By Luk Kuth Dak
May 13, 2010 (SSNA) — Just when we thought the traitor accusations against Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin were subsiding, his flunkies reignite the debate, all over again, by trying to smear on individual journalists who want the public in South Sudan to know where the National Islamic Front’s darling golden boy stands on issues of utmost importance that are facing our nation.
In actual fact, I don’t give a flip whether Lam Akol is going to be appointed minister of foreign affairs or not. He won’t represent me because I don’t live in Sudan. What I do care about is that I have a moral responsibility- as a journalist- to speak up for those voiceless people in South Sudan, who are clearly fumed at the NCP trying to impose someone that they had just voted out, in a historical land slide. I stand here to emphasize that, the right of Southern citizens to choose whom they want for a leader mustn’t be tempered with. Evidently, having a PhD alone doesn’t make one the best politician / leader. It all comes down to one’s state of honesty, character and integrity.
Our feud with the kingpin of betrayal and defection, Dr. Lam Akol is all but personal. Obviously I disagree with his philosophy that public service is a right, not a privilege. But to criticize public figures, like Lam Akol does indeed come with the territory, as Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State once told a journalist. Primarily, when one elects to enter into the political arena, his/ her life changes for ever. More specifically, there would be no longer anything called privacy. Indeed, US President Barrack Obama learned that valuable lesson fairly quickly. He’s discovered that he has no place to hide if he wants to smoke a cigarette, he chooses his words carefully even in his own bed, and more importantly, he has included women in his basketball games at the White House.
And so, if Dr Lam wants the journalists to stay off his case, all he has to do is, throw in the towel, and criticism of him will be over with once and for all.
But as long as he continues to make wealth selling the just cause of the Southern people for self determination, he will always be in the radar. Commenting on my previous article in Sudan Tribune, entitled, “ Why Lam Akol shouldn’t be the minister of foreign affairs” the indoctrinated PhD rookie and one of Lam’s diehard blind followers, James Okuck resorted –as usual- to the rhetoric of intimidation and personal name calling. I cannot repeat those insults out of respect for the newspapers and the readers.
Well, for James’ good information, those dirty smear tactics are only going to hurt the man he’s so fond of, Dr. Lam, in such a big way. It’s also true that in this Internet era, no one gets away from the public scrutiny including the most richest man in South Sudan, Dr. Lam Akol. He can run as fast as he wants, but he can’t hide. For example, we knew about his devious and highly suspicious relations with Syrian, a country known for its ties with the world’s most vicious terrorist organizations of the likes of al Qaeda and Hezbullah. Lam twice in a row visited Syria within a month after launching his NCP 2 party.
In addition, Dr. Lam public life is a matter of public interest. By far, he’s a wealthy man, thanks to his association with the terrorist groups. But if he were a private person, I, for one, would have never bothered about his rapid wealth, ever. However, Dr. Akol owes the people of South Sudan an explanation, for the sources of his income. More so, the people need to know how his party of less than a year in operation is currently far richer in resources and real estates than all the political parties in the country combined, of course, with only one exception, the NCP?!
All in all, the best thing that Lam can do to avoid scrutiny is, to come to terms with himself and acknowledge the fact that his party’s embarrassing defeat in recent elections was a judgment on him. Therefore, he has no other choice but to accept the defeat and move on with his luxurious life style in the most richest Khartoum suburbs.
It’s despicable that the upcoming referendum has now become the most fastest way to get richer. Literally, any Southerner who may not want to ever work a day more again in his life, all he/she really needs to do is travel to Khartoum and subsequently join the gangs of traitors who are out there cashing in on the blood money.
We need servant leaders, not crooks.
The author is Vice President of the Sudanese American Journalists Association, and former anchorman at Juba Radio. He can be reached at: [email protected]