for a leader of any nation.

Let’s briefly define the majestic phrase ‘ father of the nation’ before we visit other historical leaders of other countries. According to Oxford English Dictionary, “father of the nation’ “ is an honorific title given to a man considered the driving force behind the establishment of the country, state or nation”. Also The Free Dictionary put it that: the founder of the nation is “a person who founds or establishes some institution”. By face value of that brief definition therefore, you could go on making your own conclusion (s)..

Remember it is not about achieving independence or being the first president that makes anyone the founding father of the nation. That is not necessarily the case! It is rather a recognition for a cumulative and extraordinary efforts an individual has exerted in the formative stages of a nation.

For example in Egypt, Saad Zaghloul (1859-1927) couldn’t have been recognized as the founding father of the Egyptians if an independence ticket was attached to that title. The first president of Egypt was Mohammed Naguib (in 1952). Namibia on the other hand became an independence nation under Sam Nujoma; he was sworn in as first President after his SWAPO took over from the South Africans in 1990. But the founder of that nation remains none other than Hosea Kutako, not Nujoma. Tunisian Habib Bourgaiba is known as the father of that nation but before him were others that witnessed the achievement of independence, why? Because of what he has established there, something others before him didn’t do, and what other after him were and will try to build on.

Sierra Leone Thomas Peters became a founding father among many more because of his ‘driving force’ when he convinced the British Abolitionists to help settle 1,192 Black American. The same is true in China with Sun Yatsen, who is currently holding the title the ‘father of the nation’. Everyone could think that Mao Zadong is the founding father of the Chinese people, but that is not the case. Indian Vallabhhai Patel freed that country from British rule, but still the honorific title was given to Mahtma Ghandi (1869-1948).

Liberians Joseph Jenkins Roberts became a governor in 1841 for seven years, but that country wasn’t colonized. He is the current founding father of the Liberian Republic. South Africa is struggling now to rewrite their history by giving the title to Nelson Mandela but before him in the then Free Orange State were Jacobus Groenendall, Josias Philip Hoffman, Pieter Jeremias, Francis William Reitz etc. Afghanistan Ahmed Shah Abdali who is the founding father of that nation came earlier before others, and he is recognized for his efforts in 1747. We can go and on, but the point we are making is that it is not about someone overseeing an independence that makes anyone an automatic founding father, it is about what a nation think someone has tangibly contributed for a nation building. I thought Garang could be a serious contender there.

You may disagree or not, yet it is essential to be careful before we rush to give everyone that title when he doesn’t deserves it. Kiir to me has done something but its too early to crown him the founding father of our nation. We would be doing injustice to his predecessor who actually erected our foundation (at my best judgment). May be we need to be generous to give it to Garang, prejudices aside. I’m seeing President Kiir being push so hard, the people that are doing such things aren’t helping him in any way.

I don’t know why some people become so tribalistic and parochial in their heads against the ordinary. I doubt whether we are sincere. Mr. Ambrose and others please don’t Gogrialize this title, leave Kiir alone; he is there because Garang was there (do you get it right). Kiir is one of the founders of the SPLM and First President of the Republic of South Sudan, nothing more.

In summation let’s have this matter known, not each interested group projected it in books or someone writing it somewhere, it confuses the public. We want to give credit to one among equals someone who has done an extraordinary efforts for our freedom. I don’t know who is legally responsible to put this matter to rest, but I pressume that the Ministry of Heritage could initiate the process, then Council of Ministers to pass it to Parliament and finally it is there promalgated. Since there is huge conflict of interests, say some groups that have now engage in crowning Kiir, it will take a while for this matter to be resolve. I salute Abu Sala with all of my heart!!!

Isaiah Abraham lives in Juba; he can be reached at [email protected]