By Dak Buoth Riek Gaaq,
20th October, 2014.(Nyamilepedia) — ‘‘The penalty that men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves’’ At my teens, I was bloodily driven out of my ancestral home for a sin I never committed nor abetted, neither did I know the people who did what they penalized us for.
In spite of my innocence and those at my category, they never spared us from all devilish acts that they did at a time. Thus, we had to flee for our dear lives and ultimately sought a refugee status as aliens in north western Kenya.
The people that I left behind in that area where I was forcefully ejected has since days of creation to date never witness what a Murrum road look like or communication network service nor a sparks of modern electricity and other basic necessities. Certainly, my fellow global citizens who may heard me in Seoul, Brussels, Havana and nearby Gatundu Kenya will presume that I am day dreaming, for they might not belief that there are still human beings who lack the aforementioned necessities in the 21st century.
Since I adopted an alien status, had it not been for the selfless immortal sacrifices of some big hearted individual (s) who have helped me climbed this mileage perhaps this except wouldn’t have been available for the readers. All these memoirs bring me to conclusion that irrespective of how inactive and indifference you are probably with an intention to beautify or distance yourself from the evils currently orchestrated by the architects of the socio-economic and political affairs in our country; you will always inhale and exhale the particles of their action either directly or indirectly.
These aforesaid issues; among other philosophical verdicts prompted me to stand up and persistently asks; are our lives, dignity and indispensable peace limited to individuals? Do we exist on a mercy of those proclaimed political deities?
It is in the public domain that South Sudan with its abundant natural resources, fertile soil, rich and diverse cultures, now it tops the list as the poorest country on the planet earth; with a features ranging from poor infrastructure; high maternity, low mortality and high illiteracy rates; little technological know-how; citizenry succumbing to curable diseases that have long been eliminated in other part of the world; mothers and kids sheltered not only in shanties but also under and on the trees like birds. They eat like chickens and with chickens, and they clothed on rags.The Italians adage, ’that Rome was not built in one day’’ shouldn’t be an excuse at all for what we can do right for our country because we have resources and celebrated population that can be fed, treated and schooled. To tell you the truth, the hopes and patience preserved all along are now waning and fading.
The governing political party (SPLM) isn’t showing a sign of regret for its misgivings; instead it is continuing to be rocked by rampant embezzlement of whopping state and donors funds: widespread corruption and failure to erase Khartoum’s enduring legacy of abject poverty have soon sown a social and political discontent and has now install one of the most unequal nation on earth; its immunity and exception from accountability for its ills, aided by ineffective state organs invented to abetted impunity; pervasive absence of the rule of law; Police brutality and extra judicial killings are always crashing the old wounds and therefore lowering our national pride and patriotism.
All these constituted the current political turmoil which we are unaware how soon it will ease. as matter of fact, according to the recent surveys conducted by renowned international institutions; they irrefutably documented that ‘‘the destruction of properties and widespread civilians displacement wittingly orchestrated by the political actors of the ongoing crisis is something unimaginable, incomprehensible, unbelievable, regrettable ever incurred since the first revolutionary bullet in 1955.
Optimistically, the guns will soon be muted diplomatically; it’s just matter of time. Afterward, the new page will be open for accountabilities and the rule of law, and in my little legal knowledge, the act of commission and omission are normally weight using the same kilogram and when they are subjected to the wrath of justice system; only few will escape the jaws and the long arms of the law among the two antagonists SPLM sections.
There is what is call ‘‘duty to foresee’’ and this must be apply later if at all justice will be unravel comprehensively and broadly. Voltaire said, every man is guilty of all the goods that he didn’t do right. This duty to foresee empathized on the role of a leader to detect, consult, react and defense reasonably et cetera when the governed are faced by eminent danger.
Therefore even the leaders of the disgruntle group will be put to task, because the facts remains that this crisis didn’t just happened accidentally as few of you may think, it appeared as a well-planned scheme, doctored and skillfully unleashed to meet its intended purpose. As such, few among the disgruntle group who have held powerful positions in government will be question to explain what they had seen, and the action they had taken at their disposal to prevent this ongoing crisis from happening, failure to which, that will amount to act of omission.
Temporarily, for us to slightly reduce the bulkiness of this crimes in our hearts and souls, we ought to be more proactive while maintaining high sense of sobriety and not in illusion and emotion as portrayed by many; because If you opts for the latter, you will appear like the people you’re accusing. The legal maxim holds that, ’he who comes into equity must come with clean hands’’ as such, we should not satisfy our thirst for freedom by dinking from a cup of hatred, dishonesty, cowardice, tribalism and impunity for there is no crime of association.
Try to pose a self-fitting question, by asking where is the rain started beating us? When you interrogated yourself this question, analyze it objectively not subjectively, you will have a picture of relieve and justice that you will pursue confidently.
in 2005, though the death of the Party leader Dr. Garang befall the highly triumphant nation, optimisms remained up in sky because the people then could still noticed and envisioned the resilience among the remaining party stalwarts. In Africa they say, when a hero died, people don’t weep; instead you just pick his spear and run with it. Hence, they said lets bury Dr. Garang quickly and decently so that we could restart the journey. Therefore, the question then as to whether they would drive the party philosophy in unity was something totally not in doubt.
From the onset, the fuels and engine that accelerated our Bus which carry us to July 9th 2011 was purely a red blood cell. By the time we reached that day and everybody was thirsty and dehydrating on that day; everybody had to queue to get that which we lack, the road, the food and security. The arithmetic was very clear and simple, just like counting you fingers; it was anticipated for instance that, when Chukudum shall got road this year, the other year shall be Pathiel and Aweil and so no and forth.
Uncontrollably, the ruling SPLM which had once earned glowing tribute and was placed at pedestal both locally and continentally is now cracking and is tearing itself apart completely with no chance of recycling .With the far it has reached in its self-destruction and the mistrust it has earned among the civil population, I doubt whether the Chama Cha Mampinduzi, the liberation revolutionary socialist party of Tanzania will get some peels to rescue it from its internal intricacies;
I heard the two principals have left their respective enclaves on 19th October 2014 to attend that advisory conference in Arusha Tanzania. My uncertainty whether Chama Cha Mampinduzi will manage to fence SPLM’S the broken fence isn’t based on their capability to do but rather on the SPLM lack of commitment to peace.
Painfully, the nation that it fought for is now hanging on a pendulum; and the string on which it is hanging, is loosening its strength considerably and it may either fall in the Nile River for crocodiles to swallow or in Eastern Africa as permanent refugees with no hope for home return soon. Right now, on this day and hour 20th October 2014; 7:12 pm, the opinions and faces of the south Sudanese people portrayed mourning and desperate feelings among the once jubilant community. The cotton and milky mood that came with independent on the 9th July.
2011 has rapidly changed and has now been transformed into a gloomy coated with red wicked ethnic vendetta.
Akin to Khartoum ‘s successive regimes which then purported that we are all Sudanese citizens, yet we don’t get the share of the national cake, did we felt proud just by mere political allegiance? I think not. It is indisputable that we had inherited what we run away from and ‘‘history is now repeating itself’’ the writings are on the wall for every south Sudanese citizen to see.
The fact that we got our country’s political independent with its own capital is immaterial without tangible substance that offer real independent, like it is said, ‘‘independent has failed south Sudan, because the majority are still mired in poverty in the face of burgeoning wealth on the other side, ‘‘that independent should mean more than political freedom, it need to translate to the improvement of lives not disenchantment or disenfranchisement in the society as it is the case with us.
Argumentatively, can we say, the SPLM leadership has truly lose vision or the problems facing it are just challenges of infancy, meaning they can still occur though its other party or leader governing rather than SPLM? I think both points can hold water if debated rationally.
Summarily, Dr. Kwame NKruma still right, let his soul rest in eternal peace, he said, ‘‘seek ye first the political freedom, and the rest shall be added unto you; as such, as young people of this potential land, we need to bolster more efforts now than ever before so that we can be really independent from disease , poverty and ignorance among menaces that have crippled us from ascertaining our aspirations.
It’s our utmost responsibility to go out there and make thing at least improve. Let’s refrain from insults on social media but mediate on how we can reunite ourselves and work out our problems as one indivisible society. We must inserted extra efforts to give visionary leadership a chance to rescue us from this leadership confusion and thereafter propel our country to the next level where other countries are in Africa and beyond.
We must rethink on how to dodge the past African mistakes that have dragged them behind over decades. Going by the Africa Union Youth charter crafted and enacted in Banjul Gambia; every young person have roles to execute towards his family and society, the State, and the international community.
That youth have the duty to partake fully in citizenship duties including voting, decision making and governance; that they shall engage in peer-to-peer education to promote youth development in areas such as literacy. Violence prevention and peace building;
That they shall contribute to the promotion of the economic development of States Parties and Africa by placing their physical and intellectual abilities at its service; That they shall work towards a society free violence, Coercion, crime, degradation, exploitation and intimidation;
That they shall promote tolerance, respect for others regardless of age, race, ethnicity, color, gender, ability, religion, status or political affiliation; That they shall defend democracy, the rule of law and all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Finally, youth shall embrace and sustain a culture of voluntarism and human rights protection as well as participation in civil society activities; Promote patriotism towards and unity and cohesion of Africa;
Partly, this opinion is written in dedication to Africa‘s literary icon Late Prof. Ali Masrui who had his final rest yesterday in Mombasa Kenya……
In his honor, I advised you my fellow youth to shun proudness and arrogance; for if we poses such traits, we shall be unlearn and uninformed because we will refused to be advised and constructively criticize, so on and so forth……..
Happy Mashujaa Day today in Nairobi…..Happy Heroes and Heroines Day, long live your spirit, Honorable. Marcus Garvey.
I rest my case.
The writer is student in Nairobi Kenya; he can be reach for comments via eligodakb@yahoo.com
