I Write My Clear Conscious,
By Compatriot Bramatali Wani Lo-Lipo Lo-Lisi
Juba, South Sudan
Sept 20, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —– Given our status quo, it occurred to me a community is persons or individuals with common culture together with language, belief-system, folklore or mores, and traditions, territory and history. A political party, on the other hand, is a human association based on ethos, ideology and rules with goal to democratically take over, alone or in alliance, power and authority in a State.
Considering the polarity in my Country South Sudan, I pondered the role of community and political party in realpolitik and government. Inferring from overleaf, political party alone or in association with others partakes in politics and government; a community as a block doesn’t but persons or individuals as its constituencies.
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To illustrate, politics and government in South Sudan is unusual and obscure – evil, to say the least. In chronicles, for instance, the SPLA/SPLM later SPLM/SPLA was a malignant-political-synthesis with undue emphasis on the SPLA. Nevertheless, it was a mass movement, a liberation train for all. In that regard, I did not and will not regret being a party to it. But like any rational being, I had a defined final destination; I alighted but poised to stay on course the noble cause of the people’s struggle as we said: “The Struggle Continues”. Constructive antagonism of this mass movement ensued and measurably honoured from 1991 to 2002, yet, an enduring dent or political lacuna existed.
The concept “rights”, quite elaborate in Articles 24 and 26 of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan (TCRSS), 2011, is pertinent to factor into this perceptual thread. Importantly, rights are as membership of a political party conferred to individuals or persons – they are individual or personal not communal. For instance, you apply for a piece of land or plot or political party membership as a person or individual not community. This procedure is suitable to repel any sectarianism or tribalism. It is the rule, the acceptable convention worldwide.
Unfortunately as decipherable, my Country now is heavily pregnant with both conceptual and practical contradictions and aberrations. The current SPLM in control power and authority that metamorphosed from the warp of SPLA/SPLM continues to spawn heinous and lethal paradoxes in South Sudan. Awkwardly, the resultant SPLM now trusts delusions heavily backed by incessant Decreecracy or Decreetocracy that all citizens and communities are its members contrary to delineation of rights as seen above. It misuses the SPLA for partial and selfish objectives and goals, a flagrant contempt of the TCRSS, 2011 legal divorce. I implore the SPLA to distinguish itself and resist upfront this SPLM blatant abuse once and for all in order to salvage and guide the great People of this Country into the true orbit for progress and happiness.
Indeed, before the cataclysmic 2013, the discordant SPLM Secretary General, Pagan Amum Okiech, bragged that the SPLM had 5,000,000 members out of 8,000,000 or more South Sudanese. Given 2010 census, then, the SPLM would occasionally and infinitely win elections by just directing or ordering its five million members to vote its way unless demography changed in its disfavour at a point in the future. Extra, political party campaigns in the Country would be meaningless and the SPLM extant phobia over other political formations in the Country would be annulled and vacuity.
Consequently, the SPLM has not particularized its actual members; differentiated itself from government; and worst of all, disjointed from SPLA, which is much larger and in our supreme law the current national army. More, SPLM voluntarily or remotely inadvertently: usurps power and authority of government to preside over national occasions as Martyrs’ Day, SPLA Day, Independence Day and etcetera; uses the national flag as its symbolism thus making many citizens wonder if the flag raised on the 9 July 2011 is indeed South Sudan or SPLM’s.
Furthermore, the SPLM grabs public property and assets for its party unpatriotic or unnationalistic purposes; and promotes parochialism, sectarianism, tribalism, idleness, dependency syndrome, inefficiency, institutional dysfunctionism, nepotism, inequality, corruption, money laundering, theft, Kleptocracy, injustice, anomalous militarization, chaos, violence, debacle, misery, and death, name it – all tantamount to botched and fatal polity or State as it is so far.
Perhaps, it is good I say something more on SPLA before I rest my case. Can SPLA, whichever, be a national, disciplined and People’s Army now? In my salient notion, a pertinent name in rhyme with the sovereign State’s name may not matter more but the behaviour is my concern here.
I don’t care whatever the name. Call it SPLA if you think the ellipsis doesn’t deny the State’s name. I would believe otherwise though. But what for sure I care about is this. As citizens, we only demand a disciplined Army that is truly national, methodical and professional in character and really reflective of the incontestable diversity and reality in South Sudan. I care about the current misuse of the SPLA assume it is what it is in the Supreme Law of our Land South Sudan.
I’m proudest of my ethnic-group, a free gift of nature; yes, I have a tribe. Be proud of yours as well for it is given by the Almighty Deity. But, sure, I have a State called South Sudan, a new found nationalism that I consented to, hopefully through an acceptable social contract, which must be binding to all citizens therein. I must be equally respected as others in this political Home in accordance with this national charter. The SPLA is her national Army so far – I reserve no quarrel thus far.
Therefore, I am disgusted when asked of my tribe or ethnic-group by someone who claims SPLA. Should my State Army ask me such or that way when all my overt looks are citizenry, South Sudanese? Should I feel or see a threat instead of safety in SPLA when I believe I am the paymaster? No; stop the on-going abuse of SPLA now!
My SPLA, when you prowled and were the king of the forest; when you were in New Sudan known a rebel perhaps with no knowledge of law, you provide suitable security and comfort to me. No gun could be shot within your ears or no single soul could be brutally taken at your vigil and you failed to arrest and punish quite promptly and accordingly the culprit. You were my vanguard indeed. What has gone wrong now? Is it heartless, kleptocratic and violent generals?
SPLA, today the great People of your protectorate are made excruciating and perishing horrifically in Upper Nile, Bahr El Ghazel and Equatoria. They are in a lethal way divided or sectarianized. They are perpetually compelled to endless heinous violence – monstrously killing one another daily. Their beloved towns that endured the 39 years of Sudan civil wars – Bentiu, Malakal and Bor – have been erased from physical existence and others like Yei, Yamgbiyo, Maridri, Mundra, and Kajokköji true homes of peace in your territory heavily deserted with residents forced to flee against their will. What our previous foe(s) couldn’t do, we have successfully executed – what a terrible animosity and shame!
Come what may, you did it in the past, moreover, during toughest periods; you can do it again, why not? You knew that you could be a valorous, fierce and jingoistic fighter with the gun when confronted with real foe but needed another with a great brain to administer your dominion. You knew that civil service demanded human labour resource with brilliance not military ranks and laurels. So, let go the current decay for the sake of distinction and a prosperous South Sudan your own protectorate!
In conclusion, truly, the modern SPLM has heavily polluted South Sudan eco-political environment. Arguably, the existing ugly state of the State is its direct prototype and output. And so, the onus is more squarely on the present SPLM to cleanse and stabilize the eco-political milieu and system in the Country and now.
Therefore, in accordance with Pagan’s avowal abridged above, though fraudulent and illogical, the SPLM got static on recruiting communities instead of persons or individuals into its membership. God forbid, the SPLM then is ushered to sink into the infinite abyss of political antithesis; thus, a demand for a new political thesis forthwith.
I pray the SPLA stay float from politics especially evil ones and resist being pushed into a fixed-corner as to own a Country, but humbly, with true humility, accept being a servant Army of South Sudan and her great People. Now, with actual and irrefutable impartiality serve them the citizens and them only! Then, our real Comradeship shall endure and you shall receive the best birth day rituals and blessings.
Consequently, the “SPLA” shall have the most apposite and beautiful name that shall spawn bliss to all hearts, minds and souls without regard. Then, together in factual solidarity, we shall loudest chant: Hurrah SPLA (or the apt name then) Hurrah! Therefore, you shall live forever, Amen!
On that note, it was wrong, it is wrong, and it will be wrong for the SPLM to embroil a community and the SPLA to take part in realpolitik and government. All in all, politics and government are participative-abodes of political party/parties and persons/individuals only – as it is the case in the domain of the tenets of rights.
The author is a concern South Sudan who can be reached at ruleoflawforbasichumanrightsbw@gmail.com
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