By Justin Kwaje
January 8, 2014 (SSNA) — What is happening in the newest nation, the Republic of South Sudan must be traced back on the focal singular holder of all and absolute powers in this new country, which is now in a state of utter confusions. The volcanic eruption, which started on 15th December 2013, can be trace back in the early days of the liberation movement in 1991 and the reconciliation, which followed, between Dr John Garang and Dr Riek Machar.
The president of the Republic and Current chair of the SPLM, by invoking the event of 1991 and Labeling Machar as power hungry and worst, the prophet of doom have insulted that reconciliation. It was opening up an old and healed wound. In our African cultures once the elders of the community settles grievances, it is a taboo to go back to it and revisiting such brings bad omen and a cursed in the family.
Kiir’s opportunistic and divisive reference to 1991 was diversionary after he failed to solve political differences within his ruling party, just as he was not able to rule this country without decrees; he was not able to chair his own party peacefully and resolved to the use of force! Kiir therefore is a total failure in regards to the country, his party as well as commanding his military and tribal militia.
All south Sudanese of good will must condemn Kiir and he must take full responsibility for undermining that crucial reconciliation in our nation’s history that brought John Garang and Riek Machar together which paved the way for our independence without which we could have not achieved a country of our own. It was Kirr who undid what was achieved by opening the Pandora’s box and brought the curse that comes with revisiting the forbidden, which now is destroying and consuming up our nation.
The question all need to ask is, was Kiir not in favor of that reconciliation for him to open up that which was buried? Was he not the one who selected Riek as his deputy? Or was it purely power hunger and ambitions rather than efforts for brotherhood? It is now clear that it was purely a calculated bid to power with a hidden agenda right from day one when he assumed the position of late Dr John Garang after the tragic helicopter crash in 2005. So Kiir faked brotherhood and fooled the nation with this, we can rightly conclude, Kiir has integrity issues!
To the millions of South Sudanese, Garang’s death was seen as devastation, great lost for the liberation movement, but now retrospectively, to Kiir, this was the beginning to build his dynasty, Today as Kiir labels Dr Machar’s group as power hungry, this very description instead suits best Kiir’s very own ascend to power, As we all recall, Kiir himself tried with his Gogrial boys to assassinate late Dr John Garang in Rumbek. Those who doubt this, Has he not now sideline the so-called Garang’s boys even humiliate Dr Garang’s own Widow? Could it be because Garang’s legacy eclipsed Kirr’s own and does not allow Kiir to shine through? So who is power hungry here? Having asked such, it must be said that craving power in itself must not be made to look, evil, it is how one seeks it, as long as one seeks it democratically as those opposed to Kiir were doing until, he lied on them and threw them in Jail and into rebellion, there is nothing wrong to desire power. What is wrong is, what one does with power, In Kiir’s case although we the people have given it to him, he has totally abused it.
Who are the victim of this recent Kiir’s abuse of power as seen in this violence instigated by him? The main victims are Nuer in Juba, but who were main victim of the retaliation revenge attacked launched by Nuer?
Majority of the people who died in Jonglei state are Dinka Bor, whom Kirr wants to annihilate due to his hatred towards Garang. The result of this killing and instigations has been felt as far away from Bor as in Nimule hundred km away.
Nimule which has already reached a boiling point due to insecurity cause by illegal Dinka Bor IDP, and new influx are pouring in Nimule, this will soon open up another ethnic issue as the Dinka are coming along with their cows and are armed to teeth with AK 47s and heavy Machine guns.
Why do they come for safety all the way to Nimule? Are these not the same brave Dinka who have been piling insult on the Ma’di people as cowards, and they the brave are now fleeing to safety to the land of the cowards? Why not stay in Bor and defend you lands? Is it not evident that the peaceful ways of the Ma’di people and Equatoria in general, makes our country safe and is the best way for South Sudan? Or we should all deal with each other through insults and guns?
The successive fall of, Jonglei, Unity State and Upper Nile indicates that Mr. Kiir tribal gangs have lost allies with immediate neighboring fellow countrymen, and now public trust in Kiir’s leadership has sunken. Any president who is afraid of his people’s democratic rights and exercises is not a leader of the people, since Mr. Kiir is afraid of the people who called for democratic reforms within SPLM, he has lost public trust.
History will remember him as a president who lies and who practice divisive policies by opening old wounds to pit one sections of his nation against another. Mr. Kiir, that is and that will be your legacy.
Many Children are and will be fatherless because of your lie and because of what you are doing!
The glorious praise the people of South Sudan have given you for leading us through independence will now not be inscribe on your grave stone. What I would like to see is, you Kiir, go to The Hague to be tried for committing genocide against your own people.
The president and his vice president James Wani Igga and their cronies went into a campaign of disinformation and lie instead of accepting democratic reforms opted for a war on his political opponents. This act of Mr. Kiir and the old school generals clearly shows that they knew they had no chance against Dr Machar in an organized free and fair elections, therefore the only workable tools left at their disposal was to accuse Dr Machar and his colleagues who are champion of our independence as “coup plotters” in order to rid himself of them and assassinate them.
Kiir has no honesty to give the people of South Sudan an accurate account about what triggered the violence on the streets of Juba on December 15th 2013. Kiir should give the precise number of the civilian massacred in Juba by his militias who are not part of any armed group or of our national army.
Kiir should give an account as to why such private militias are created and exclusively from his own ethnic tribe the Dinka, more especially Dinka Bahr el Gazel and warrap states?
The recent violence in our country without doubt has divides our national army along their ethnicity, not surprising as he started this by the exclusive tribal militia he recruited along tribal lines, thus it is Kirr the very person who divided us along tribal lines not the oppositions who are from many tribes to include his tribe the Dinka. So who stands for Unity? Is it Kirr or the opposition?
The distrust among our national army will only deepened, and we can only conclude at this particular time Kiir has a handful true friends left, and the majority of those who are still standing with Kiir are simply either fearful for their lives or protecting livelihood, as Kiir is known by his decrees to kick out anyone who is opposed to him.
Notice for more 20 times in 2013, Kiir has issued decrees, thus almost twice a month, the by chance President, has added other tittles, the president of decrees, the distinguished liar and divider in chief.
Instead of Surrounding Himself with intellectuals who can help him ruled democratically, Kirr surrounded himself with People like the VP, Wani Igga who has no clue of what he is doing and is simply a puppet/comedian. The president uses this, good for nothing, non-Dinka to fool the country. He is using the non Dinka as decoy but all the consequential powers are given to the Dinka, clear example can be seen when Kiir recruited his militias called Presidential guards, they were recruited without consent of Gen. Chief of staff Mr Jame Hoth Mai who is non Dinka, and another example was during the recent violence in Juba again Mr Kiir deployed the militias to actions without any approval from Gen. Chief of staff James Hoth Mai, which also showed criminal intents.
Yet in a modern state military undertakings passes through the chief of staff, but Kiir has been seen bypassing the chains of commands, by authorizing Dinka junior officers over non Dinka senior officers. Kiir is, therefore the divider rather than one who unite our many tribes,making him a good Dinka Chief for a cattle camp in Warrap State, but not for South Sudan.
This must not be tolerated for a father who favors one child over the rest is risking that child’s life; in Bible we read the consequence of Jacob favoring Joseph. This current tactic employed by Kiir will further isolate the Dinka and will create unbalanced powers and yield oppressions.
Kiir tribalism even extends to how he handles, corruption scandals; in 2010 Josephine Lagu was accused of stealing sum of 200.000 U$, though there was no evidence provided, her name was defamed publicly, She was tarnished and lost her job.
While the 75 Ministers mainly from Dinka, accused of embezzling billions of U$ are still walking free and their names never publicly revealed. That is the degree of how a Dinka Cattles chief Kiir has always been.
This is clear evidence that Kiir only takes hard lines towards None Dinka while none towards his tribal gangs. Unless this issue of favoring Dinkas by the President is halted, it will be impossible and we shall never achieve viable democratic South Sudan where all 64 ethnic s can coexistence without violence given the predatory behaviors of the Dinka towards other tribes and their lands.
In conclusions, the so-called failed coup attempt was a malicious plan, by Kiir to silence his opponents from standing against him in the coming election. Now that he pushed Dr Machar in the bush, Kiir is using what he called “failed coup attempt” to discredit Dr Machar so that the people of South Sudan will see Riek as someone who is striving for power. But Kiir underestimates the intelligence of the South Sudanese people who have seen through his gimmicks.
Mr. president, in democratic world when you have lose popularity, the only thing for you to do to preserve your legacy is hand over the power to someone within your party or called for fresh elections to see whether people still have trust in you. If you say the so-called Coup plotters are in the wrong, why not call for an early fair elections and see it for yourself?
Unfortunately you chose to resolve small issue by using our national army, Sir this is not what we aspired for, the dream of the people of south Sudan is to live in democracy. When late John Garang said he has brought us peace in a golden plate, he meant he brought us freedom of expression, equality, justice, and liberty, not repression, torture, the killings of opinion writers like Isaiah Abraham, unjust imprisonment of your comrades and now the deaths of our valiant SPLA soldiers left and right in the hands of their very own brothers!
SHAME ON YOU KIIR FOR THE LOST OF LIVES OF YOUR VERY OWN PEOPLES IN YOUR VERY OWN HANDS, THE VERY HANDS THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM!
Therefore since you cannot wear the shoes of our late leader, you must step down and go AWAY.
Within this dark plans you have Mr. President, the nomination of James Wani to the position of vice president was meant to appease and to win the trust of Equatoria to support you to fight against Nuer , Sir, you miscalculated this, we the eqautorian have been excluded from your government, how can we be siding with you and fight against Nuer who have never done any evil to us as you and your Dinkas have done?
Nuer people did not committed any crimes in Equatoria like your people did and are still doing under your very watchful eyes. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Riek Machar for showing us the way that all of us, including Equatoria, won’t like someone to bully and dictate on us, oppressed us. Riek taught us how to decide for our future, Riek is truly the son of the soil whose vision is to build upon viable democratic south Sudan where we can all coexist without any single tribe exercising superiority complex over the other.
Now if there is anyone who knows how to divide and rule, this is non-than you. You pardoned Dr Lam Akol to win the trust of his shiluk tribe, how can shiluk people trust you when you falsely alleged two of their sons who are prominent politicians who fought alongside with you to achieved peace and CPA? You envied the good work of Mr Pagam Amum and Oyai Deng for the history book, no matter what you do to them now, you cannot change the tireless work they did for us to achieved our independence.
Mr. President, be informed that your close friends are supposed to be your brothers/sisters, fellow countrymen/women, from north to South and from East to west of this our great nation, but now you defiled our land by bringing in an ugly and bald-headed Ankole from nowhere who is also known to his victims as an international criminal, to bombard our people and oil fields.
Please tell us do the Dinka have border with Ankole tribe of Museveni of Uganda? Mr. President our people are tired of war and specially with this meaningless and senseless war, results of your envy and lies which drove you to start assassination attempts against Dr Riek and now your tribal militias are massacring innocent Nuer in the name of hunting down Dr Riek.
IF TRUTH MUST BE TOLD, INSTEAD OF A COUP, AS YOU LIED, THIS WHOLE THING HAS BEEN ABOUT YOUR ‘FOILLED ASSACINATION ATTEMPTS AGAINTS RIEK"
I am profoundly sick with your behavior, Do you have any idea how many of your very own countrymen have died and will continued to die until you alone do the right thing and call it quit? Why because you who did not dream to be a president but a follower, thus THE PRESIDENT BY CHANCE is also now THE DISTINGUISHED LIER AND DIVIDER IN CHIEF OF THE, 1/64th of THE REPUBLIC, CATTLE CAMP OF SOUTH SUDAN, where justice, liberty and prosperity applies only to the 1/64th of the tribes of our nation. AS A NONE DINKA, THEREFOR YOU ARE NOT MY PRESIDENT.
Profoundly sick and tired of kiir running down my country
Justin Kwaje lives in Juba, South Sudan