Aug 22, 2021 — There are so many untainted rationales as to why the SPLM/A-IO ‘devotees this time should cast off Machar’s political campsite and go after General Simon Gatwech Dual’s recent calls for the SPLM/A-IO ‘movement’s reactivation from many years of being without a applicable job. Before we permitted the people ‘movement to finally fall apart, there is by the same token a sympathetic and good reason at last that SPLM/A-IO ‘cohorts must snub and wholly rebuff Dr. Riek Machar’s monotonous political endeavors.More than before, Dr. Riek Machar’s incarnated revolutionary struggle appeared to be only of wasting lives and kudos of the Nuer people. Success and failure in search for what he wanted deem perturbed if current Peace Agreement is what might be any reason to believe. Despite how decisively we have sustained and continues to be at the bottom of Dr Riek Machar’s political agitation, yet ought to learn and, if necessary, understands that, his political ambition and the style of its demeanor isn’t helping us whatsoever the quest for common political distinctiveness within our own country. We have many reasons to say jointly that, “Enough is more than even Enough Zaatu”!
Here therefore, we only look into the prevailing political realities which are ascribed to the widespread chorus of disapproval amongst the people ‘movement’s aficionado. What are forming the part of gratuitous discontents in the middle of the SPLM-IO leaders gives us sufficient raison d’être as to why only seeking seriously for an alternative to Dr. Riek Machar is the best remedy to get us out of this political mediocrity.
Meanwhile, the SPLM-IO movement’s position following the signing of R-ARCSS three years ago is unsteady. A lot of stories serve as the basis for accepting the fact that they are available. It prompted many concerned SPLM-IO ‘supporters to do a critical analysis of Dr Riek Machar’s political future.
Lack of directives is providing so many with reasons to re-evaluates of Dr Machar’s political ability to execute the rest of the struggles. The question as to “whether Riek Machar is still full of zip in his avant-garde ‘political maneuvers. This is above all, the starting point that can guide us whence comes together in reflection of what to do provides that, Dr Riek Machar is ending potency halfway the victory.
In this regard, the SPLM-IO movement ‘enthusiasts, particularly, the Nuer people who has been, for many rationalizations, formed the bulk of SPLM-IO followers out of the revolutionary struggles, there is a sharing feelings of uncertainties that, things are undesirably undergoing with the SPLM-IO movement since the so-called Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS) was signed three years ago. Why did the SPLM-IO reached to it’s uncalled for divisions among the leaders?
Initially, the fact that Dr. Riek Machar is always the only one adhering to the R-ARCSS ‘terms and provisions, he was forced to partially dismantle the movement’s political structures plus civil administration that were established in name of the 21 federal States. In that intervened time, the former SPLM-IO’s 21 ‘States administrative structures (i.e. the military governors and the whole subordinates realms of its bureaucracies; the Counties commissioners; the SPLM-IO’s civil administrators, and vice versa that were structured by the SPLM-IO movement in its controlled territories dissolve and liquefied in the same pretext of giving peace a chance.
Meanwhile, since the signing of R-ARCSS three years ago and, all the way through the successive reinstitutionalization processes of the R-TGoNU, it remained undisputed that, most of the SPLM-IO ‘occupied territories were left out.Many people (SPLM-IO supporters) remained in an indeterminate state (what has been best described as ‘political dilemma”.) And, with special look upon the SPLA-IO, situation, it is completely different:
Lack of effective chain of command and communication from the SPLM/A-IO’s Chairman and Commander-In-Chief was deadly obvious.
Absence of political contacts with the masses (Counties, Payams and Bumas) continues to deprive a movement’s supporters from acquiring objective information about SPLM-IO’s political development.
Nonexistence of the sociopolitical awareness (lack of political awareness) led to the populace standing apart in receipt of the news about what is really obtainable with the R-ARCSS ‘implementation processes in Juba.
Lack of institutional means of communication is generally obliging most of the SPLM-IO ”supporters or a group of the movement’s followers to reduce their enthusiasm toward the mission of SPLM-IO movement.
Lack of an objective political awareness rising amongst the Movement’s followers on the grounds is wholly attributed to the SPLM-IO’s Chairman who has evidently disconnected and contained himself in Juba off his people.
The R-ARCSS instead planted no optimism to the revolutionaries. The time spent by Dr Riek Machar in Juba paralysed the morale and enthusiasm of the people and it became a sign of political failure with its consequences remaining unpredictable. And, to those who may be closely following the events, there are genuine reasons sounding like any basis to assume that the political front opened by the SPLM-IO’s Machar in Juba is nothing but the beginning of Dr Riek Machar’s political history that’s repeating itself.
Whatever the connotation you give to the current reality, it is a submission in any form of posturing to the same enemy in Juba. That is a clear duplicity of the sacrifices which have been made by an elderly, young and the middle aged Nuer sons and daughters for nearly decade. In any outward appearance and verbalization, Machar’s repositioning to Juba was somewhat satisfactorily convinced many people that; he is giving up the fight, but slowly.
Whilst in Juba and silently watching the pointless soreness of his political and military forces in the bushes, he is making it easier by providing people with reasons to exploit and concludes that, “the objective on which Number has patriotically waged revolution struggle is ending without its most expected noble price”. The formula was meant to deprive the Nuer people their rights and ability towards decisive victory over the enemy’s destructive efforts.
The query as to whether peace or not peace, there has never been in anyone’s doubt that, without looking upon the geopolitical and ethnic composition of the South Sudan, the so-called Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS) that is says to be under implementation for three Years since its signing in 2018, doesn’t make anything different. In its place, the same human wretchedness that South Sudanese has been exposed to for the last decades, still going on at such a depressing speed. South Sudan since the 2018 ‘lousy political deal, it has been placed in a situation of no peace and no war phenomenon.
Whilst the human affliction is persisting on with frightening proportion, the enemy in Juba hangs on entrenching its genocidal demagogues by employing delaying tactics too. And, the shoddier scenario is whence the SPLM-IO Chairman appears to be at the rear without bearing in mind that, his army and, indeed, the entire SPLM-IO movement is in the bushes incurring untold sufferings.
My dear comrades in the struggle, there are plenty of reasons that we need to break the chains of enslavement. “The syndromes of political submissiveness” that, the Nuer’s very accustomed outlook of the politics is always shaped with their homage to a person and, playing political game in personifications of individuals. This is not rightly so in the 21st Century ‘politics where there is in every society an alteration in both the collective and individual’s reception of the political reality and, depending on how the environment requires. Nuer is not exceptional to the changes that many other societies are undergoing. The Nuer people of today, in contrast to yesterday’s Nuer, are more advanced. The Nuer in this day and age possessed all the necessary and relevancies in terms of educational advancement, sociopolitical ability, science and technology and in a variety of other contemporary moral reasons. Utilizing these contemporary opportunities for positive political technique of thinking is that should guide us as a community in the sphere of the national political arena. Hence! We need more than before to change the ways we politically think and act.
And, whence in gaze at Dr. Machar’s political status within the Nuer people, it is very apparent and perceptibly undisputable that Riek Machar Teny has been seen as an icon in the present-day’s Nuer political configuration for over 30 years since 1991. Meanwhile, both the living and dead ‘Nuer political and military heroes and heroines of his age down to the latter generations, has paid as much as they could to make sure that, Riek Machar Teny’s political endeavor for whatsoever inspired him; wherever he wanted to led the Nuer people to; however his political ideology is favor, the Nuer in all political, cultural, social and private categories of life have been standing firmly behind Riek Machar Teny.
The only objective for such a solid support to Riek Machar Teny was to let him succeed in his mission. How much the Nuer paid in terms of humans, material and prestige whilst supporting Riek Machar Teny’s political journey between 1986-2021 needs a separate book.
However, the reality connecting to whether Machar is politically making it through or not has become somewhat debatable. With the bulk of Nuer people caught in a political bewilderment as to, “whether Dr Machar Teny is making rights in his ruling over the Nuer people or else, thus, the reign needs thorough verification” and still not noticeable.
And, in this particular historical event therefore, we must inform ourselves in this regard to act modestly and, with that, collectively, we would be able to decide when, what, where, how, and who can lead the Nuer at a time of political quest. For many Nuer people, there are huge concerns and doubts that Machar’s political endeavor yields positivity. This is because of many reasons even if not all of the reasons for discrediting Machar’s political endeavor are to be mentioned here! Some basic highlights are as following:
The year 1986 marked the start of Machar’s showing up to the Nuer people as somewhat with a kind of embodied political leadership eminence. It began well with Machar’s mysterious socio-political background whence he appeared in the mid- 1980s. His educational level at a times whence there had been hardly a Nuer of his contrast; his distinctive and classics capitalist ‘political ideology as a western educator; his young age as energetic capable of serving successfully; and more importantly, some of the Prophet Ngundeng’s prophecies said to be associated to Machar’s family before over fifty years prior to Dr. RiekMachar’s birth. These and many others times related factors were a supportive aspects that obliged almost all of the Nuer people to stick on providing unyieldingly any political and/or military patronage whence Dr. Riek Machar Teny seeks it from the Nuer. Indeed, the Nuer people stood firm for the last 30 years behind Dr. Riek Machar. Equally the same, the Nuer keeps on sacrificing everything of a valuable uses for their lives because of Dr. Riek.
The first inconvenient soon after Machar’s appearance in 1986 (whence deployed as zonal commander as it used to be for Western Upper Nile region) was the failure in 1986 to handle a small communal fighting which has been locally instigated and mistakenly involved the Bul-Nuer sub clans versus Machar’s SPLM-A forces, predominantly comprised of men from Machar’s immediate sub clans on the southern Unity State.
A very small scale skirmishes which started to flared up as minor clashes between Machar’s forces and group of bandits comprised of overwhelmingly a men from the Bul-Nuer of Mayom under one of the renowned local militia commander by name- MalinyKaway turned out to be one of the heated feud still distressing bond between the Nuer of Bentiu till today. The history connected to the above referred event in 1986is too vast and not all to be explains in details here. Simply, Dr. RiekMachar’sfailure to work out for solution thought to be unfortunately that resulted in one of a historical fault which left scars amongst the same Nuer people of Unity State versus Bul-Nuer and most part of the Unity State’s Southern sections.
Ensued the year 1991 when Dr Riek Machar staged a widely known rebellion within the SPLM/A’s then political and organizational setting led by Dr. John Garang. Dr Riek Machar Teny started well with his political agenda and, more than any other commanders who shared common ideological objectives, Machar received a huge acceptance with hardly very few Nuer were seen holding some reservations and skepticism.
With every Nuer shore up the movement’s vision for the total liberation of only South Sudan, the beginning was somehow popular. Facing no opposing views from his followers, and with all of the powers bestowed upon him, Dr.RiekMachar began his political leadership and captured not only the Nuer’s at the initial stages, but also, counting others South Sudanese from various ethnic backgrounds. Independence of South Sudan versus the new Sudan of secularism by Dr John Garang placed Dr Machar on the high ground among the Nuer people.
Dr. Riek Machar while enjoying absolute power due to the support of the whole Nuer’s socio-political arenas. And, for the unlimited support by the Nuer people, Dr. Riek Machar amused himself with all the encouragement that later let him form what were later known as, the SSIM/A. Dr. Riek Machar Teny during the 1990s historical period, the Nuer have gave him all an absolute powers of making all the movement’s political decisions; directing the movement’s ideological indoctrination and outreach; leading the organization and commanding of the movement’s armed forces; connecting the movement with an overseas political apparatuses; plus many others freedom bestowed upon him throughout the 1990s.
The history that connected with how Dr. Riek Machar ended up by giving in to the same enemy in early 2000s, marked the following qualms as to “whether or not” Dr. Riek Machar is a kind of revolutionary personality. With many Nuercaught in surprise, Dr. Machar led the movement to sign peace with the enemy that, its end result was more or less similar to how the same Machar is ending today.
What many Nuer people perceived as the noble cause during the 1990s, and that, if successfully handled by Dr Riek Machar, the end result would’ve shown how only Nuer had to be priced out of South Sudan ‘independence. Conclusion was the Frankfurt Peace Accord in 2002. With only he (Machar) decided to escape from Khartoum back to the bushes and left behind the bulk of his followers who later remained bewildered in and out without direction.
Followed the year 2013 that gave the aged Machar another attempt. It was the same another turning point that, the same necessary support a national leader required from his own constituency were offered to him unyieldingly by the same Nuer people.Twice lead Dr Riek Machar to the signing of a humiliated Peace Agreement which finally disappointed his followers.
Without doubt, Nuer people stood firm for the last 30 years behind him and, forgo everything of value to politically, morally, militarily, and materially supported Dr Machar Teny’s political mission. Thus! No other political leader ever supported his own people for such a long time and aphorism hence comparing RiekMachar’s support from the Nuer people with any like of the political ambitious in the region. According to many, the same way that Machar ended in the year 2002 has similar characteristics with the current submission in the pretext of R-ARCSS implementation. It’s unnecessary!
The author can be reached through email at johnsonmak61@gmail.com
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