By Deng Vanang | Juba, South Sudan.
August 16, 2015(Nyamilepedia) — United it loots, divided it kills, so goes the anti- SPLM/A phrase. The popular phrase doing rounds in the community media is the clearer sign yet of the populace getting increasingly tired of the movement, whose political resilience undeniably brought independence for its long suffering Southern people from the past Arab colonialists in the Sudan North.
The buzzword targets the modern SPLM in the South as the independence and ruling party as opposed to its old brand as an all-embracing Sudanese movement that previously propelled the once timid voice of the marginalized African Sudanese below the showers of global limelight.
Thanks to its charismatic and energetic founder, Dr. John Garang De Mabior, who in immortal struggle left no stone unturned to make the voice of the marginalized Sudanese heard in the Sudan and beyond its vast geo-political frontiers.
In infant years the movement had what it took to mount a successful warfare in terms of general organization in military strategy, sophisticated weaponry and bombastic political propaganda machine.
After its 3rd year of founding, South Sudanese suddenly emerged as the familiar face epitomizing the indomitable troubles ailing the Dark Continent Africa, which was then plagued by mushrooming secessionist and liberation wars in its Sub-Saharan region.
That was before it got torpedoed by its own ill-conceived political vision of diagnosing the disease ailing the once largest country on the Continent. Self-determination revived by trio of Nasir declaration as the perceived medicinal cure popular with its power base, Southern Sudan, was in a greater dismay railroaded in favor of ‘’utopist United Sudan’s ideology’’ as the basis to fight the half a century perennial war with the Afro-Arab dominant north.
And so were the one man’s decisions that replaced the greater need for popular consensus to fight and win the war being hoisted on the communist repressive system that jettisoned over board the traditional justice system of fair play.
Nevertheless, people remained in loyally following its deviant dictates and throwing every bit of human and material resources to the war gamble. All with the unflinching hope of a brighter future that is fair to all.
As the peoples’ movement made head waves locally, regionally and internationally on the surface, below those erotic head waves was an intrinsic perverse cultural identity of negative ethnicity, endemic corruption and autocratic dictatorship slowly being built that later proved more detrimental to the very cardinal aspirations for which it was fighting painstakingly. And all conspired to usher in a culture of intolerance to alternative views that make an innovative, prosperous, peaceful and democratic society an impossibility.
In realization, some walked out in protest while the rest preferred to move on despite the unbearable ravages it had brought forth. All with the hope that they would be dealt with later when the goal was fully secured. To their utter dismay, the cancerous growth continued to mount to an irreversible peak most would later live to regret in ignoring in the first place at their own peril.
These chronic negatives than getting tamed by popular demand for participatory democracy in the movement rather flared up into blazing fire and brimstone that sharply molded the movement into double edged sword that mutilated one into pieces trying to put up with, while becoming yet another enigmatic shadow of oneself from which he can’t out run. Like death it has eventually assumed such an irreversible stranglehold from which many couldn’t disentangle.
Unrelenting to the perennial hues and cries of its hapless subjects, the movement has remained ever brutal and more kleptocratic as was brought to the world thirty two years ago and still restlessly counting.
Becoming more of an insane marauding monster running amok through every width and breadth of society in crafting deadly alliances by playing off one social group against the other it politically perceives deviant to its vested interests. The unleashing of such unbent red terror is doing so in a desperate bid to survive against the growing number of critics within its ranks and without, old and new.
With never ending antics to disappoint, it has been hoping from one ethnic massacre to the other ever since founding in 1983. Masters the art of impoverishing the already poverty ridden people by depriving them of all available resources and much needed social services than it could harness and offer.
What it can’t be accused of denying, however, is the freedom of association it lavishly granted to colluding elites to loot with unimpeded movement to starch away looted public resources in foreign capitals. But unfortunately it deprives the media and people of their mouths to tell their tales of the on-going looting spree and administrative mal-practices.
Decisively goes on to live by eliminating either politically or physically the ever growing vociferous voices for positive change within its ranks and piles. In as much as it handsomely rewards cronyism, blind loyalty and flaunted gross professional incompetence of ranting and raving political opportunists.
Unsatisfied, it unabatedly clamps down on rigging even its own internal elections, let alone those of nationwide without batting an eyelid. Just to tighten ever loosening grips on the long suffering people trying to break free from its widely spread and deeply rooted tentacles. Its unfounded sense of appeal has repeatedly been in an insurmountable upsurge in luring back onto its suffocating folds the kith and kin whose loved ones it once burgeoned to their death and hopelessness.
In as much as it equally feeds on ideological bankruptcy of opponents to craft its alternative. Most of whom it has hitherto subdued into uncompromising submission, with ripple effects of frightening the hypocrisy of still hold out reformist democrats being melted into the contradiction of maintaining the same monolithic nature it only admires as the most convenient hiding place from a couple of unrelenting adversaries baying for its blood.
Seemingly having nowhere to run and hide, the citizenry have succumbed to its devilish dictates while in low tone bemoaning about the way in which she with her ever growing list of factional infants conducts business of self aggrandizement.
The whole combination of the said anti-social dose and helplessness to change the invincible SPLM/A is what has regrettably served to inaugurate a world’s first pre-failed state, the only human export the new country has been mockingly known for contributing so far to the commodity markets of continental Africa and global village.
In subsequence, driving people into the law of nature as only hope that nothing a man does that is quite immutable to either change or destruction, becoming their viable consolation worth contemplating.
Not knowing what they may regard as SPLM/A’s invincibility is not in its name and neither the administrative structures. But rather is intrinsically hidden in the weak confidence or organization of those who have tasked themselves the power to either reform or destroy it.
It is not only the populace being misguided by fallacy of SPLM/A’s invincibility. Its opponents too, appear the unsuspecting victims of the monster they want tackled. For in their irony wish an irredeemable criminal live so as to continue with crimes of killing and maiming, let alone to be resuscitated to life with the precious blood of its surviving victims.
So much as they don’t see the necessity of taking over more than 30-year old party’s super and sub-structures that are perverse top to bottom, which may take some other ten or so years to reform. And by the time one settles down to business of improving the lots of people Presidential tenure is constitutionally declared over.
This is apart from the moral question of laboring to take over a criminal organization associated with such an immense death and human suffering, which if in the first world and in particular societies where civilization is at its height, should instead with founders’ names be normally declared criminal and banned for life from use as Hitler’s German Socialist Workers Party, Nazism and its likes. That is besides painting the one poised to take over as an already or potential criminal in public eyes.
While similarly failing in their self-reflection to equally ask themselves this pertinent and patting question: why should people be fighting tooth and nail over the means called party’s chairmanship than an end, the country’s presidency? Since taking SPLM’s Chairmanship with its presumed Presidential candidacy is not a sure path to ultimate presidency but random probability.
Sure path to Presidency many, if not all, have ignored is a rainbow of cross regional and ethnic alliance headed by a credible presidential flag bearer with money in an all inclusive UN’s sponsored, managed and monitored elections. That is all is required to win against an already discredited party like SPLM as proven political experience East African sub-region may offer.
Deng Vanang, Journalist and author. He can be reached at dvanang@yahoo.com
