Is Riek Machar’s Endorsement of Mabior Garang is premature
Riek Machar’s Endorsement of Mabior Garang is Premature
By Dak Buoth
Senator Kiraitu Murungi says in his book entitled ‘In the mud of politics’ that as oppression increases, the people think only of two things: how to survive and how to keep out of trouble. Other people don’t matter. Such tragedies will always repeat themselves until our people learn to live as independent human beings with the capacity to think and act as responsible members of the communities in which they live.
The other day, on 15th September 2018, I woke up in the morning and took a public bus for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport commonly known as JKIA to give a certain parcel to someone who was going to Juba, South Sudan last Sunday.
A few minutes after the vehicle took off, I soon thought of checking the news in Sudan tribune.com to keep myself busy and to learn from the news and developments in South Sudan.
The moment I clicked on the website via my small techno phone, i landed my eyes on an article entitled ‘‘SPLM-IO calls on its supporters to embrace the revitalized peace agreement’’.
When I opened this article for perusal, I quickly saw an interesting and amusing picture which led me to pen this piece. Before I started reading the article, I zooms the picture and took the better part of my time looking at it with an intention to understand what its purposes are.
In case you don’t know, political pundits normally say ‘what you see is not the thing, but what you see behind the thing is the thing’. So, I felt there was a thing behind the picture more than a smile that characterized it. You will find it is the photo of the SPLM-IO Leader Dr Riek Machar with Mabior Garang de Mabior, the elder Son of the Late founding SPLM/A Leader Dr John Garang de Mabor, may his brave soul rest in eternal peace.
Though I never saw that photo anywhere before, I presumed it is not a photo shop. In fact, I don’t know where and when that photo was taken. The Sudan Tribune journalist who published this article has not done us a good service. He erred for having not written a caption below the photo.
In any case, a picture of such high profile figures like Riek and Mabior ought to be accompanied with caption bearing their names and a place where they took the photo not forgetting what they were doing at the time. We understood there is lack of professionalism but these are basics which every media person should be aware of in their quest to inform and enlighten our populace.
Let’s just gets to the details of the picture itself. The duo stood up and Dr Riek was holding Mabior’s right hand up. As usual, Dr Riek was seriously smiling in the photo but Mabior was not. By the way, we normally forget to thank Riek Machar for always trying to smile even in time of his lowest moment in life. Only a few can afford this very humorous behaviour. I personally appreciate him for that. Nonetheless, in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, it is said that a man can smile and smile and still be a villain.
Unlike Riek Machar who was smiling, Mabior was just staring seemingly with doubt in his face; the guy appeared to be thinking twice, and in a manner that portrayed that he did not believe the experiment which the former was doing at the time.
As you know, it is not news for Dr Riek Machar to smile or laugh in the single or group photo. However, it is very rare to find a photo where Riek Machar holds someone’s hand up like he did to Mabior Garang. An old English adage says a photo speaks more than a thousand words. And on that, I say this photo speak volume. Those of us with hawkeye have seen clearly what its motives are. Believe it or not, on the day this photo was taken, Dr Riek must have faked or intentionally endorsed Mabior Garang for one reason or another.
Perhaps he wants to make or mould Mabior as a project for Presidency in the near future. Some of you will agree that of late Dr Riek had shown a habit of promoting sons and daughters of ‘who you know’ in the expense of the hardworking and deserving children of the common men and women, unlike President Kiir who is only promoting his relatives and village men.
Recently, Dr Riek appointed and imposed Tor Tungwar who many considered a novice, to be the Governor of the oil Unity state, merely because the latter was the son of our respected chief, Tungwar Kuigwong.
I think this orthodox idea of prioritizing or preferring princes like individuals in leadership positions than ordinary men’s children should stop before it takes root otherwise the rest of you shall continue to remain as mere supporters or spectators in the political playing fields.
I think the princes like individuals in our midst and the ordinary men’s children who are the majority should be treated alike and be accorded equal opportunity in South Sudan. Everyone should be promoted based on merits and not based on his parents’ names and connection with those in the position of power.
It was alleged that Lul Ruai Koang, former SPLA-IO spokesperson and now SPLA-IG Spokesperson grudgingly abandoned SPLM-IO because Dr Riek favoured Mabior Garang against him when they quarrelled and almost eliminated each other months prior to the signing of the Agreement of the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS) in August 2015.
At that time, Brigadier Lul was still the Army spokesperson and Mabior was the National chairman of information. This means Mabior was Lul’s boss in the said movement.
Rumours have it that their enmity and animosity emanated over UK based girl who was also the daughter of one of the then SPLM-IO rebel leader from Equatoria region.
The duo later transferred this social problem into their office by trying to sabotage each other in their official duties. It was alleged that Mabior objected and opposed an opposition’s online communication website created by Lul; and that Mabior termed it as illegal and ordered it as an unofficial website. In reaction, I learnt Brigadier Lul got bitter and said he will teach Mabior a lesson that he will never forget; that Lul went as far as saying that he cannot takes orders from a Dinka while at the same time fighting a Dinka genocidal regime in Juba.
But now the question is: why is Lul Ruai taking orders from his former foe, Salva Kiir who is Dinka and refusing orders from Dinka in the person of Mabior before. Was that hypocrisy or politic?
However, it was said that when the Mabior and Lul case was brought to Riek’s attention, he shut and dressed down the latter, a reaction which later made Lul to defect and join Juba regime at press conference in the intercontinental hotel, Nairobi.
Back to photo story, after I finished watching this photo of Riek Holding Mabior’s Hand up, two questions came to my mind: What special thing has Mabior done that warranted Riek to put Mabior’s hand up like that? The second question was: is Mabior a sellable project for the presidency through Nuer ticket? I think it is too early for Riek to endorse him.
Hence, this endorsement is unlikely to have an impact. Mabior is not ripe for president job? He has earned some sympathies by virtue of him being Dr John Garang’s child. But that is not enough and sufficient. More so, such cannot be a prerequisite for his endorsement at this time of war.
I first met Mabior in May 2018 at a meeting in Nairobi. Even before I met him, I was well versed with his views and beliefs through his writings in social media platforms. I know he is meticulous, humble and focus bearded young Rastaman.
However, he will first have to translate his words into action or realities. If I can answer myself on the second question; is Mabior a sellable project for the presidency through Nuer Ticket?
I would say no. At the moment, Mabior is heard and seen by South Sudanese. However, he is not yet fully tested, tried and trusted. Though Mabior is heard and seen, many South Sudanese believe that he can only get nominated or elected through his father’s name.
As such, Dr Riek should not rely on late Garang’s name to make unilateral endorsement considering the fact that Dr John Garang was not sainted in the South Sudanese politics of liberation. Many are of the opinion that Dr John Garang and Gen. Salva Kiir had similar legacies which keep lingering in the minds of all Nuer community.
In fact, some commentators are of the view that what Gen. Salva Kiir is doing today, to depopulate and impoverish the Nuer people is the continuation of what Dr John had started in the early days of the liberation struggle in the 1980s. Late Dr John Garang was known and he will still be remembered for good and bad, and the facts are evidence.
Mabior’s Father Dr John Garang was educated man who loves to forgive and forget.
Undisputedly, he will always be remembered for bringing and signing of the comprehensive peace agreement popularly known as the CPA which brought to fruition the independence of South Sudan on 9th July 2011.
On the other hand, at one point in 1984, Dr Garang forces did the first massacre in the Jikany Nuer village of Thiajak after the barbaric murder of Anyaya two Leader, honourable Samuel Gai Tut.
This mass murder later gave birth to the Bor Massacre in February 1991. These horrible incidences keep haunting us up to now. The 1991 incident triggered the Nuer Massacre in Juba on 15th December 2013. Before the 2013 crisis erupted, the 1991 incident was the talk of the day.
At the moment, no one is talking about 1991 because they say justice was not only done but seen to have been in 2013. Moreover, Dr John Garang was better known by some as a nepotistic man who favoured his clan men during the days of the struggle.
Many people told us that Dr John Garang intentionally came up with formula called the (‘13 0 12’) which stands for BOR, the area where he hails from; that he came up with this idea to favour his Bor community and cadres in expense of others comrades from other communities; that through this 13,0,12 formula, he was able to take and divert all goods and services that were meant for other regions to Bor town, and that he took many people from his Bor community abroad where they could go to school and learn in countries like Cuba and other communist countries that were supporting SPLM/A at the time.
And as result, many of his fellow Dinka Bor men had upper-hand and find themselves in better positions in the movement because they went to better military schools during the liberation struggle. And that it was for this reason that made many people especially from Bor to think they were superior to their fellow Dinka from Bahr El Ghazal; and some Dinka Bor men went as far as referring to Dinka Bahr El Ghazal as ‘foolish Majority’.
In a nutshell, all I am saying is that this is not era for endorsement and that endorsement of Mabior by Riek using Garang’s name is premature and even wanting to say the least.
All what I am saying or suggesting is that Mabior is man of potentiality who needs to convert his good ideas into practicality before he is accepted by Bor community let alone other South Sudanese and Nuer community nation in particular.
Believe it or not, as we speak now Mabior Garang is unpopular in Nuer community just like Riek Machar is unpopular in Dinka Bor community. Alternatively, Dr Riek can only imposed a person but cannot endorse persons into positions and be accepted easily.
Even those he imposed Governor Tor for instance, but he is having a tough time in Bentiu, and only a few are taking him seriously. In June 2018, when he purported to have issued a decree to remove the Panyinjiar Military commissioner General Tap Puot, his unilateral orders were disobeyed in broad daylight at home and abroad by the area residents and in unity state community as a whole.
Finally, I would like to conclude by quoting the aforementioned Senator and freedom fighter that ‘‘my close friends and relatives thought politics was an endless sacrifice, a cruel bankruptcy process which did not make any economic sense. But to me, politics was different. It was a vehicle for transforming society.
The Writer is the Chairman of Unity State community in Kenya; the views expressed here are his own. He can be reach for comments via [email protected]