Blunders at Bor's UNMISS compound

Enter but with no guns and uniformed men, Minister Makuei was told. Now, this is being twisted by President Kiir and company!

Princeton Lyman and Andrew Natsios distorting some facts about South Sudan

Princeton Lyman and Andrew Natsios distorting some facts about South Sudan

I used to feel sorry for Africa anytime I heard ‘western’ countries and intelligentsia misrepresenting Africa. However, the way I now look at the west’s perception and representation of Africa has changed significantly. Bizarrely speaking, I now feel sorry for the tellers of African realities and African leaders than for the average, misunderstood African. And this relates to the integrity of the tellers of the stories.

The current crisis in South Sudan has brought out the best and the worst of western journalism, western perception of Africa and her morbid realities. News is reported haphazardly with contradicting realities emerging the following day. Opinions are written by supposedly western ‘experts’ with mangled up facts. However, people who should correct such misinformation aren’t given any opportunity to correct them.

This not only questions the integrity of the news institution, it also questions the role of the news institution in regard to what African countries go through.

I realized with worrying bitterness that less care is taken when it comes to telling Africa’s stories. News is published without thoroughly checking facts. This affects the integrity of the news reporters than the integrity of the body being reported about. It is – as clichéd – Africa of course!

Admittedly, the crisis in South Sudan has left me with grave misgivings about the integrity of major news institutions in the world. And these include the likes of New York Times, BBC, CNN, The Guardian …etc.

South Sudan was destroyed by decades of war and is now being destroyed by self-centered politicians. I therefore can’t allow my country’s historical facts to be distorted or told by foreigners in a disrespectful, careless manner.

On December 25, 2013, Andrew Natsios published and Op-Ed article on New York Times: Save South Sudan from itself. While Mr. Natsios got the general sentiment and the situation right, he was a little careless in interpretation of the facts. He postulated the claims about the events of December 15, 2013 as if the truth has already been established. That wasn’t wise in such a tribally charged environment.

Policy-Making, Governance and Fanatical Tribonationalism

There are two things that should make us gravely concerned. When this crisis is all over, we’ll still be governed (ruled actually) by the same leaders, who brought us into the heat of this crisis. And the gravest of all worries for South Sudan is that the young generation has taken after the old tribal dirt. (Watch my Video message to young people in Diaspora)

If young and educated people, 15 – 40, rally around their tribal, conceptual supremacy and only talk about atrocities committed against their kinsfolks, then you know South Sudan present state has been destroyed and its future is a destruction waiting to happen.

Something has to seriously change!

Sadly, at the end of this crisis, South Sudan will remain the way it was before the war started. Some optimistic South Sudanese would say that this crisis will change South Sudan forever, for better.

We have to remember that South Sudanese only got what I can call a conceptual independence. The substance of independence and liberation fruits were only restricted to politicians, their relatives, friends and foreigners. Average South Sudanese were left in the cold and even treated like dirt (second class citizens) in their own country. There were reports of Ethiopian, Kenyan, Somali and Indian businesses employing their fellow nationals as South Sudanese youth remained unemployed.

So how can we get out of this crisis? Not an easy question to answer and not an easy process when the crisis is all over.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs or Directorate of Tribal affairs

South Sudan is a country of tribal nationalities. This is a basic and bitter reality we have to deal with. For centuries, this has been the case and will continue to be so. We can’t change tribal realities but we can change tribal mindsets. No South Sudanese leader has ever tried to make sure involuntary inter and intra-tribal exchange of ideas, traditional politics, norms and traditions are given greater emphasis and resources allocation.

Chiefs should be given structured, funded Tribal accountability Models (TAM) within that ministry (see South Sudan Ideologically). The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has a superficial role that only helps to foster individual tribal traditions and cultures, however, it doesn’t actually make prominent, the interaction between and among tribes.

This calls for a Ministry of Tribal Affairs to play a greater role in making sure South Sudan understands itself, tribally. The pros and cons of tribal practices could be discussed openly.

TAM should be strengthened and clear modalities put in place to make sure different tribes learn from each other on regular basis. Tribes in South Sudan don’t know that some of them have similar norms, traditions and ethnographic origins.

This would give tribes power over leaders; making it hard for power-hungry leaders to take advantage of tribal differences.

Proper Education and Investment in Nationalistic Attitude of Young People

South Sudan, I Cry for You!

When we become imbecile

In living memory you were well guarded

In wild bushes roamed true heroes well regarded
Innumerable fools now and you’re discarded
Freedom finished us to be relatively free
Freedom fighters now continue to decrease
Across the river is a bunch of power douche
A long of the flanks of the Nile; ecstasy and booze
Freedom is now my fictitious invention
The near fellow has authenticated my assumption
South Sudan, I cry for you!

Ministers with brains full of maggots!

Tomfoolery across the board if you forgot
The old farts are all brain dead
The naïve young can’t define the nation’s fate
Tribe and power the deathly combination
Luxurious education the young observation
They passed through and back with new bargain
Hatred they breathe but deny it all the same
South Sudan, I cry for you!

Tribes are dying under the orange Sun
Self-righteous tribes believed the only sons
Death on the streets but the educated celebrate
Stupidity ubiquitous and indeterminate
Only a few I’ve seen truly mourning
A pained heart, no hate ...come what morning!
Future leaders are fools in educated skin
Tribism celebrated in rejecting tribalism
I’m so sad in this douche bag’s prism
South Sudan, I cry for you!

Imbecility is all I see around

After sanity who’ll be held to account
Respect will become a commodity
How would I dispense it? Such an oddity!
Filthy mouths can’t even make us breathe
Dodos thoughts, words flying…just read!
Yesterday like today, filled with mediocrity
Tomorrow the death of alacrity
South Sudan, I cry for you!

(c) Kuir Garang

RIEK MACHAR & HIS MAGICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD 'TWICE'!

Leaders get my wrath no matter who they are! Below is a quote from an article I wrote in July: 'Whimsical Decision Making and Dysfunctional Political Party.'*
.....
"And how naïve would someone criticize the boss, tells the boss ‘I want your job’ and expects the boss to say ‘go ahead, take my job…you are a great man!’ I don’t know which world Riek Machar is living in. What he’s saying regarding the country is admittedly the general truth; that the country is off the cliff and something has to change to salvage it, however, this doesn’t mean entering into the culture of ‘care-free-ness.’ An able leader would seek helpful ways of solving problems. You don’t get to criticize your boss, an uncritical boss for that matter, and get to keep your job. What were you smoking, Mr. Machar? Ambition intoxication?"
....
Okay, Dr. Machar, I get it! We all know Kiir is incompetent, corrupt and naïve as a leader. We also know that he mismanaged SPLM's internal problems and he mishandled the events leading to December 15, 2013 mutiny in Juba and the events that followed. We know he formed a naïve, needless independent group of guards who mindlessly orchestrated deaths of many innocent Nuer civilians in Juba. And that, conscientious South Sudanese would condemn.

President Kiir led us to this mess! I give that to you!

But...but removing Kiir by military means is not only wrong but stupid! You've reminded people of 1991 in ways that'll take infinity to do away with. But don't be like mathematicians because infinity is not a number but a situation! I've not heard you sending a clear message of civilians' protection, especially the residents of Pariang and Abiemnom...and now Bor (again!)

- Blood in your hands   - Twice!
- Coming back to SPLM - Twice, inevitably!
- Fighting your former boss - Twice
- Saying things that don't check with reality - several times
-  Leading a rebellion - Twice
- Marrying a 'white' lady - Twice
- Shooting civilians on your way to 'democracy' - twice (Well, I know your grievances in the SPLM were genuine democratic calls until you supported an armed rebellion--bad idea!)
- Being supported by Gadet - Twice!
- You captured and lost the town of Bor - twice
- You'll sit on a government chair after blood has been spilled - Twice
- Will you be forgiven....Twice?
- Arming innocent young Nuer men and women - Twice!
- Being deserted by colleagues after misappropriating a noble cause - Twice, inevitably!

Stop the madness and save innocent civilians. You're testing the patience of African leaders and the international fellows. I hope you're educated and wise enough to know what that means.

Dr. Machar, the truth you were trying to get or establish within SPLM, has been or is getting lost in your support of rebellion and the loss of innocent lives!


* DYSFUNCTIONAL POLITICAL PARTY

A Message to Actualizers of Doom: President Kiir and Dr. Machar!

 It’s an undeniable fact that South Sudanese former Vice President, Riek Machar, and South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, have done something most of us will not find easy to forgive. They’ve reminded us of the past nightmares and caused unspeakable bloodshed! Intentionally or unintentionally, they caused Jieng and Nuer to turn against one another with vengeance …and they’ve now turned young people against one another on social media.

The conscientious and strong-minded youths have resisted mental tribalization; however, many youths have been divided along tribal and clannish lines. They are calling themselves names and writing statements they’ll regret tomorrow when sanity returns.

I blame the leaders for starting the mess and I also blame the young for being overly gullible and markedly credulous!

As most of you know, I’ve always criticized President Kiir’s leadership; however, I’d accepted the fact that he’s a humble person being misled by power-seeking people around him; and that he’d soon see the truth and change the country for better.  I was being too optimistic!

And I’ve always believed that Dr. Riek Machar has seen a lot of needless bloodshed when SPLA/SPLM split in 1991…and that he would never, ever support armed rebellion in South Sudan again. I was wrong! Riek’s support of the rebellion is unforgivable. I am a living witness of 1991 atrocities as I lived through it to the end!

Besides, violent removal of the president should have no place in South Sudan no matter what!

Riek Machar

We all know that President Kiir had turned autocratic and a little lax when it came to meaningful transformation of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) into a well-functioning political party. In addition, we all know that you and your colleagues had given President Kiir enough chances to do the right thing.  There’s no doubt VP James Wani Igga and President Kiir have made fun of you in their public addresses instead of showing true leadership. Arguably, the events leading to the mutiny and the mutiny itself can’t be blamed on you and your colleagues per se!

Maker Mayek's too simplistic perception of Jieng people!

Maker Mayek Riak’s article on SSN dated December 20, 2013 is an interesting and worthy read. What I appreciated the most from that emotional, polemical and personalized article is the fact that Maker criticized his own tribe, the Jieng. This is a positive step if all tribes adopt it.  If we start to sincerely hold ourselves responsible for whatever we do then South Sudan would be a better place.

Thus: Nuer-Nuer criticism; Jieng-Jieng criticism; Bari-Bari criticism; Acholi-Acholi criticism; Zande-Zande criticism; Nyangwara-Nyangwara criticism; Didinga-Didinga; Uduk-Uduk criticism…etc.

It therefore goes without saying that there is indeed much cultural dynamics wrapped around the manner in which each and every tribe treads through every aspect of our society. These cultural matrices influence our views in Ethics, politics, economics, health, modernization, metaphysics, religion and perception of governance and power.

Like any other tribes in South Sudan, Jieng and Nuer have had their world view affected by their cultural perceptions.  Their grasp of foreign ideas and languages is also affected by their cultural realities.

Among the Jieng people I belong to, the Twï of Jonglei (always erroneously included as Dinka Bor because of their past inclusion in the now defunct Bor district) some of us have a problem pronouncing ‘l’ and ‘n.’ Chinese have the same problem too. Instead of saying ‘morning’ you hear ‘morling’; instead of saying ‘one’ you ‘ole’.

This is something Maker's section of Jieng doesn't have. Even Twï's neighbors (Bor, Hol and Nyarweng) don't have that problem. There are cultural things Maker's section of Jieng does that we don't do. There are words we have as Twï of Jonglei that Maker's section of Jieng doesn't have.

In the end, Maker needs to be patted on the back for that courage because not many people in South Sudan would do that regardless of what tribe they belong to.

However, a word of caution would be appropriate for Maker in regard to his simplistic presentation of the realities of the Jieng and Nuer people and his use of the premonitory and superstitious word, ‘cursed.’

I won’t waste time with the word ‘curse’ because of its superstitious nature. However, Maker presented Jieng and Nuer people as if they are some kind of homogenous tribes. Internal differences and realities can’t give anyone any ground to over generalize ethnic realities.

Simple differences are presented above.

To make it even worse, Maker uses his family’s example as an exacting fact of the Jieng’s and Nuer’s realities. This is not only factually irresponsible, it is misleading.

For Maker’s account to be taken seriously, he should have given a fact-based contrast between these two tribes and other tribes in South Sudan. How different in terms of cultural tendency to violence are shilluk, Murle, Toposa, Madi, Kuki, Bari, Moru and other tribes from Jieng and Nuer?

Well, Mundari and Bari fight over cattle raiding, Bira fights Didinga over cattle…etc.

A responsible account would have presented a contrast between the tribes in question and any other tribes in terms of how their cultures influence perception of economics, politics, power, violence and so forth.

While Maker’s emotional outburst is understandable, his polemic could have been presented in a more believable manner. These communities, and every community in South Sudan, need intense soul-searching and self-criticism in order to move the nation forward. However, this is something that needs to be done in a responsible and informative manner because some people use them for references.

We shouldn’t undermine our intellectual roles by presenting writings that can be seen as comedy by others. Jieng and Nuer are the largest tribes in South Sudan and their dirty laundries are easily known nationally and internationally