South
Sudanese still have, by and large, a very long way to go when it comes to
development of a unifying, enduring sense of nationhood or statehood. As things
stand now, we are merely a collection of tribal nationalities with conflicting
interests. In the past, our only
unifying factors were our common struggle against the oppression from Khartoum
and the fact that we were enclosed by the same geopolitical boundary set by the
colonial dividers of Africa in 18th and 19th centuries.
The
gravest onus is now on us to create a sense of ‘South Sudan-ness’; an identity
that’d make an Acholi of South Sudan identify more with Zande of South Sudan
rather than with Acholi in Uganda. This is by no means an easy task; however,
it’s a task we’ve neglected in vain search for tribal voice and hegemony. We’ve
become a nation of whiners, who offer nothing by way of alternative solutions.
Whining, polemics and acrimonious writs have become our source of solace. We keyboard divisive pomposity and verbosity that make us feel good about ourselves but at the end of the day contribute towards the divisiveness the same writing was supposed to combat. With no doubt, this has become an oxymoron that typifies what it means to be a South Sudanese; an that’s a sense of self we wouldn’t want to be our defining identity.
Everyone
in South Sudan has become a whiner!
The
President of the country and his officials have become nothing but a bunch of
whiners, who believe everything that’s wrong with South Sudan isn’t their
incompetence but a work of some evil man called Riek Machar. The officials
whine about international community favoring rebels, about UNMISS siding with
Riek’s forces, about journalists siding with rebels, about IGAD’s impartiality,
about the venue of the ‘Peace Talks’ and about everything!
Respectable
leaders don’t just whine incessantly. They only point out all the obstacles and
problems they face and then rush to suggest workable solutions and
alternatives. If these whiners say anything as an alternative, it’s always
something that benefits them. South Sudanese citizens only feature as pawns in
the leaders’ quest for power and wealth.
The
rebels, who present themselves as a clean alternative to the government, are
nothing but another bunch of the same: opportunistic whiners. They whine about
President Kiir remaining president, about IGAD’s partiality, about government
atrocities while forgetting their own atrocities, about Nuer marginalization
when Nuer still stand next to Kiir and fight against fellow Nuer who are part
of government’s forces, about dictatorship when they were part of the same system
they just left…etc.
If
the rebels think they are a formidable alternative to the government then why
is it that we only hear the problem stalling the talks being the issue of
power-sharing? Why is it the question of who’s to have what powers that’s the
problem? Why’s anything in the interest of the citizens taking back stage?
We’ve
seen so far what the rebels are! They’ve whined their way from complaints about
internal reforms within SPLM to their claim on South Sudanese echelons of
power. For the rebels to be seen as credible voice fighting on behalf of South
Sudanese citizens, it has to be clear at the talks that they represent the
people.
And
South Sudanese tribes have mastered the art of whining. The Jieeng whine about Nuer
being prone to violent rebellion and Riek Machar being the ultimate killer
while forgetting the atrocities committed by a government controlled largely by
Jieeng men. Jieeng’s self-righteousness has a lot to do with everything that’s
wrong in South Sudan.
Nuer
too complain about being marginalized by the Jieeng while Nuer officials still
hold senior positions in both the government and the rebellion. The third most
powerful man in South Sudan, Magok Rundial, the current speaker of the national
assembly, is a Nuer. While hundreds of Nuer civilians were brutally massacred
in cold-blood by government’s forces in Juba in December, it’s always prudent
to remember that Nuer forces, let by the notorious White Army, have also
committed atrocities. There’s respect in accepting one’s wrongs before
labelling accusations on others.
One
of the arguments always floated around by Nuer is that the Nuer in Kiir’s
administration are mere puppets and don’t have a voice. Well, it’s not the
fault of the president if they allow themselves to be used like puppets. Where
are these people’s morals?
And
to top it all, ‘Equatorians’, as a sociopolitical collegiality for all the
tribes in the three southern states of the country, whine of having been
marginalized by the Jieeng and the Nuer despite the fact that the second most
powerful man in the country is from Equatoria. The cabinet affairs minister,
Dr. Elias Lomoro, is the forth in government hierarchy after the Vice
President, the President and the Speaker of the national assembly.
And
now many Equatorians, even the Vice President himself, believe that the
question of the VP position in the transitional period is an attempt to marginalize
Equatorians. And the VP argues that it’s not about his job while he’s repeatedly
warned that he’s not going to resign this time around for the sake of Riek
Machar. Using Equatorians to safeguard a job is base!
I
don’t want to sound naïve. I understand that there are junior Jieeng officials
in Kiir’s administration, who are more powerful than some senior government
officials from other tribes. However, we have to remember that the problem lies
with the officers, who allow themselves to be subordinated by subordinates. Why
see oneself as a subaltern in an administration in which you’re not? Why can’t
these officers confront the president? Why can’t they speak on behalf of South
Sudanese and straighten things out? Why are these officers afraid of the
president even when what they would say would benefit the country?
There’s
a clear difference between whining and criticizing the government. Whiners are
fond of badmouthing without offering any workable alternatives. Criticisms are
excellent mirrors to conscientious leadership, however, to merely whine without
offering alternatives and to show the government that the current path is
wrong, is a waste of time.
Many
non-Jieeng officials subordinate themselves. They see Jieeng officers make bad
decisions and applaud them only to claim self-righteousness when they are out
of the government. It’s with no doubt that there are many well-meaning leaders
from Equatoria and among the Nuer in the current government, who can stand up
to President Kiir (behind close doors) and advise him in good faith to help
rescue the country. However, they are too timid and only think about their
positions rather than their constituents and the nation.
We
keep on blaming the Jieeng and the President but how about this: Why can’t all
the Equatorians and Nuer officials working in the government threaten the
President with resignation if he doesn’t change the country for better? The
government would collapse in an instant if they resign on masse. However, they
will never do that because they, like all South Sudanese politicians, care more
about their jobs rather than the interest of the nation and South Sudanese
citizens.
So
stop whining and see into it that what would change this nation isn’t vacuous
whining and foul-mouthing but procurement of workable alternatives! Twitter: @kuirthiy
