By Wani Tombe Lako
South Sudanese man holding a HK G3(wikipedia)
February 28, 2014 (Nyamilepedia) — There comes a time, in men’s lives, to defend the present, and safeguard the future, for posterities, with their precious blood and lives. When the very survival of the self, is fatally threatened by intentions and conducts of other human persons, notwithstanding, whether the said threat comes from a blood brother, a life-long friend, or a fellow citizen, then, it becomes an obligation to suspend those relationships, saturated in positive rapport and amity, and then, activate intentions and conducts, which are meant to preserve the self, so that, this self; can preserve other vulnerable lives and selves, which look up to this threatened self, for positive protection and wellbeing.
A dead father, or a dead elder brother, or/ and a dead uncle; all of these dead bodies; cannot safeguard the positive presents and futures; for living dependents and future posterities. A father, or an elder brother, or/ and an uncle; who has been rendered ineffective, due to cumulative disabling conditions, whether these conditions are political, economic, financial, security and military conditions; cannot also safeguard the presents and futures of living dependents and posterities.
When a living father, or a living elder brother, or/and a living uncle, have allowed, the absolute destruction and usurpation of comprehensive infrastructures and super-structures, upon which, current vulnerable dependents survive; and future posterities to survive on, through political inaction, legal inaction, civil inaction, and martial inaction, then, the presence and history, shall not forgive these living relatives, also, the current living dependents and future posterities; shall not also forgive them.
When living fathers, or living elder brothers or/and living uncles; have the brains, the muscles, the wills, the reasons, and the wisdoms, then, they must singularly and collectively take action, to prevent the comprehensive destruction of the said structures; for the sake of those others; whom, they brought into this world, as their dependents, and those who shall come into this world, because of their human reproductive roles.
No men, ever born of Adam and Eve, are cowards. Men are men, and they shall always die as men, in the way that men die; when defending comprehensive interests of their loves ones, and their dependents. Men cannot unscrupulously sacrifice their love ones for squandered sovereignty. National sovereignty is the sum total of units of sovereignties, that all of us carry as human persons, and citizens of the Republic of South Sudan. Therefore, no men shall sit on the fence; while other men are dying defending these said units of individual sovereignties, in order to protect, the sum total of national sovereignty.
Is it not time to defend the present; in order to safeguard the futures of posterities? The political, social, cultural, tribal, ethnic, security, economic, financial, technological, psychological, military and religious consequences of the last near nine (9) years; of gullible reliance; on the abstract social contract, within governance parlance, in South Sudan, have taught all of us lessons we shall forget to our own detriments. These nine (9) years have also proven to us, the evidences we shall ignore to our collective perils. These last nine (9) years have also pointed out to us, all relevant milestones and signposts, leading to our collective dark futures. Therefore, is it not time to defend the present in order to safeguard our collective futures?
The Republic of South Sudan had missed out dangerously to our collective contributions and the result is what we are now harvesting. We have lost; and continue to waste; precious human lives of our women, children and men. It is now clear that, the political and military situations on the ground, in South Sudan, need a third voice, and a third point of view. Not a third voice or point of view; that emanates from the same one body, which divided itself into three parts; like an amoeba.
It has been a mistake, from 2005, to surrender the political and military fiduciary duties, of South Sudan, into the hands of others, who appear not to have the comprehensive interests of all the peoples, of South Sudan, in their political and military hearts. Securing the sovereignty of South Sudan, does not mean that, others have the free for all licenses, for the total destruction of South Sudan.
There is a need for a third voice and a third point of view which speaks for all the peoples of South Sudan. It appears that, when a reasonable peacemaker comes in to stop two men, armed with iron rods, from battering themselves to death, he must come in with an iron rod of his own. It is time to pick up the torch of reason in Greater Equatoria and show the way forward for the peoples of South Sudan. South Sudan cannot function efficaciously without the all reasonable historical role of Greater Equatoria. No one is claiming any clairvoyance powers, but, historical evidentiary variables are there to sober our angry reactions to this suggestion.
The women, youth and men of Greater Equatoria, with positive collaboration of those reasonable others; in Upper Nile and Bahr El Ghazal; must all come together, so that, together, we can stop the extant carnage and establish an interim government which is for the peoples of South Sudan. No tribal police, no tribal armies, no tribal military intelligence orgnisations, and no other tribal security organisations; and no usage of comprehensive resources of South Sudan for group and individual interests.
We must come together for the establishment of community police in Greater Equatoria, in Upper Nile and Bahr El Ghazal., manned by sons and daughters of these regions. This shall do away with disappearances and other unlawful conducts against our peoples. We must come together to stop death squads in Juba, Malakal and Wau. We must develop the voice of reason sustained by the will and power to defend this voice of reason.
We do not want foreign soldiers in our land. We do not want foreign soldiers crossing our lands to kill our brothers all over South Sudan. We are mature and adult peoples; who can solve our internal problems without foreign soldiers. We do not want to hand over South Sudan to posterities in such a fractured fashion; disintegrated into hostile tribes and groups. YOU THE WOMEN, MEN, AND YOUTH OF EQUATORIA, WAKE UP AND TAKE THE LEAD; IN SECUIRNFG A PEACEFUL GREATER EQUATORIA; AND A GREATER EQUATORIA WHICH IS A TEMPLATE FOR GENERAL PEACEFUL AND DEMOCRATIC SOUTH SUDAN.
Wani Tombe Lako is a Professor of Social and Rural Development and Lecturer in Laws; and can be reached at wani.lako@yahoo.com .
