Let Democracy Chooses Its Friend Among the SPLM Contenders

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By: James Okukgarang_bashir.jpg

As I said in my previous article that politics is the art of the possible if not impossible, you can see all the possibilities that are emerging in Juba. Now the fear and panic is ruling the hearts of the leaders who are contesting for SPLM top leadership and fishing for more supporters amongst the delegates.

This is the price of democracy that we sing and dance for everyday. We must also accept its consequential reality whether favorable for us or not and let the process continues.

The time of appointments and favoritism from the leaders is gone; it is now the time of election and choice of the people for their preferred leaders who they think can deliver better results. This choice is not without a cost and we must bear it without regret when it comes. We have not to take it personal because democratic politics is a public issue that need to remain public whether it is for or against us.

In my opinion, let whoever thinks he can lead the SPLM better come up, and let democracy chooses its friend amongst the contenders in the environment of fairness and freedom of vote by the delegates. No intimidation and no insults; the time of campaign is over!  it is the time of reality choice. Remember that All the SPLM cadres signed agreements with Jellaba or NIF government, including late Dr. Garang who was sworn in as a Vice President by Mr. El-Beshir his Boss in the Presidential Palace in Khartoum. When he died untimely, Mr. Salva Kiir was also sworn in by the same NIF and Arab leader, President El-Bahir in the same Palace. So many others are very familiar with Khartoum and the Jellaba's Palace there. If this is the criteria of betrayals, all of these SPLM cadres have been betrayers (Garang, Kiir, Machar, Nhial, etc). All of them went to Arabs in Khartoum without exception. But I do not think this makes much sense in the context of the CPA partnership. So let us leave this pointless rhetoric, be patient, wait, and see the winners and losers without reference to the Arabs or NIF.

If any of the contestants convinces the delegates with his quality of leadership and program for the good of SPLM, then he will be welcome if he passes the post first. In whatsoever the case, the most important thing is the stronger unity of the SPLM after the convention whether with Kiir's leadership or with any winner's leadership. No more categorization by 'Garang's boys' or 'whoever boys.' This desired unity of the SPLM and stronger partnership with the NCP for the rest of the remaining three years of the interim period will be required for the sake of CPA implementation to its logical End. Long Live SPLM and Long live all its cadres as they pursue their good or bad luck in the convention.!

James Okuk is a PhD student in the University of Nairobi. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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  • Guest - Dr. Onwar Adiang

    Thanks brother James for this piece, it looks like the unavoidable is happening and this is what I illiterated in my last comment to your last article. Well it is the democratic course and its rules that should prevail. You see this is reminding me with common say by our Equatorian Colleagues when we were in Egypt, that people are going parlel when thing get worse and a compromise is not likely to acheive. This is exactly what is happening now in the SPLM 2nd Convention in Juba. People were looking forward for a concensus within the leadership such that power struggle is avoided, but concensus prequisites accepting one another otherwise the consequence is confrontation (this is logical end which is not seen by the shortsighted deadhearted supporters within the massess). In fact what happened is that people based their positions on see and react tactics (starting from the Chairman down to the rest), because if you look to the developing alliances at the convention, there were alot of crossings from here to there and vise versa, this is true even at Upper Nile State level (news are talking of Dr. Nyaba being now in one row with his runner Dok Jok in support of 3 deputies to the Chairman group lead by Dr. Riak as oppose to the other group of 1 deputy lead by chairman Salva. What I can say here is that a new era is going to prevail post 2nd SPLM Convention, which outlines are not yet clear, and in regard to that direct question needs to be asked here; ...what would be the impact of a great change in the leadership of the SPLM (as this is now emminent regardless of who wins or loses) given our shallow understanding to the art of poloitcs that does not go far beyond our tribal togetherness????....I leave this to your intelectuall analysis and the results of the convention...God bless all of you.

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  • Guest - James Okuk

    I do not wish any split of the SPLM after this convention, but since politics is based on open possibilities without fixed rules or fix answers, the split could occur. If it happens it will put the South into a pathetic situation because each group will claim the SPLM and no group is going to form a new party as some people think. Each of the split group will claim to be the SPLM party. This will put NCP into a tough choice as to who they will consider to be their partner for CPA's implementation and continuation as required by Constitution. God forbids!

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  • Guest - Tipo William Mel

    One of African writers said that: " Around election time, one of the problems we are faced in Africa is that many leaders seem to think the issue is not voters choosing leaders, but rather leaders choosing voters". I wish this convention will go forward in a manner that is peaceful, legitimate and credible so that people will choose leaders who will put the interest of our people a head of any individual interests and to work together to ensure that democratic principles are available in the post conflict region.

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  • Guest - Ngino Nyikako

    Well Mr. Jwothab tottally agree with you that the really democracy is must be, “Of the people, by the people and for the people, in my opinoin what is going on in Juba now it doesn't meet that form, because many of the delgates didn't come by election, see north sector has 500 delgates whom never been elected, but they been choosen by so called Yaser Arman who is day and night to destroy the will of people of south. It wsill be cool if we have really democracy in the SPLM and in south in general.

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  • Guest - Belshou

    This is a very critical time for our nation, and let us encourage all our leaders of SPLM regardless of their differences to focus on unity of the party until the referendum of self determination is achieve in 2011 , because if split occur now South will be the loser ,and how long shall it take us to reach this very close point to independence, the blood of our fallen heroes and heroins of liberation will be forgotten. and the those leaders will proved nothing apart from being irresponsible and not fit to lead the nation.

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  • Guest - Belshou

    correction to the word PROVED in the above contribution to (PROVE)

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  • Guest - Sabino Adeng Diok

    This time is not a normal time that the leaders of the SPLM should play games of politic. The future of the nation it laid in their hands. Therefore, they should aviod what can divid the party; and as result the people of the south Sudan will pay a price again. Thus I hope the SPLMs leaders should work out their differences and put aside a personal interests and come up with a good result that could benefit all people. It's wise for the delgates to choose and elect the good leaders regardless who they are, but base on their experiences, faithfulness and commitment.

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  • Guest - Aban John

    Jmes Okok ,you son of [-cens-] what benefit we the Collo have here , yes , Pagan , is giving up that post of GS ,so you think you [-cens-] uncle will land on that post. This traitor Riech has been trap ,and this was all the reason of this convention to get this bloodily handed out of the way . Glory to true SPLA/M ,and hell to the sell

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  • Aban John, please can you watch you mouth.
    you may reading
    Former SPLA/SPLM SG, Gen. Pagan Amum Okiech had resigned from his post as form of protested against those who used him to host the former FM Dr. Lam Akol
    By peter Ojwal
    The former SG Pagan Amum was betrayed in day light by the southern tribe, leadership-monger. General Pagan Amum was true nationalist of south Sudan who never favors anyone base on his tribe, friendship or brotherhood. He sees everyone equal as himself and that was why Late Dr. John Garang had squeezed him in and elevated him as true son of south. Mr. Amum was loved by all SPLA/SPLM supporters all over the world and they had seen him as the cloned of late John Garang. But southerners had forgotten that before you cloned some one, you had to look at genetic profile of the person to be cloned and the genetic marker of the donator. What I mean was that, SPLA/SPLM supporters had forgotten that, Mr. Amum wasn’t Dinka by tribe who was born to rule as it was said.
    However, they had done everything they can to stop him from climb up the ladder.
    [-edited-]
    Kama methali la Kiswahili lisema kwa, “Usiache mbachao kwa msala upitao” (never give up your own old mat; for a better prayer mats, which you see passing). I love methali la Kiswahili for its heavy wisdom.

    I won’t denounce you more than what you had done to protest by resigning from the SPLA/SPLM secretary general. The leadership-mongers had used you fully to cause the confusion in Collo kingdom which they fear, would be harmful to their missions.
    Gen. Amum had forgotten that Lt. Gen. Saliva Kiir the president of the South Sudan was the great [-cens-] of the SPLA/SPLM intellectuals. He was [-cens-].
    During the revolution, Saliva Kiir never captured any enemy barrack and only victory he had in SPLA/SPLM was to snitch against his comrades.
    For the record, Mr. President, we were former the red army, who services SPLA/SPLM leadership royally in Bilpam from 1987-1990. Often, we received your messages through our late GI Captain Deng Yual; to investigate those intellectual comrades who see to go against SPLA/SPLM mission. But the question is was the accusation true? Well, for us, it is true, since the name of our father Late, Comrade C-in –C Dr. John Garang was included.

    As the Bob Marley said, you can fool people some time, but you can not fool the people all the time. What happen last year had made be define myself of whom I’m, what is my MVP (mission, Visions and purposes) as the southerners? Was what I heard during my military training which took 4 hours lectured every day for 9months true? What are those slogans? I wish our late leader Dr. John Garang was here to ask me.

    The Great Upper Nileans had sent message to the SPLA/SPLM leadership for victimizing Dr. Akol Ajawin, by win with landslide victory over the favorable Gen. Amum Okiech. My animal farm literature knowledge of in Kiswahili as it said “Mla kuku wa mwenziwe miguu humwelekeya” (He who devours his neighbor’s fowl, its foot prints will give him away).So be it

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  • Guest - Dr. Onwar Adiang

    I am always supprsed by what John Aban writes on this website, he is always off point... Is he really Ocullo or he is just another Guil Geng, who was able to penetrate within our ranks???...It is really annoying, because whenever people try to come out of this cheap, irrespectful language to logic and analytical contributions, John Aban takes us back again to the very point we are trying to avoid. So please John let us upgrade our debate and look into constructive critisism that addresses our minds (which is more than welcomed) such that we all benifit from our different desplines otherwise it will be meaningless and discouraing to have brother Lam availed this forum just for us to hurt and discredit ourselves like the way I am seeing. I am still confident that we have much to contribute, so let us come to our sense and try to make things better... long live Collo sons and daughters including John, James, Bellshou and the rest....

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