Dr. Lam vs Mr. Pagan: Politics of Government and Opposition

By: James Okuk Solomon

It is good to mention that the above mentioned SPLM politicians have attracted the attention of the media with their public statements. H.E. Dr. Lam Akol has been defending the government and became the sacrificial lamb in the criticism of those who have the xenophobia of Khartoum and the NCP. H.E. Mr. Pagan Amum has been criticizing Khartoum and got the admiration of those who hate the current national government of the Sudan. Who respects the rule of law, CPA implementation and democratic transformation between these two politicians from the Collo (Shilluk) Kingdom? To avoid street talks, let me refer to the book and understand the kind of oaths they have taken so that truth becomes the judge:

"I, Pagan Amum Okiech, do hereby swear by the Almighty God/solemnly affirm/, that as an Advisor in the Government of Southern Sudan, I shall be faithful and bear true allegiance to Southern Sudan and shall diligently and honestly discharge my duties and responsibilities and strive to foster the development and welfare of its people; that I shall obey, preserve and defend this Constitution and the Interim National Constitution and abide by the law; and that I shall protect and promote the unity of the people of Southern Sudan and consolidate the democratic decentralized system of government and preserve the integrity and dignity of the people of Southern Sudan; so help me God/ and God is my witness".

These two prominent gentlemen have also taken similar constitutional oaths as parliamentarians in the National and Southern Interim Assemblies respectively. Based on those oaths, it can be justified that H.E. Dr. Lam has been loyal to the rule of law and institutional discipline of his ministerial and legislative office. He is confident of his ability to negotiate self-reliantly (e.g. employing 60 Southerners in Sudan Foreign Affairs). In his press statements he appeals more to the intellects of the listeners. But H.E. Mr. Pagan has been disloyal and undisciplined in his advisory and legislative duties. He doubts his own political ability of negotiating SPLM interests without external backup. In his press statements, he appeals more to emotions of listeners. His motion of calling upon American Administration to take charge of Sudanese disorderly house is an inferiority complex that endorses Whites superiority. It portrays SPLM as unpatriotic Sudanese party! Mr. Pagan seems to be blinded by the formula: "the enemy of my enemy is my friend and I shall call for his help to defeat and fail my opponent." He would have not been held accountable for his public statements were he only the Secretary-General of SPLM and never a constitutional holder of any government business. In multi-party democracy, parties are supposed to check and balance the government and themselves as parties. Since it seems that Mr. Pagan excels opposition, it is noble if he resigns from any government office so that he is not bothered by the question of constitutional allegiance and institutional discipline. This would give him credibility and respect, especially if he updates his notes before declaring them in the public, lest they contradict his colleagues'. For example, the SPLA spokesperson released a press statement on the same day of Mr. Pagan's that "the withdrawal of SAF from Southern Sudan is almost completed....the presence of armed forces in oil production sites are part of the CPA and not part of serving SAF agenda."

The stalemate of implementation of Abyei protocol is neither a mistake of SPLM nor NCP nor the government; it is the mistake of the so-called experts who compiled the report hurriedly without checking its compliance with the CPA articles. Those experts went with a lot of dollars that could have improved the life of the poor residents of Abyei area. In spite of their big pay, they proved to be inexperts by leaving the mess, which still haunts the Naivasha partners for a year now! If SPLM is really a party which does not entertain marginalization, it should include Misseriya and other non-Ngok Dink residents in the administration of Abyei area as stipulated in the CPA and Sudan Interim National Constitution. To say every time that NCP and government are reneging on the CPA implementation is a sign of weakness from SPLM leadership. It shows that they are not able to adjust to the new reality of peace language, and be in control of the country's politics. This continuous cry puts a question mark whether SPLM would reliably manage Sudan government business if given people's votes in the coming general election. Surely, this baby cry makes Umma party, who are against Self-determination and many articles in the CPA, very happy!!!!

James Okuk is a junior diplomat (Second Secretary) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan. He is also a PhD young Student in the area of Political Philosophy in the University of Nairobi. He can be reached on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.