By Mak Banguot Gok (Makjohnson),
Sep 18, 2021 — If you were true revolutionists whose mission was commandeer by the breakdown of Dr Riek Machar, this is your right time to wake up and unyieldingly turn into supporting the historic Kitgwang Declaration. The recent Kitgwang Declaration is the only surrogates option for those of us who are dissatisfied with the actual end of the struggle, and have reasons to continue struggling. It’s a chance for the SPLM/A-IO movement’s real cohorts, and, who wants to remodel the people’s revolution by developing a new mindset for even a protracted five to ten years long struggle against a brutal regime.
Meanwhile, we the SPLM/A-IO supporters, we are the very people who have millions of preferences. We can if we choose to let the revolution be unsuccessful and fail halfway to victory. Also, we have the privilege of carrying out a successful insurgency if we prefer to utilize the few opportunities we have to let the revolution succeed. If we choose not to be up to snuff of the people’s movement (blinded by absence of objectivity), that is very easy and trouble-free to do so by simply disinclination to condemn Dr Riek Machar’s political egotism. Therefore, the Kitgwang Declaration is a new call for a nationalistic duty to hold up the rationale behind this timely and noble idea. This is devoid of the personification or tribalization of the movement’s collective intent.
Indeed, it has been widely thought that a regime in Juba which rules with brutal violence and tribalism can only be stopped by another more powerful violent force. Thus, if a brutal regime in Juba is only interested in facing a violent rather than peaceful challenge, the SPLM/A-IO/KD must also arm itself and develop a plan to thwart that desire. Under Dr Riek Machar’s idealistic ambition, all the measures of the armed struggle against Salva Kiir’s genocidal regime had been a failure. The armed struggle failed to topple the Kiir government; failed to protect civilians, or bring more rights and freedoms to South Sudanese. A rebellion always necessarily involved either submission or destruction, and that the longer the former was delayed the more certain was the latter.
We have been supporting Dr Riek Machar for decades. What he lacked was not people’s support rather his own personal lack of proactive political scheming. Unlike the other autocrats in the region, Dr. Riek Machar had initially a larger social base of support. Majority being the Nuer people of all causes of lives, that support included minority groups, business entrepreneurs, religious figures, traditional leaders, spiritual, military, and middle-income citizens across various ethnic groups in South Sudan. However, he (Machar) is still fading to make a concerted effort. He (Machar) has botched to keep the people’s loyalties intact by all means, including a political incentive.
SPLM/A-IO was perfect not only in all its elements and principles, but in all its members and its organs from the very beginning in 2014. The young soldiers (freedom fighters) who have joined the SPLA-IO and fought to the maximum only to see themselves as subjects of ridicule and abuse by groups of political opportunists who did not appreciate their long hours on duty protecting people and fighting for the movement’s objective. At the movement’s inception in the year 2014, the preliminary unsuccessful step taken by Dr. Riek Machar was the establishment of military camps in remote places closer to the borders. He failed to prioritize where the SPLA-IO soldiers could have received proper training, modern equipment, attracted fighters and, in turn, encouraged more army officers who were left in Juba to defect. Arguably, if he (Machar) was somehow skilled in the revolutionary organization, he could prioritize both the training of the armed force and logistics. The existence of such a camp could have incentivized the foreign countries in the region that are willing to assist us (SPLM/A-IO) by easily transferring weapons and logistics into the SPLA-IO controlled areas without much coordination and strategic planning. That establishment could have kept the movement’s armed fighters safe and occupied until such time when a capable, vetted, and professional revolutionary force was ready for deployment. If Dr Riek Machar had done that plan, it could be easy for our well-wishers to channel their material and human resources to the established military camps.
Meanwhile, the collapse of the SPLM/A-IO political order under Dr. Riek Machar, and its replacement by a new leadership as what embodied in the Kitgwang Declaration, is a prerequisite for an objective transition. We the SPLM/A-IO members must stand by the Declaration and take it as a duty rather than an alternative. Our movement’s objective was to seek for rapid, basic transformation of the movement’s structures. And, in part, to be carried through by mass-based revolts. Nevertheless, the triggering factors of the Kitgwang Declaration tend to be somewhat ignited as a long antipathy that has been boiled in the heads of the people who were supporting Machar’s political endeavour. To understand what this means, we should clearly examine all the moral nature of the rebellion that only very few seem to have done, in a candid and philosophical spirit under Dr. Machar’s rule.
The Kitgwang Declaration so far is a new hope for the revolutionists whose expectations have been ill-treated and not satisfied with the deadly end of Dr Riek Machar’s political endeavor. Mindful of the fact that, “Wagging a failed revolution is worse not initially started at all, the Kitgwang Declaration is likewise a continuation of the movement’s agitation for total transformation of the South Sudan political landscape. We all know that a political revolution of any kind has no date reflected in the struggles. You never joined the SPLM/A-IO knowing which year and the date that you are to wine and secure victory. A revolution may be as short as the Congolese of Lauren Kabila in only six months or as long as in the recent example, the Taliban’s twenty years. That depends on the magnitude and conduct of the revolutionary movement.
We have been in the whirl of popular passion since the revolution began. The movement’s military and political partakers rejoiced together, grieved together, and enraged together. And, with all these, the freedom fighters have not lost common sense. Meanwhile, South Sudanese peoples who have been suffering because of waging war against the corrupt system in Juba, still are to continue in no danger of committing any national wrong from the impulse of passion. We don’t deny that, there are a number of dangers that may lead some of us to misapprehend the true meaning of the rebellion. This is normal; and, the true revolution is only said to be until we achieve a total liberation of our people. This only required a true revolutionary companion to have an avant-garde courage.
SPLM/A-IO-led rebellion has similar characteristics with “Jacobin Communist Revolution”! Intended to be a sweeping and fundamental change in the political organization, social structure, economic property control, and the predominant myth of a social order amongst the people of South Sudan. Equally, we are aware of the fact that these are achievable only by ensuring a sweep and ultimate change of the system in Juba. That means, militarily!
Hence! The failure and futility of the SPLM/A-IO ‘innovatory struggles occurred whence an autocratic and authoritarian Chairman- Dr Riek Machar mismanages the movement’s military and political setting. The SPLM-IO movement is said to be failing because the leader miserably failed to come up with appropriate and efficient sociopolitical policies and reforms that could benefit and encourage the majority of people who have been supporting him in the revolution.
In most cases, those Revolutionary leaders whose leadership has similar characteristics as Machar’s ineffectiveness are vulnerable. This is because; they more they insist on consistently rejecting a societal demand for political reform and resort to violence to quell dissent, the more they face disobedience. Dr. Riek Machar himself knew very well that, an autocratic and authoritarian mind-set he has, and have been applied upon the movement’s followers, are quite ineffective. The type of a Millenarian Rebellion has added a feature of utopian dream that Machar politically acts as being inspired by a living messiah, totally contradicting the conduct of the Revolutionary movement. This is why his revolutionary leadership has a higher chance of facing revolutions from within. Thus! By creating an individualized patronage politics which is totally susceptible to revolution, Dr Riek Machar however have proven to us beyond any reasonable doubt that, his accelerators affect not only the SPLM-IO movement ‘military forces and the bulk of the revolutionary individuals, but also, and in undisputed fact, he (Machar) have lost an ideology and vision that always help a leaders to come up with a set of objectives and goals needed in waging a planned revolution.
To be somehow realistic, there are proper grounds to conclude that, Dr Riek Machar lost the people’s support; he failed to maintain the commitments; and, more importantly, the very moral conviction that, an individual revolutionary leader like him (Machar) must required and possessing in battling and defeating a rogue government in Juba. Due to the faded popularity, it becomes not only is Dr Riek exposed to a natural failure, but also, and more likely to face an internal revolution from within as what we already experienced with the Kitgwang’s recent Declaration. In a planned revolution, there are triggering factors. Those things that initially inspired the minds of the revolutionary leaders to lead. One of such a triggering factor is when a leader is influenced by a revolutionary movement; when a leader is exposed to an ideology; when a leader secured a promise for support or getting initially armaments or financial assistance from external sources. These are the rules and revolutionary doctrines and, without these, a leader couldn’t be inspired by any of a trigger to start rebellion.
In fact, the SPLM/A-IO’s revolutionary ‘prime objective and doctrine were for a spontaneous revolution. I mean, the movement’s triggering factors associated with the historical faults such as, the imposed war accompanied by the targeted killing, forced displacement of innocent civilians on ethnic lines at the onset of the conflict in 2013. It was a call for noble duty that many South Sudanese initially took it enthusiastically. People regret whence they only are stacking somewhere in the midst of impossibilities. To defeat the enemy militarily, however, there is an intensive need for resource mobilizations. Both human and material resources; moral and political support are important in waging an objective insurgency.
Specifically, if Dr Riek Machar were to be scheming for a successful revolution, he would have been above all, working to ensure that the movement has gained popular support and resources (both from domestic and external sources). On this he failed to. And, without these necessary abilities to lobby for an aid that, in most cases, influences the success of a planned revolution, Dr Riek Machar’s leadership therefore fails us. Soon after the revolution started in 2014, and, to appreciate the people’s response to the call, there has been a huge physical and moral support that SPLM/A-IO guerrillas have received from South Sudanese. Pastoralists’ communities, and indeed, the regional well-wishers were to be the cases in points.
Unfortunately, due to Dr Riek Machar’s lacking of the revolutionary leadership skills and personality, the most expected organizational strength (a function of skillful leadership) that matter to withstand and defeat the so-called government in Juba, as well as popularize the SPLM-IO ‘revolutionary movement’s primary objective of carrying on a planned revolutions, he failed to guided the movement’s.
In addition to the revolutionary doctrines, having an ideology is always that facilitates the revolutionary movements. This is solely a part and parcel of the movement’s Chairman ‘jurisdiction. Dr Riek Machar in this regard has no action-oriented ideas, and the movement therefore is being embraced by the people who are not indoctrinated.
On the other hand, successes in planned revolutions exist when the revolution ‘military defeated an opposing lower. To admit the fact at least, the Kitgwang Declaration, and the changes which followed in the SPLM-IO movement’s leadership, there are of course a difficulties and uncertainties in making a decision. Many may have been caught in perplexities (“brought mixed reactions”). And, obviously being understood that, majority of the movement’s supporters expressed their backing of Kitgwang Declaration. Dr Riek Machar himself has shown us a signs of submissive politics that totally contradicting the movement’s radical doctrine. Dr Riek Machar started what is known to be “Enrichment of only his family members with the dividends”. This makes it clear that, the old man is slipping down to the ending of his ambition.
Whilst Machar continued living in Juba for the last three years, the deadly delaying tactics led to the widespread abandonment of the duties by our devoted fighters. Dr Riek Machar is aged too! This is the last chance for him to escape Juba at will after being trapped in a hostile environment. While under strict confinement and with the enemy’s security supervision, he has no more chance to have that much expected ability to lead the movement. Nevertheless, those are few who may have been caught in mediocrity (groups which end up unenthusiastic because of the fear that, there will be nothing differently new whatsoever the Kitgwang Declaration will bring about. Some are thus sandwiched between one’s own personal enthusiasm and loyalty to the SPLM-IO former Chairman Dr Riek Machar. Those in their own variety of justifications are only doing nothing to properly thoughts-provoking of the persisting political situation in Juba that is unfavorable to Dr Riek Machar’s idealistic ambition.
Some others are those being conservatively hardening on ethnocentrism. Those overwhelmed by the wimp of tribalisms are caught in a political bewilderment, and not even to reflect on “whether maintaining loyalty to the former Chairman, or switching an allegiance to the Kitgwang Declaration ”. There are many other members of the revolutionary movement ending up arguing about the aged Gen Simon Gatwech (he is an old man and also has no PhD holder like Dr Riek Machar). This group is composed of the SPLM/A-IO members who have felt bored and discouraged with the political landscape of South Sudan. This group just gave up to the extent of not knowing even what to do!
SPLM/A-IO’s initial intention was to seek for a total and rapid fundamental transformation in the categories of all the South Sudanese social life and consciousness. The principle of achieving the movement’s privilege was through radicalism and a battlefield’s democracy. When the majority joined the SPLM/A-IO, it was indeed on the revolution’s metaphysical assumptions on which they thought that, by giving significant support to the movement’s former chairman, a satisfied framework will be put in place. When it became clear that Dr. Riek Machar did not utilize the people ‘support, the majority who had been supporting him with these specific purposes were extremely disappointed.
If you are SPLM/A-IO supporters whose support is strongly affiliated to the movement’s objective and not just enthusiastic of the person who led the revolution, this is your time to discard Dr. Riek Machar Teny and seek for a new leader.
The author can be reached for more information at johnsonmak61@gmail.com
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