Photo: BBC
By Nhial Gatkuoth Chung, Accra, Ghana
April 18, 2020 (SSNA) — “We will fight Kiir’s government to the last man and get rid of his rotten system and his circles by all means possible”, now the same political and military leaders who said those powerful words years ago are now crawling back to the same regime that they once said was illegitimate. Gosh!
The current defections of the senior political and military leaders from the SPLM-IO led by Dr. Riek Machar to the SPLM (the ruling party) led by President Salva Kiir are worrying signs to the fate of the revitalized transitional government of national unity that came to be last month.
The spoilers of the peace are at large and still working behind the scene to tear apart and overshadow the little stability that came as a result of the agreement that was signed two years ago. Their wicked ego to see South Sudan in that plight is what makes them happy so that their malicious activities they have been doing go on unabated.
The country is standing at the crossroads now with a current pandemic that brought things to stand still, the fate of the agreement is being tested to the point of total collapse if remedies are not added to rescue it.
The implementation of the revitalized agreement is being smothered slowly by the profiteers of war so that the 2016 event is activated and effected for their benefit.
As an English adage says, a rolling stone gathers no moth {this goes to those who are always driven by the love of positions and materials} those who keep on changing places here and there will never succeed and the reality clearly remains visible in South Sudan politics.
This culture of switching allegiance to and fro in the midst of political crisis has a great and direct impact on the agreement itself and the stability of the country, the war beneficiaries are using the resources they illegally plundered from the public coffers to buy opposition’s top political and military leaders to abandon their camps and join president’s camp for short term gain just to insinuate internal conflict among the opposition leaders. And the core objective to frustrate the reform agenda that does not serve their interests.
Most of those unprincipled and disgruntled politicians who switched sides several times over the years were/are clearly known to have no political agenda that can bring a total change in South Sudan, their search for greener pastures is the prime driving force that determines their political base/destiny.
Their immature and emotional decision to join the ruling party under Salva Kiir is an insult to the victims of the current system and this questions their integrity, consistency, and political objectives, if their grievances were surely based on the factual ground on how the IO movement is being run, they should have opted for internal leadership crisis solution or form their own political party so that they have space to air out their political programs/objectives to South Sudanese or Join the other South Sudan political parties like South Sudan opposition alliance/movements (SSOA & SSOMA) this at least can convince other South Sudanese of their genuine agenda but joining Kiir’s party is like adding salt to the wound.
If the reasons for their defections are thoroughly examined and analyzed, you will come to the point and conclusion that they are not joining Kiir’s party because it’s performing miracles far better than the SPLM-IO led by Machar or other opposition parties. Somewhat they are looking for political accommodation where they will be used to cause instability in their constituencies.
Tribalism, nepotism, corruption, governance issues, lack of rule of law, justice, and accountability, democracy, and lack of clear direction to the nation-building were prime reasons many South Sudanese leaders left Salva Kiir government. What is so peculiar today about the SPLM led by Salva that those hungry politicians had seen a change in the party they lefty because of those reasons they underscored in their defection paper, there is nothing that has changed, it’s the same Salva who plunged the country into this abyss, the same SPLM that killed thousands and displaced millions inside and outside the country.
So, the current political storms inside the SPLM- IO are clear signs that the enemies of peace are still working hard to abrogate the very peace they signed. And also, to block the efforts of involving those political parties that did not sign the revitalized agreement.
In a nutshell, the agreement is leaking and will eventually sink/submerge for the second time deep into Ocean if the current games are not politically addressed on time.
May God bless South Sudan!
The author can be reached atnhialnyarok@gmail.com.