By J. Nguen Nyol
May 11, 2014 (SSNA) — I am sadden and disturbed after seeing baseless congratulatory messages to Pres. Salva Kiir Mayardit on social media and even on video clips as if the man has done the unthinkable and forgave hard core criminals awaiting death row.
Among those wrongly pardoned, no one has committed any unforgivable crime that warranted thankfulness messages to Mr. President. In contrast, Mr. President instead deserved strong condemnation because he is clearly guilty of distortion and manufacturing lies on the issue of baseless coup de tat which subsequently brought shames and abyss to our new nation.
Pres. Kiir has destroyed our communities’ social fabrics and this is unforgivable crime. He deserved nothing short of life in prison without possibility of parole if truth be told. Shaming Pres. Salva Kiir by exposing his guilt verdict is not enough. Calling him a liar and for his resignation from power is not enough either. It seems nothing is comparative and equal to the crimes he has committed even hanging him by the neck is not enough.
Then, what is enough one may ask? Well, I think what is relatively enough in kind is shaming him in the court of law given the shames he has brought upon us, the senseless death he ensued and the destruction of properties he has caused to our nation. Mr. President should be taken to ICC in The Hague to be trial and sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. I think this is relative and South Sudanese would be relieved if President Kiir rotten in prison. It’s that simple.
However, this piece is not about Pres. Kiir’s criminal status but I just wanted my readers to understand what people of South Sudan would want out of Salva Kiir Mayardit’s mess. This piece is about why Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba still under house arrest, which is part of Pres. Kiir’s mess and unnecessary pains he has inflicted on our people.
Dr. Nyaba is still under house arrest in Juba, yet, facts have proven that the 12 detained politicians were abused, shamed, imprisoned and robbed of their freedom on false and baseless grounds because there was no coup on December 15th, 2013.
As I write, Dr. Nyaba cannot leave Juba or his house, why? What has he done than what has been proven inconsistent and baseless accusations in the court of law, where the government had to rush to unrealistically pardon to save itself from being shamed and embarrassed?
In my view, Dr. Nyaba is being held hostage unfairly because he was the first South Sudanese academia, politician and level headed individual who call spade a spade by tells the world that what had happened in Juba on December 15th, 2013 was not a coup but a fabricated laxative by President Kiir to do away with his political opponents.
It’s that simple and I don’t understand why we are silence in this fiasco? Yet Dr. Nyaba was right, there was not coup attempt in Juba on December 15th, 2013. Why is Dr. Nyaba being held illegally? This man is BIGGER than his captors. For instance, Dr. Nyaba is a savior and a brave soul who came out undeterred when his own death was eminent. This is a kind of personality our youth in South Sudan wanted and can benefit from.
On December 20th, 2013, Dr. Nyaba wrote, “the absurdity of the coup story comes out clearly, with the deployment of the presidential militia hailing mainly from Warrap and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, who indeed are killing unarmed Nuers soldiers, civilians including women and children in Juba, on the presumption that they were Riek Machar’s supporters, that Salva Kiir inadvertently is pushing the country to the brink.”
Being truthful as he is, his current house arrest is unacceptable and must be condemned. Because being truthful is what our people wanted if this country ought to move forward stable and become prosperous with its rich diversity. For us to disentangle ourselves from such ill-informed behaviors, we must condemn Dr. Nyaba’s detention in the strong term possible and demand for his release.
It’s true that President Kiir cannot swallow Dr. Nyaba’s bitter pills because he (Dr. Nyaba) writes on sensitive matters. Things that President Kiir and his supporters like not to hear.
Dr. Nyaba wrote on December 20th, 2013, “in Akon, his (president) hometown, speaking in Dinka, which SSTV aired, Salva had this to say, “…look, this power which I have belongs to you. You fought and died for it… now some people want to snatch it from me… we you accept it?” “Aci ba gam” meaning we will not accept, shouted the people back.”
President Kiir is a man of retribution and his actions have proven this. For example, Kiir Mayardit removed Lt. Gen. Mac Paul from the South Sudan military intelligence for being truthful to the core. General Mac Paul knows lying is good for our new nation and unethical for a learned man.
Also, Dr. Nyaba and Mac Paul say what they have said out patriotism and honesty. In particular, Dr. Nyaba wanted to hold his leader accountable and this is his legal duty as citizen of the land. In my view, this is healthy and it’s very wrong for President Kiir to keep Dr. Nyaba under detention on this basis.
I must stress that there is no other reason for Dr. Adwok Nyaba to remain under house arrest beside his writing which shed lights on the false and fabricated coup attempt.
The articles Dr. Nyaba wrote on December 17th and 20th, 2013 were the sole foundation and false proof of the concocted coup attempt. Therefore, our people cannot afford letting this man, a man who corrected wrong in the face absurdity and rampage killing to remains under house arrest without calling for his immediate release.
Dr. Nyaba’s writings helped our nation point to the right direction and healthy path. Besides, Dr. Nyaba is our comrade in armed, a fellow citizen and a wounded hero who lost part of his body during the war of liberation for you and me to have a nation that we today collectively call ours.
Therefore, I call on the government of South Sudan under President Kiir Mayardit to release Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba immediately. Mr. President, please give Dr. Nyaba back his freedom. He is a good citizen and he has shown our youngsters how one can be a good citizen. Dr. Nyaba was/is a lighting rode to our nation at a time where tribal mentality triumphs over nationhood.
Not only that, I appeal to you Mr. President to accept the reality that what happened in Juba on December 15th, 2013 was not a coup. Dr. Nyaba was right in pointing out that the mischief occurred when “the officer i/c of the stores opened the stores and rearmed the Dinka soldiers. A Nuer soldier, who happened to be nearby, questioned this. A fist fight ensured between the two attracting the attention both the commander and his deputy to the scene.”
Finally, if the other abled detained politicians were let go free on the basis of peace, why can the same boldness steps apply to Dr. Peter Adwok Nyaba as our new nation struggles to find ways how to reconcile herself and her citizens. Please let Dr. Nyaba free!
J. Nguen is a concerned South Sudanese living in Canada. He can be reached at [email protected].