Why SPLM-DC must be banned
By Isaiah Abraham
May 29, 2012 —
South Sudan like any other emerging democratic country enjoys political pluralism where individual or groups are allowed to express themselves freely on issues to do with democracy, human rights, governance etc. Sudan People’s Liberation Movement- Democratic Change (DC) became a beneficiary of that right.
That party (DC) was formed in Khartoum in 2009 by a controversial politician called Lam Akol Ajawin. He contested election in 2010 against the current president of South Sudan and was beaten hand down. He lost every parliamentary seat in 9 states except four in his home state of Upper Nile.
But why did the DC suffer that heavy defeat after all the hullaballoo about ‘change’, ‘change’? Well, since its formation, the party appeal has fallen on deaf ears of our people, because there was nothing substantive these people were asking to be changed in the current establishment of government. Virtually, there was nothing in hand to advocate for, except personal vendetta against leaders in Juba. There were little inroads into political imagination of the people of this republic due to lack of issue-based program of action. Literally there were no clear cut matters of governance they had wanted to ‘change’.
There was too much air about none, as one ‘good governance’, ‘good governance’ when in fact the party failed to demonstrate it how the good governance is to be achieved. In between though we are reading hate strategies, even that of parochial intents, and tribal overtone throughout the entire piece. The entire so-called document of the DC is a whitewash for someone obsessed with power and only power. Those ideas are whims for another world not for land called South Sudan. Every matter they have raised has an answer indirectly or directly in the SPLM Books. There were no new ideas to be exact. Sadly the DC document was a flip flop of the SPLM Programs, a misguided duplicate piece that tend to divert people attention from larger pictures of governance.
SPLM Policies
For starters, the SPLM Party with all its shortcomings like any other guerrilla organization that turned political party must be credited for adapting to realities of governance. There SPLM has tried to identify some pressing priorities/policies for development. DC knew them well. These are in the areas of a) accountability and public administration, b) infrastructural, economic and national resources, c) education, health and water as well as d) rule of the law and security. These are some of the policies the current government has been grappling with since 2005. Given, these are real issues facing this land.
On the first priority of accountability for example, the current government has made some progress, and credit should be given where it is due; there has been improvement! The government introduced budget planning system and there is electronic payroll practice all over the land. There is discipline today in finance management system and auditing has become a natural practice. The system has checks and balances as no single pound goes away without passing through series of hands. Is that not accountability and if not what is it?
On poverty, health, education and corruption the data is there at the Statistical Center. There are strides in these areas, though much need done, and this is encouraging. Why should anyone duel on the past and not do something about today and for tomorrow. If we can’t believe in ourselves and only think that unless Mundukuru does it on our behalf, then we have wasted the teaching of our late leader Dr. John Garang. Traitors didn’t learn one or so lessons from that smart man called Garang. We must start from small and not expect this land to leap in one go. DC is a mole and a disaster to our political life. Reasons for that are briefly discuss below
NCP factor
The architect of the DC party (Dr. Lam Akol) has largely ignored voices of reason and was bent on harming the people of this republic every steps all the way to freedom and stability. The party is known to have a long standing relationship with the National Congress Party (NCP), and the later party has become a problem to the larger Sudan, let alone the people of this republic. No single Southern Political Party still enjoys support the same way the DC is. Lam and his DC are linked to militia groups fighting the Juba Government, these militia groups are directly on the bankroll of the NCP. There is no secret about that link, and this treacherous act hasn’t been done by any other political party in the South Sudan.
Imagine this: during referendum exercise, the majority of DC members never participated in the voting including this person called Lam Akol. If anyone didn’t vote for the future of this country, how will this man claim to be championing the cause and welfare of these people? If one could stay away during crucial vote like referendum what business does this man has with the republic of South Sudan? Remember it is the same man who proposed (in record) earlier before referendum that the exercise for referendum should be pushed for years because the South isn’t ready to be governed unless through the North. Dr. James Okuk Solomon, a pretender, from that party (DC) amplified it more vividly.
Even after January 2011, the DC as a party never ceased from subversive activities against this republic. The fact that this man refused to attend Independence declaration speaks volumes about the negativity of the character. If Northern Political Parties leaders were all here, who stopped Lam from attending the big event? Don’t buy the lie that he was about to be arrested. Lam could have been locked up if Juba was interested in isolating him.
Incitement
Again, it will be wise to ban DC because it has all along tried to incite our people, one against another. We have heard and read inflammatory statements from the same group that called for elimination of Dinka and Nuer communities. How come that one of us should advance such a school of thought and still stay comfortably among our society? Freedom has limit and any party calling for one group among us to be eliminated is an enemy and must be kick out. We need Dinka and Nuer the same way we need others. Doing away with one or two doesn’t solve any problem.
Punishing communities moreover on the basis of their sons/daughters in power isn’t the right thing to do. Kiir and Machar are nothing compare to their tribes. Dinka isn’t Kiir and Machar on the other hand isn’t Nuer. There are other noble and innocent people between these tribes who have nothing do to with power in Juba from Nuer and Dinka. Political party that calls for such an act isn’t fit to have an office in Juba or in our ten cities. To divide people so to rule practice was left to Khartoum and no right minded politician could try this policy to his people.
But what domination is this man talking about? In which way do the two tribes becoming dominant? But is this man called Lam the right man to call the shot? What moral ground to show our people so to be believed? Someone should have check out facts surrounding this allegation before jumping to conclusion. The charge is fabricated to score a political point, even if we don’t deny element of the same.
The two tribes aren’t dominating; they have their share of their rights from their respective constituencies. The nepotism is different thing and all tribes aren’t spared, including the DC . Dr. Lam appointments from day are one are disgraced at best. His latest list of so-called diplomats in 2006, left many in total confusion about the wrong footing of the leaders of South Sudan. He was first confronted by non other than his own people Chollo, right in his residence in Khartoum. We must be wary of the DC, it has to boot out of our land! If its leader steps on this soil, he got to be arrested, so left to rot there, on charges of treason against this nation.
Sabotage activities
Look, during the current crisis between South Sudan and the Sudan over border areas and oil, the leader of the DC was busy moving to Iran and elsewhere seeking military and money assistance to violently topple the Juba government. He had added insult to injury by stating that Panthou wasn’t part of the disputed areas between Sudan and South Sudan. Areas such as Abyei, Balbala, Hofra El Nahas, Kafia Kingi, Joda, Panthou, Yabus etc, belong to Southern Sudan 100%.
DC people including the leader were spotted organizing forums and meetings in Khartoum during the crisis for people opposing to Juba. Imagine, all political parties in the South Sudan have all sent their moral or otherwise support to our army, saved for an open minded person leading the opposition groups in the Southern Parliament, a guy who sometimes don’t prescribe to Lam’s wily games.
Documents are abounds about his secrets talks with wealthy world leaders opposing any financial assistance after oil shut down. The air is full of Dr. Lam treason activities are on many fronts, and this should worry every Southerner not the government alone or ruling political party. People need to rid this land from an enemy from within that is what I mean. During multiple problems such as this crisis, our people expect nothing less than unity of purpose against internal and external threats. Anyone who doesn’t join his people is doing damage to our land.
99% members of the DC are those who never experienced bush lives. They left their brothers and sisters to the mercy of the enemy for 21 good years, and have now gather an aura to come from the back door and insult the establishment they never participated in its organization. Worst, they are trying to discredit an awesome and magnificent job done by our heroes such Garang, Kerubino, William, Kiir, Arok, Machar, Galario etc. These people have no shame to themselves about their misgiving for a poor work they had resigned themselves during the struggle.
To go to school at that time, leaving your land to Arabs occupiers to attack and pillage isn’t forgivable. To organize armed groups to attack your own brothers and sisters is also unpardonable. Even after the job is done, these people should have given us a break, and not to return this beautiful land to the ‘wilderness’. What do these know about South Sudan, the place they betrayed more than once?
If it wasn’t the SPLA/SPLM who would have been here today? If it wasn’t SPLM leader Kiir who guided our people tenderly into independence, where will our future be before the merciless Khartoum regime? Khartoum would have abrogated the agreement and trash it before everyone watch. It is the SPLA/M Leader that stood his ground in the face of establishment challenge. Mr. Kiir with his big heart managed to appoint Lam as a foreign affairs minister, a surprise move indeed. It is this party and this army that created this country; the men there did it singlehandedly when pretenders converged to stab it at the back.
Dr. Lam spent most of his political life in conspiracy, and he must be stopped. After all, he never contributed anything positive but one destructive theory after another. His party in fact has inherited hate and machinations and such a party is dangerous for our coexistence. Where this man goes, he leaves behind trails of crisis. The ‘know it all’ man has no place in our fragile democracy; he will botch it for our dawn fall. We don’t need such Judas in our midst at critical times such as these.
Lies about corruption
He charges that the SPLM party is corrupt. He repeated this song again and again everywhere anytime. Now if he were a real nationalist (as he claim it), why didn’t he go to the Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission or approach the president or Dr. Machar and give his thoughts on the way forward to that vice. As a leader of one of the political parties in the country he has access to anyone and his view could have been valued. Instead he used that sad situation to paint the entire government and the party that leads it as corrupt.
The problem everyone misses here about corruption in this land is that it is not easy to pin down corrupt individuals engaged in the matter as all major cases are all in the form of kick backs. Kickback is difficult and smart form of corruption. In another word, most reported cases of corruption in our land are in the form of contracts where individual concerned hide behind contractors. That fight will remain mysterious! If so, does that need shouting or instigating? I don’t think! Lam and his cahoots must go and go now!
He can’t hold the entire nation at ransom every year. Who is he to disrupt peace and development for our people? If there are people who are shy of acting against Lam party then our people must watch out that they too are ‘Tabuur el khamis’ within an established system in Juba. Their color must be known earlier. An agent of rebel within the government is too bad!
Isaiah Abraham lives in Juba; he’s on [email protected]