By: Sirir Gabriel Yiei Rut
July 8, 2014 (SSNA) — I remain curious to understand why SPLM under Salva Kiir Mayardit wants to continue to hold onto power even when it is overwhelmingly evident that they failed to manage the affairs of our country.
I am convinced that all of us south Sudanese, regardless of political affiliation, are very clear what has to change because the current system is definitely not working for most of us. I am even convinced that those we see defending the dictator, must in their quiet time, realize that the socio-economic system we currently have is hardly sustainable.
You cannot have 90% unemployment and pretend that all is well, you cannot have poor roads, dilapidating infrastructure and the lack of provision of basic needs that we took for granted at independence and pretend that nothing must change. The only explanation is that the egos of those still warming seats in SPLM continue to resist change lest they be scrutinized and rejected by the civil populations. We will need extra effort to push them away. Hence, to allow democracy and federalism to take place once and for all.
It’s only the other day that SPLM under President Kiir confide in me that they can’t see themselves as ordinary members of society after having enjoyed benefits of power for quite a long time. They will not easily give that up till they lost power to the opposition. Inshallaha!!!
Eckhart Tolle, in his book titled. The power of now captured for me the fundamental problem that we are facing. It is all about egos in it, he says; “The ego perceives itself as a separate fragment in a hostile universe, with no real inner connection to any other being, surrounded by other egos which it either sees as a potential threat or which it will attempt to use for its own ends.
The basic egos patterns are designed to combat it own deep-seated fear and sense of lack. They are resistance, control, power, greed, defense, attack. Some of the egos strategies are extremely clever, yet they never truly solve any of its problems, simply because the ego itself is the problem”
Interestingly enough, paranoia is defined as a mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically worked in to an organized system or a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.
Now if you combine a fragile ego and paranoia; you get what we are getting now in south Sudan. The arrest of all those that threaten the ego, the refusal to reforms in the nation, a genuine fear of transparency and democracy in its true sense and the refusal to have fair political competition. Added to this, is the reported in fighting with the SPLM which continues to ex acerbate the “race to the bottom” in our political system. We do not need to be told of our history every day; we appreciate it, but its cannot shape our future.
At the end of it all, every south Sudanese must make up their own mind, but let that decision be based on the appreciation that our country needs a new beginning based on our inalienable right to liberty, freedom of speech and association. This is not negotiable.
I my opinion, it is the responsibility of every south Sudanese to reject the past and embrace a future that is significantly different from what the incumbents are promoting.
The question is: what can you and I do about it?
Our only solution right now as mere citizens of this nation called south Sudan is to demand federalism and ensure that we dismiss those egos that continue to masquerade as legitimate heirs to political power in our nation south Sudan.
Failing to tackle these egos and paranoia, the social and economic conditions in south Sudan will worsen.
The author is a student of political science living in Egypt-Cairo. He can easily be reached through his Email address [email protected].