By Daniel Abushery Daniel (USA)
"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction." Sir Winston Churchill.
March 21, 2011 (SSNA) — Our forefathers often taught us the importance of the three most fundamental things in live: honesty, integrity, and most of all; the respect. They believed that those are the core values through which, we distinguish and differentiate between good and wrong. And above all, to be able to tell the truth, even in the face of the most powerful forces. Of course, those values couple with the teaching of the Bible that we as Christians are blessed with.
In all honesty, like many of you out there, I’m terribly, terribly disturbed by the ongoing security outburst in South Sudan. After one of the most flawless and successful referendum ever held in Africa, or perhaps in the entire world, I had hoped, at the very least, that things will ultimately calm down considerably, as the excitement of the referendum continues.
But no!
Evidently, the dismay over the current volatile security situation in our nation has been anything but contiguous all across our land and beyond. It’s indeed shocking and troubling to all concerned Southerners, but particularly some of the best writers in these electronic websites, who were contributing daily of weekly viewpoints like: Luk Kuth Dak, Manyok Biar, Dr. Justin Ambago and Isaiah Abraham, to name a few. The disappearance of those intellectual figures from the writing arena suggests that something so fundamental, somewhere, and somehow, had gone wrong!
It’s so sad that even as the countdown to the world newest nation and the migration to the Promised Land are underway, that we’re experiencing a tragedy after a tragedy in just about every day in the region. It’s as if God’s telling some of us that they will not make it to our destiny, and enjoy the fruit of our struggle of more than forty years.
Please God have mercy for those who perished during this process.
It’s ironic that some of our leaders may pay little or no attention, and put a deaf ear to the instability, which’s taking place in the region, especially in Greater Upper Nile caused by some elements and former members and high ranking generals and officers of SPLA.
Certainly, digging our heads in the sand while the renegades of the likes of warlords and fugitives: George Athor Deng of Khorfulus, to Galuak Gai of Bentiu and Olinyo of Malakal continue to murder innocent citizens. This nonsense has to be brought to an end as quickly as possible, if the SPLM is serious about peace and stability in our nation.
The fundamental question I would like to ask my government with is: what excuses do you have for not putting an end to this tragic security saga, especially in this modern technological era, where it’s easier to intercept any suspicious ill activities by the enemy? And where is the role of security agencies, from the criminal investigative (CID), the military intelligence and all of the other national security agents? Or is there a conspiracy going on?
We need to know!
Excuse me, without jumping into conclusion, personally, I’ve never been in the military, however, my studies in criminal law, the police academy and other security and safety training courses that I attended over the years, give me a rich insightful, and in my judgment, many incidents could have been prevented if avoided all together, if the above mentioned agents are really doing their jobs, according to the world standards, which I do believe have already been establish to a greater degree in South Sudan.
And as you might re-call, I always stressed in any of my pieces that the government officials are not saints. Yes, there is corruption in the government, yes, there is nepotism, tribalism, you name it, but we should remember that during our long time struggle, all Sudanese people despite their religious, ethnic and cultural background, they stood firmed together. Therefore, if the liberators didn’t put their hands together, in fighting the elite’s oppressors in Khartoum, God knows, we couldn’t have had the country we’re now fighting over and robbing.
But let me tell you this: a while back a Northern commented on one of my articles. He said, and I quote: “You Southerners are always blaming your own failures on the Northerners, since the beginning of time, he wrote." “Now is the time to wake up and try to solve your own problems by yourselves, before it’s too late.
Now, whenever I shared this piece of advice from an enemy with my friends, we just shake our heads in agreement with him, though, we believes that; the old master is still harboring the so- called opposition leaders in Khartoum, and supplies their militia with heavy weapons and ammunitions.
But, the troubling and the most panicking are these recent waves of defections, from some security forces to join hands with the outlaws and renegades every day. This is the biggest challenge that needs to be addressed, and quickly by our leaders, especially comrades; 1st Lieutenant general James Hoth Mai, the SPLA Chief of Staff, Chief security general Majak Agot, and of course the Lt. General Gier Chuang, the Ministry of Interior, collectively.
Nobody wants to die after all these years of our struggle. Everyone wants to see the Promised Land. And yet we all know that war is ugly, but we don’t have that many choices to choose from in the face of the enemy declaring it against our will. Thus, am still sticking to my word that, the "Jallaba” and their Southern traitors are vehemently behind our demise.
God bless our heroes (alive and dead). South Sudan nation will eventually prevail as stronger and united as ever before.
That’s my hope.
Shalom.
The author of this article is a Southern Sudanese, and an affiliated member of SPLM party, living in the United States of America, and can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].