By Matai Muon,
Aug 8, 2021 — Kac lorȁ is a Nuer phrase to mean “I don’t Care” but literarily it conveys a “lie without substance.” The term has been in use for centuries. Its history arguably is as old as the Nuer civilization. However, since the early 80s, it has assumed a political connotation and its usage has been largely associated with Riek Machar, the foremost political god of the Nuer. The term Kaclörism thus, is a product by this author to explain the phenomenon where the Nuer politics is based on elites’ monopoly of the truth and how that clouds political and even socio-economic development of the Nuer as a unique political player within the realm of South Sudan’s political pitch. Kac lorȁ is often, a negative phrase.
In its crude meaning, it connotes a political system that is rebellious to criticisms (even when they can be constructive and destructive useful) as we saw with Professor Dr. Adwok Nyaba’s suggestive criticism. Before he left the SPLA-IO, the much-respected political scholar advised Dr. Machar against “acting Nuerly” by exposing the secrets of war and internal diplomacy to the outside world. He would then take a permanent voluntary leave fearing the outcome of his comment. In the kacloristic world of the IO, the learned Professor perhaps had acted “anti-Nuerly” by annoying the gods and attacking its most adored principle of engagement! The principle of Kaclörism treats reformers quite harshly, sometimes contradicting the philosophy of its ardent user – Dr. Riek Machar, a man widely read as the reforms fan in the long history of our political thoughts. One wonders why the same man finds it difficult to allow room for political innovation and critical thoughts to flourish.
Kaclorism as a political philosophy manifests in different forms. One of which is negligence and nepotism – two key blunders in the politics of economics and power. Reacting to the media after the cabinet formation in March 2020, Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol, described by some as a “measured and articulate military officer” explained how kaclorism manifested itself when he said:
“We have fought for this Movement, and People have died. And when one family holds more than three positions, what does this mean? It means you have neglected people.”
In this sense, the General meant that well-meaning officers like him did not join the bush to be kicked around when power and food arrived. However, in the narrow viewpoint of a typical Machar fan and the kaclorist, the General and his group stood low to cite “food and power” as if these were not the ingredients that had always made Machar rebel (see 1991 & 2013).
Political Science scholar David Eaton agrees with the General when he defines politics as the authoritative allocation of values for a society.” Political values are defined in terms of power and tangible resources. These values could be ideas, institutions and organizations that then build the moral and political foundation of a collective cause. Kaclorism however, kill their capacity before they thrive. In the Republics, Plato, the Greek philosopher who theorized greatly on politics believed that conflicting interests of different parts of society can be harmonized so as to achieve cohesion and unity. Being dismissive of contrary opinions signifies dictatorship at the core. And Gatmachar has rightly been seen as such. In his long list of grave mistakes that Riek Machar has been committing since 1991 (as revised on August 7, 2021, to reflect on the events in Magenis), political commentator Deng Vanang describes Machar as a “crude dictator” and a morally depraved public intellectual.” In the same manner, Dr. Nyaba in the Politics of Liberation (2000: 144) explicitly describes kaclorism when he wrote:
“Riek Machar can be a very difficult person when he decides not to accept an idea no matter how correct and logical. Sometimes, without convincing reasons, he will close his mind to any further suggestion, betraying his claims to be a genuine democrat.”
Kaclorism dictates that the agency to question and suggest is a prerogative of the Chairman or his small group of “thinkers” whose decisions and choices have had more devastating outcomes than would be expected overtimes. This crude reality came to light in the recent unfortunate twists of things at Magenis. This author holds the opinion that poor leadership characterized by a “wait and see” approach; a unique feature of kaclorism led to breakdown of order at Magenis. The philosophy, though still in development, has spread far and beyond and mixes perfectly with the Nuer’s socio-cultural training that normally places the power to decide with the elites – even when such elites have lost the public confidence to decide on their behalf. It is anti-Nuer to rebel against the majority opinion particularly in matters politics. That is the whole mark of kaclorism. It perpetuates a culture of brutal silence which leads to maintenance of status quo. Such an end game does not augur well with modern politics which is built on innovation and critical opinions. Whether it is Mabior de Mabior quitting the IO as a result of kaclorism, or even the smallest of voices within that establishment, the philosophy of kaclorism is real and it is damaging to the bloodline of the mainstream Nuer politics. It builds a culture of dictatorship and permeates the idea that old men are always right. History says a complete opposite.
At the heart of kaclorism lies the dismissive power of collective and individual contribution of yesterday by the top elites, putting the entire society at risk. Worse still, minority opinions always suffer. The Nuer has inherited a culture of internalized suffering for more than forty years. And they often mistake this for collective resilience. In his recent facebook live criticism against Dr. Riek, elder Joseph Majiek Gany made an interesting point on this culture comparing the current state of the Nuer to what was happening to them in the 60s in which they would celebrate Gatluak Maguel in public at the same time, eating them in private. The influential elder wondered aloud why the Nuer have become so accustomed to the man who does so little for them. And then emotionally lamenting: “we are ageing with our kids’ future uncertain ” attributing the suffering to kacloristic leadership of Gatmachar. Majiek Gany is a rare voice in this part of the world. This author advocates for more voices like Gatgany. Or else we shall all perish as fools.
Future Implications
Bad politics kills and it kills absolutely. In the Nuer’s political space, thousands of lives have been lost since the time when Gatmachar assumed political power. Historical records inform us that his tenure brought unprecedented suffering and destructive consequences in comparative terms. And as the elder confirmed, Gatmachar’s leadership has damaged the socio-cultural, economic, and political landscape of the Nuer. Kacloristic fans might dispute this, but the facts are in the public domain. When critical views are not allowed to develop, there is no development. Politics requires innovation and diverging opinions. No society advances with a single idea of how to proceed. There are a million ways to run a collective of human society. They only require an open space to arrive.
The massive displacement of the Nuer resulting from the kacloristic mindset will have a far flung effect on the Nuer population for several years to come. In their deplorable conditions in various refugee camps across the region and their internal confinement to 19th century life, the Nuer arguably has become the laughingstock of the community of nations. Their dignity, rich traditional values and shared vision for prosperity have dramatically been humiliated. Their kids do not attend schools on average while their women give birth without the required medical attention of the 21st century. And still they think they can hope with the same leadership that led them into such a space.
Politically speaking, the rising new political DNA of the Nuer receives public insults and sarcasm. The result is an exhausting voice. The only sanctioned opinion is that which supports or at least resembles kaclorism. In the end, the Nuer society might find itself without a strategic direction, breaking its strong traditional socio-cultural fabric. Emerging terms such as Dokism, Bulism, Gawaarism are symbols of a weary constituency. Kaclorism has perpetuated social disintegration as sentiments build up as a consequence of being absent at the top.
Going forward, dismissing rising voices needs to stop. The political marketplace of the Nuer, just like the national politics, should never be a monopoly of the rich elites. Political innovation calls for trials, testing, and experimentations. Kaclorism has been tested, tried, and experimented, it has not delivered for at least thirty-three years. Does it need more time than this? We might need to consult history for a possible answer.
Matai Muon reads International Relations at the University of Nairobi. He is a World Bank Award-winning Blogger and a social justice researcher. He is reachable at mataimuon@yahoo.com.
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