By Onyi Itara, SOUTH SUDAN,
Opinion.
Sept 28, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — Do not protest; one purpose of media is to educate the masses. Therefore, the Writer will want to continue to educate the masses about one, federalism – owing to its naturalness.
It was there for us. South Sudanese wanted it before, now and in the future. It (federalism) is a political system in which powers are divided between central and regional governments – in our case South Sudan, it will be between central and states governments.
Federalism is a legally recognized system of governance. Worldwide, 24 out of 194 or so countries run federal system of governance [on top of the list are first world; USA, Australia, & Canada among others]. So, it is not a crime if we adopt it! It fits South Sudan owing to “her diversity,” which diversity needs to be appreciated.
It allows citizens living in Eastern Equatoria State with different needs & interest to set policies that favor their existence, yet still come together with other states say Warrap, Central Equatoria, Unity, Lakes, Upper Nile, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Jonglei states, etc] as one nation [South Sudan]. For example, the Toposa, Buya, Didinga, Lopit and Lotuko in the Eastern Equatoria State do not need oil and so are any policies related to. They rear cattle from which they earn a living. A federal system of governance will enable them to contrive policies that favor their cattle-rearing. Simply put.
By removing the central [Juba] government from ‘contentious’ issues’ which are poor governance, injustice, mass corruption, tribalism, land grabbing, poor international relations, un-accountability & ‘untransparency’ etc, we shall feel stability [which is lacking], then rule of law, come development etc in the country. Running a big country such as South Sudan with 64 or so tribes with different cultures, needs & interest etc is difficult if power is centralized. This is something said & written a million times but ‘heard-not’ by the few in power.
The separation of powers is what is badly needed in the South Sudan. The experience people have is that centralization has not borne fruits [but] instead it has created more anguish [through and through] to the citizens. The few in power use centralization to posses public funds [owing to corruption], to tribalize the government and its institutions, to grab peoples’ land by force, to offer selective justice in courts of law, to account-not for public funds, to choke media-freedom, to rape peoples’ girls at will, to rule the country with an iron fist among other contentious issues. To want to voice these [contentious issues] will be done at the claws of a leopard!
December 15th 2013 speaks for itself. After requests for peaceful reforms were severally asked by democrat & federalist Dr Riek Machar Teny, President Kiir refused in a broad day light & instead pursued the painful path of systematically killing the Nuers in thousands. South Sudan has got no leader in the person of Salvatore Kiir; the whole world should get this right from the word ‘go.’
To the biased IGAD; the causes of the civil war [Dec 2013 to date] are to the President Kiir SPLA-IG. They should be addressed. Only and only then will peace return to South Sudan – a peace filled with federalism, a system that has been proven to be the best system of administering South Sudan. Install it and the rest [poor governance, one man’s rule, mass corruption, tribalism, injustices, media-arrests, land grabbing, rape, poor international relations among others] will be history!!!
The author lives in South Sudan. Kick him hard at onyi.itara@gmail.com
