Is Riak Machar paranoid?
By Luk Kuth Dak
Most certainly, you can make that argument, and you might be surprised to come to that conclusion, especially if you were paying attention to the news media of late.
It’s self evident that the forlorn Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Mr. Riak Machar Teny, Ph.D., is becoming more and more of a nuisance and clearly angry. He lashes out on anyone and everyone in South Sudan.
Like it matters to him, he’s been doggedly and publicly critical of the President of the Republic, Cde. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM/A). And for some reasons, he seems to take such a great joy in plunging their morals, which’s quite disturbing, especially at this critical juncture in the history of our young nation.
Hence, in reality, there’s of course, nothing wrong with self-criticism. In fact, it’s a great tradition, but only when the mission is sincere and the intentions are in the best interest of the people we govern. Unfortunately, in Mr. Machar’s case they aren’t.
Ironically, the local media are turning a blind eye to ridicule this barrage of bizarre behavior, giving him even more room to justify injecting his poison in dividing our peoples on tribal lines. So, the VP has two choices to make. Either he likes what he sees or move on. Because publicly bashing the government and the party that made him the number (2) most powerful man in the Republic, is nothing less than a treason.
By way of example, in Western democracies, the VP serves at the pleasure of the President. And in the United States of America, for instance, President Barrack Obama and his VP Joe Biden often have breakfast together. It’s there that they talk about the pressing issues that they need to work on. ” Joe, I want you to go to your former colleagues in the Congress to lobby them about such and such, he would ask.” ” Yes, Mr. President, I will do my best, he would answer. That’s what they call partnership, ladies and gentlemen.
In essence, the people of South Sudan elected Salva Kiir Mayadit. Machar was simply a running mate. But for those of us who know a thing or two about the RSS VP, none of his outburst came as a surprise. After all the man has never been a true believer in the SPLM. His only motive in joining the movement was/is to advance his personal goals and not that of a nation.
Truth of the matter, Mr. Machar’s simply a power-hungry man, who despite his much-bragged about Ph.D., he still belives that the Nuer Prophet, Ngundeng Bong, not the voters in South Sudan, will carry him to the Presidential Palace in Juba.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
The author is a former anchorman at Juba Radio. He is reachable at luke [email protected].