By Bang Teny Wang
Opinion.
August 16, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — “They discuss politics very often at some weddings waiting for the host to serve the dinner, at funerals, at bus stop waiting for bus. And they don’t discuss political issues concerning our country as according to” him, “they are trivial issues” Avani Jain
Citizens of South Sudan woke up each morning hoping that they will hear their leaders announcing an end to the bloodshed since December 15, 2013. Sadly enough, nothing is forthcoming at least for now. The president who in my best knowledge instigated this civil unrest doesn’t see the bigger picture of his people sufferings. Instead, he is more concerned about his position leaving regional leaders to do what Sudanese leaders are supposed to do; that is, saving lives and called on warring parties to end their differences politically. I have heard people saying, ‘politics is dirty’ but I was reluctant to accept that notion because politics is nothing without a doer. So, it should be the politician or politicians who put the dirt on politics for it to be dirty.
After the tragic death of Dr. John Garang de Mabior on July 30, 2005, Salva Kiir Mayardit had resorted to trickery, deception, bribery, regional blackmailing and surrounded himself with people who had no guts to say “no” whatsoever. From there on the government implementing president’s policy of enriching oneself before the nation, prioritized conduct of referendum because they know Southern Sudanese had in their hearts that they wanted to separate from the North comes what may. Not knowing that it was a plan to put every developmental project on holds, the people honorably believed in their representatives shuttling between Juba and Nairobi on public purse which they claimed its emptiness on North Sudan while racing to catch up with Bill Gates. I call that interim period as ‘corruption grace’ period. They got it! I mean the money if you are a bit off my hook which is why, we have faster money-making millionaires.
South Sudanese were tactically confused by their president that the government had no money after the main source of revenue, the oil, was shut down owing to the disagreement about who gets what between the government of South Sudan and its neighbor, the Sudan in the first quarter of 2012. The people believed their deceptive government with all their might and zeal tightening their belts as many did during the liberation struggles. While people were made to believe that there are no cash flowing, the president and his government borrowed from oil companies secretively so that they continue pocketing state money, buying luxury vehicles, grabbing lands from its rightful owners, selling South Sudan Pounds/U.S dollars on the streets using school-age children to cover up owners’ identities. Nobody dared to complain though those in higher authorities call in their relatives to take up employment position. The budget was not enough for everybody but there is plenty for semi-illiterate relatives and the weaker juniors.
The last deadly confusion came on December 15, 2013 when our president ordered presidential guards to carry out an ethnic disarmament in the headquarters. There are more questions than answers as to what prompted the president to take that immature step in the first place. South Sudanese in the national army were serving the land until Mayardit came along and reset Dr. de Mabior’s national agenda. It is hard to believe that one would think of disarming a tribe with well trained comrades in one day and naively expected no resistant. Now, we are stuck in the middle of our man made mud. Mayardit has brought in foreign troops without first measuring the consequences of their being here. They need mighty dollars more than the president think. It could have been easier for South Sudanese to reconcile before things turned ugly than having foreign nationals fighting on behave of one faction.
South Sudan politics is so dirty and confused that the president was forced to employ Chief Arrogant Propagandists and among them, is Gordon Buay Malek Chuol. Mr. Buay skillfully played his cards well on the same guy he once called a “tribal dictator” and sarcastically broadcast himself on YouTube as the future president of South Sudan. Seeing diplomatic failures of the president, Mr. Buay had embarked on getting himself big money by bad mouthing politicians who are opposed to “dictatorial tendencies” in Juba. At first, he fired his calculated character assassination attempt at Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the former vice president of the Republic of South Sudan and the chairman of the Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition.
That bode well with Mayardit who spared every thought in his mind to get rid of Dr. Machar, the South Sudan democratic icon. Little did Mayardit know of Buay and the damaging effect on his leadership. After being welcomed into the club, Mr. Buay as usual wrote baseless articles imagining situations one after the other in order to please the deafening ears of his boss. It is so ironic that Mr. Buay is actually succeeding in killing this regime from within. He is on records though he may deny that he speaks only what is in his mind as is clearly reflected in the “I do this”…. “I order that”…. kind of language. Because Mayardit squarely blame everything on others, he wasted no chance recruiting members whose names sound similar with those he murdered but have quiet different hearts to wash his bloody hands and so Buay dropped in his resume and got the job.
Buay is very cunning in that he would always ally himself with people who didn’t know much about him. He did that with Dr. David de Chan, Dr. Machar, Bapiny Monytuil, and now, Mayardit himself. It doesn’t take much for Buay to starve his boss at the back especially if money is in a eye-to-nose distance ready for grab. He would curse his own self to get a portion of it. Buay has abused Ugandan website, The Chimpreport.com until the editors’ team decided to overhaul that website outlook as well as its operation objectives. Unless Mayardit reverse gears as Chimp report did, he will regret allowing Buay burying his reputation alive on the world diplomatic radar.
A call for all SPLA members to join rebellion
I am calling South Sudanese soldiers loyal to the failed government in Juba to join hands with their brothers and sisters in opposition to save the country from collapsing due to presidential failures. So many nationalists have taken upon themselves to break tribal robe threaded by Mayardit. This forced rebellion has a democratic values attached to it. That is, restructuring state based on federalism. The federal government will have limited powers compared to centralized system which give excessive powers to the president limiting state developmental projects almost to none. Through federal government, the people in the states will have more resources available to them which will translate into easy access to essential services. Your well deserved salary will be paid regularly by competent corruption free diehards of the military. It is your national duty to reject being used on tribal basis. The president has gotten his hands tied with foreign mercenaries, so join your colleagues in uniforms and reclaimed your stolen dignity.
Should I try giving Mayardit an advice? Yes, because it won’t cost me a cent giving the world’s most recent dictator a heads’ up and here we go Mr. President: Pack up and leave! South Sudanese have enough of your political confusions. Got it sir?
Bang is a leading member of the SPLM in Opposition on Social Media. Reachable at bangteny@yahoo.ca
