Don't quote Dr. Lam out of context; get his message
- Written/Submitted by Dr. James Okuk
- Category: Pachodo.org Latest English Articles
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I think the title of the news that quotes Dr. Lam Akol as opposing immediate secession of South Sudan is misleading and uncontextualized. Let's look critically into the core statement of Dr. Lam: "Under the present weak government in the south, calling for secession would be suicide."
The most important phrase here is: "Under the present weak government in the south" and most important question here is: Why would secession of South Sudan be a suicide under Kiir bad rule? You don't need to be a nuclear scientist to get Dr. Lam's message and the sense of answers he provided as a justification for his concern and warning about the current worrying status quo in the South.
The UN and NGOs working in South Sudan have already voiced similar concerns and warnings. In other words, Dr. Lam is saying that for South Sudan Independence to be viable, we need a change of leadership of the current GoSS. We have got informed that Dr. Lam aspiring through elections to be that leader of change in the GoSS, backed by a Alliance of South Sudan Political Parties. What else do you want to make out of Dr. Lam's sincere statement?
From my point of view, Dr. Lam is damn right because no one can deny that we are seeing many bad things happening in the South now under Kiir leadership. We want an independent South Sudan born as successful state; not as a fail state with failed SPLM Kiir leadership. No more and no way! The people of South Sudan have to wisely choose between: 1) having a an independent "banana state" with wrong leaders sitting on public offices and stealing development money in Juba and the capitals of other corrupt states in the South; or 2) having an independent "rock state" (even if this comes later than early) with right leaders for the job who don't embezzle public fund for development and services and who don't practice tribalism in job offers for qualified citizens of South Sudan.
Don't quote Dr. Lam out of context; his message is prophetic to be ignored; otherwise many Southerners could cry in future saying: Oh if only we could listen to Dr. Lam's warning and heeded to his wise advice not to rush for independence of South Sudan lead by those who wear SPLA uniform illegally when they have been retired already and who act unconstitutionally and are ready to kill their own Southern brothers in order to save Northern political dinosaurs. So, let my people choose wisely or else they continue crying as if they were born to suffer.
Dr. James Okuk is a concerned Southerner, can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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- 21-01-2010 22:00:55 |Unregistered| Fascola Abdallah
Let us do not be worry about statement the we heard from the leader of SPLM-DC about self-determination for Southern Sudan people, because we know that who will make the decision at the end, the coming president to GOSS can not force us for unity, but the people of Southern Sudan only who will decide on that. Let us understand the Dr. Lam Akol and others leaders doesn’t want our people to kill themselves or to live in tribalism like what is going on now in Southern Sudan. People of Southern Sudan want leader to make them unit as one nation not to kill themselves and the CPA is only the chance to achieve our self-determination , so let us don’t be worry our leaders can achieve our wishes.
Thanks
And God bless the people of Southern Sudan
- 10-03-2010 00:23:45 |Registered| shilukbaba
Looks like prophacy already ignored. The other side has its hand full of rocks. Talk sense and wisdom, but i don't really expect listening ears out there,so better watch overhead and see what to do about it just incase!
(imagine the mayum and other places around south )that sounds like the madagascar movie!! funny!!!
- 16-03-2010 01:03:39 |Unregistered| Anok
For the respect of your well written article Dr. Okuk, I doubt for what you want to justify is untrue. There is no justification for whatever Dr. Lam had said, compared the session of south with suicide! He crosses the hard line. That line will determined his political career for the rest of his life in southern Sudan, if he doesn’t apologized to the southerners in general, he supposed to put it in different way/ ton! He has to apologize first for that line! It is okay for Dr. Lam to be against the SPLA as a party that all about politics, but not to be against the will of southern Sudan as masses. Second, if you know the number of people who vanished in 1991 when Dr. Lam and Dr. Riek Machar were defected from the spla, compared them now with the number of people who have died under the current demonstration of Kiir, I think you will retreated from what you are defending! Political propaganda is not about lies all the time, but at least you have to be close with the truth. There is no truth that will back up Dr. Lam for what he had said and what he blames the SPLA for. Dr.lam was the Socratics to Dr. Machar during 1990s conflict. And now it happen he blame the SPLA f for igniting the tribal conflict in the south while he was the mentor / one who instituted the violent of hatred than any existing politician in southern Sudan. Third, I personally, don’t see his political objectives. His issues with the SPLA aren’t outlining his political objective to convince the southerners for his leadership. He is part of the SPLA, any mess committed by the SPLA either in the past or present, he has apart on it. If we southerners hold our politicians accountable/ or SPLA for their political misconduct/ mistakes, Dr. Lam will be among them. So please let Dr. Lam use another way of addressing the southerners, pointing out about SPLA’s mistakes while he was there yesterday with them, that blame will not help Dr. Lam. On the other side of corruption issue, he repeats that notion of corruption lot, well Dr.lam when he became the minster of foreigner affair of Sudan; he employed 17 members of his own clans! Plus the embarrassing speech delivered in Washington DC last year by his cousin when he denies the genocide in Darfur! Come on! We don’t need people who just happened to have PhD; we need leaders who can translate the issues!
Thank you, I can be reach by, wreech@gmail.com
- 16-03-2010 01:05:36 |Unregistered| Anok
For the respect of your well written article Dr. Okuk, I doubt for what you want to justify is untrue. There is no justification for whatever Dr. Lam had said, compared the session of south with suicide! He crosses the hard line. That line will determined his political career for the rest of his life in southern Sudan, if he doesn’t apologized to the southerners in general, he supposed to put it in different way/ ton! He has to apologize first for that line! It is okay for Dr. Lam to be against the SPLA as a party that all about politics, but not to be against the will of southern Sudan as masses. Second, if you know the number of people who vanished in 1991 when Dr. Lam and Dr. Riek Machar were defected from the spla, compared them now with the number of people who have died under the current demonstration of Kiir, I think you will retreated from what you are defending! Political propaganda is not about lies all the time, but at least you have to be close with the truth. There is no truth that will back up Dr. Lam for what he had said and what he blames the SPLA for. Dr.lam was the Socratics to Dr. Machar during 1990s conflict. And now it happen he blame the SPLA f for igniting the tribal conflict in the south while he was the mentor / one who instituted the violent of hatred than any existing politician in southern Sudan. Third, I personally, don’t see his political objectives. His issues with the SPLA aren’t outlining his political objective to convince the southerners for his leadership. He is part of the SPLA, any mess committed by the SPLA either in the past or present, he has apart on it. If we southerners hold our politicians accountable/ or SPLA for their political misconduct/ mistakes, Dr. Lam will be among them. So please let Dr. Lam use another way of addressing the southerners, pointing out about SPLA’s mistakes while he was there yesterday with them, that blame will not help Dr. Lam. On the other side of corruption issue, he repeats that notion of corruption lot, well Dr.lam when he became the minster of foreigner affair of Sudan; he employed 17 members of his own clans! Plus the embarrassing speech delivered in Washington DC last year by his cousin when he denies the genocide in Darfur! Come on! We don’t need people who just happened to have PhD; we need leaders who can translate the issues!
Thank you, I can be reach by, wreech@gmail.com
Dear DR, Okuk
I was reading the comments from many commenters on your article (clarification) which you posted on Sudan tribune website and some of them were blindly criticizing the statement made by Dr, Lam.
I think the secession of the Southern Sudan is not a matter that the politicians and leaders should decide it particularly when it is through exercise of plebiscite whereby the nation of south would freely vote for their destiny; hence I don't see any reason for the people to be panic on the statement which aired out by Dr, Lam.
Given the current situation in the Southern Sudan, is the fact that many people have already started stepping back from the way that is leading to the secession unless the factors are changed they will not step forth and they are not blamed for their action as long as the reasons which led them to take that action are still available. I agree with you Dr, Okuk on the misunderstanding the context of the statement. The statement absolutely clear and needless to spend time to get the core message of it which is (choosing the secession in the wrong time under the wrong leadership).
I think the statement was partially read or intentionally they wanted to distort the image of Dr, Lam in the Southern Sudan by breaching to the citizen that Dr, Lam is against the secession of South.