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By: Daniel Abushery Daniel and Luk Kuth Dak
December 27, 2013 (SSNA) — In the wake of aftermath of the Juba massacre, Luk and I debated as to why the Dinka intellectual community was stone silent about the calculated, wicked, despicable and heinous cold blooded murders of the Nuer people, orchestrated by the President of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, and executed by the the so-called Presidential Guards, mostly from Kiir’s hometown. As a result, thousands of lives of innocent Nuer children, women and men were lost for no apparent reason other than fact that they happened to be members of the Nuer nation.
The only Dinka intellectuals who stood up tall in condemnation of the massacre, with the strongest terms possible, were none other than the widow and the son of the visionary, the late Dr. John Garang de’ Mabior. Mama Nyandeng and her son, Mabior announced to the entire world- through the media- that what had happened was not a quo attempt, as alleged by the President of the Republic, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, but a plot to eliminate his adversaries in the SPLM. The Nuer community will be forever indebted to Mrs. Garang and her son Mabior for their heroic stand.
If South Sudan were to remain a united country, it’s time we had an honest, frank and heart-to-heart talk about the future of our country, the Republic of South Sudan. We’re pretty sure that if you’ve read our individual articles, or if you had a chance to talk with us one-on-one, you know that we’ve loudly spoken and consistently written about the importance of our unity. We’re both well documented for criticizing some leaders in our own tribe, the Nuer, when we thought they were wrong.
But, that’s not the case with our brothers in the Dinka intellectual community. In the aftermath of the execution- style massacre of innocent Nuer people in Juba, we waited patiently hopping that maybe, just maybe, some peace-loving Dinka intellects- a minority- would be thoughtful enough and come out to denounce the massacre, which’s now threatening the existence of our nation.
But no!!
The burning question is: how in the world didn’t the the Dinka community see that their heinuos crimes would ultimately drive the rest of the country over the edge? And who should blame Dr. Riek Machar, and Generals, James Koang Choul and Peter Gadeet for standing up for justice? Talk about shooting oneself in the foot. To put it even more succinctly, the Dinka nation of all ethnicities in South Sudan have nothing to gain in destabilizing the country, but everything to lose. After all, aren’t they the ones that are enjoying the fruit of our labor, and the ones in total control of the nation’s wealth?
The notion that the Dinka deserve to have it all is only going to make matters unbearable for others in the country. It’s so true that since President Kiir took office, the wealth gap between the Dinka and the rest of the country has grown to its widest level. That’s unacceptable.
And so if we must continue to be under one umbrella, as a people, and as a nation, we must shift gears in a hurry. Daniel and I truly believe that, if we all work for the common good, if we can begin to resolve our difference peacefully and respectfully, we will have a chance of a building a unified nation. This must become true.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., puts it best: "The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined unconformity who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."
You can reach the authors by e-mails at [email protected] and [email protected].