By Lul Gatkuoth Gatluak
opinion
October 1st 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – Last week, on Tuesday 25, The Opening high-level General Debate of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 73) kicked off in New York. Important world leaders converged at the United Nations Headquarters to share their views on essential and continental issues that are affecting the World’s populations.
Among the attendees at the United Nations General High-level General Debate was the son of former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Anan who recently passed away in Switzerland at the age of 80. The young son of Anan reflected on his father’s legacy as a renowned world leader who helped shape the world order.
Beside the representatives of the world’s stable and prosperous nations, was the attendant of South Sudan’s the so-called First Vice President, Taban Deng Gai who came to represent the World’s youngest failed nation.
In his first appearance on Social media, Taban appeared in the picture with the United States’ president Donald Trump and the First lady, Melania Trump. He also took another picture with Ms. Virginia Gamba, the United Nations special representative for children and Armed Conflict. Mr. Deng had a gut that, taking pictures with these world important leaders would help him regain trust and convince the suffering masses of South Sudan who are being butchered daily, and the Government pretends that it is really caring for them.
Surprisingly, during his turn to address the continental body, the boring speech of South Sudan’s First Vice President sparked walkouts, with an exception of a few individuals who don’t want him feel embarrassed.
This image below reflects the weakness of South Sudan and how deceitful is the world body for the atrocity South Sudan government is inflicting on their citizens.
Though his sycophant supporters are euphorically bragging about pictures he has taken with Donald Trump and the First lady Melania Trump, decent South Sudanese people know that the man has done nothing in New York. They might have lied about what he achieved at the United Nations Headquarters, but, the world know the political and Social cleavage within South Sudan is fundamentally different from many States around the world.
In his message to the world body, he had highlighted how South Sudan is heading towards new era that could result in sustainable peace and stability. He also asserted, the country will hold a free and fair general elections after a transitional period of 36 months, which started on June 12, 2018.
He went on to say that the purpose of the Forum had threefold, which include instituting a permanent ceasefire, giving fresh impetus to the inclusive implementation of the provisions of the Agreement, and agreeing on new realistic timelines and implementation schedules towards democratic elections at the end of the Transitional Period.
According to him, the Government embraced the Forum for the Agreement. Its objectives were clearly aimed at bringing about a comprehensive and lasting peace. The signing of the Khartoum Declaration of Agreement between the parties to the conflict took place on 27 June. On 12 September, all parties signed the final Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. In addition, the Transitional Government of National Unity has embraced the Agreement’s full implementation and is ready to welcome forces from its guarantors to monitor implementation.
Along with the aim of achieving lasting peace is the establishment of mechanisms to tackle impunity and accountability, he continued. In the recently decided Terrain case, the Government interviewed the victims in order to hold the individuals responsible to account. With the support of the United States Government, a detailed investigation and evidence gathering process enabled victims to identify their attackers and ensure that the law was able to prosecute those accountable to the full extent possible.
As national healing is sought, President Salva Kiir has empowered a cross‑section of community representatives and mediators to set up the National Dialogue and other grassroots “people to people” peace initiatives, he noted. The National Dialogue was launched to conduct a multi‑layered approach to repairing the social fabric. It has been heavily criticized by some external observers, mainly because of the misconception that it was considered as a substitute to the peace talks.
However, he pointed out that that was not the case. At the launch of the National Dialogue in 2015, its aim was to create a forum in which the causes of conflict could be discussed, and among other things to ask the people important questions such as those of national identity, governance and the relationship between the communities, including causes of intercommunal conflict. The grassroots component has been the most effective. The process allowed those who had not had an opportunity to have their voices heard to put across their various viewpoints. The reports were candid in nature, as the communities were allowed to express their opinions freely without fear of repercussions.
As Mr. Deng has succinctly stated, the establishment of mechanisms to tackle impunity and accountability, had he realized that he is the part of those criminals who are going to be tried for crime against humanity in South Sudan? In actual fact, people who perished in J1, the whole Equatoria region and Upper Nile following his assassination plot against Riek Machar are on his shoulder.
The reason of 2015 Peace Agreement failure is because of the secret deal he sealed with South Sudan tyranny regime since he still a SPLM/A-IO peace negotiator officer in Addis Ababa. His conspiracy of blackmailing SPLM/A-IO during security arrangement where he gave in everything including the number of the army and ammunition was the reason the government made up their mind to discard 2015 agreement.
On the other hand, he talked about the launch of the National Dialogue in 2015, can a National Dialogue be conducted while the country still at war? The fact that their plot of sidelining the leader of the SPLM/A-IO had failed, is the reason that ruined all their plans including keeping him away from walking with his supporters.
In summing, the picture Taban has painted in New York does not convince suffering masses of South Sudan. The country floundered, there is barely any agricultural production happening, the entire citizens are depending on the WFP and other agencies. The country is on the verge of famine which mean the economy of the country is not growing.
Although there is an abundance of natural resources like timber, oil, gold and many more, there is no infrastructure in place. Our country is an example of a good idea gone bad, given that we got our hard won independence and dragged the country to the ignominious distinction of being a failed State.
Lul Gatkuoth Gatluak is a South Sudanese political commentator. He can be reached at lulgatluak09@gmail.com orsimonlul2000@yahoo.com
