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Shilluk manIt is my pleasure and honor to address this letter to all Chollo concerning the burning issues that remain as an obstacle for Chollo security and its future. Over the years, Chollo have been facing many issues: land seizure, physical intimidation against our people in Chollo Kingdom , political division among Chollo political leaders which have...

affected our community greatly and political marginalization in political spectrums in the Sudan and South Sudan in particularly.  The different political affiliations among Chollo politicians have divided our community in many ways.  For example; Chollo who are affiliated with the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) beside their own party, view the members of Sudan People  Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) as their enemy and vice versa with for those who are SPLM -DC members.

I have said this before to many Chollo that it is healthy for us to join different political parties but we must not and should translate these affiliations into divisions among ourselves which affect our common welfare.  We want all Chollo politicians to put the Chollo interest before politics. Chollo politicians must rise above their political differences for the welfare of Chollo. They are responsible for the current social disorganization in the Chollo community and cause more division among the Chollo youth today. Some of the Chollo politicians who are causing divisions in our community care less for the welfare of Chollo and future of our children. The political differences among Chollo are healthy and Chollo politicians should not be translating these political differences into unnecessary division among us.

So, in this context, it is very important for the Chollo who are supporting political leaders who do not care for the welfare of Chollo to denounce their support for these leaders. I am very displeased with the portion of Chollo politicians whose only interest is to use unaware poor Chollo and exploitation of the poor among Chollo for their own political agenda. In fact, I would think that these politicians are opportunistic and cynical; if Chollo grassroots do not abandon their blind support for them, Chollo will continue to suffer in the hands of these power and wealth hungry politicians.
I also blame those Chollo who gave their blind support to these political leaders who do not care about Chollo interest and our common welfare. Whether indirectly or directly, Chollo themselves and Chollo political opportunists have contributed to the current divisions among ourselves which have caused serious divisions in our community. It seems obvious that some Chollo politicians and their blind supporters are becoming slaves to their political delusions. This kind of blind political support is very dangerous for the future of Chollo community.
Theses elements of Chollo politicians who have brought all this chaos in Chollo society are only concern with their political interest and nothing else. It is these same elements of Chollo politicians who dominate the political hierarchy in Chollo society, who instigate politics of nepotism, clan politics and they continue to look down on ordinary Chollo. It is alright for Chollo who wish to affiliate with the differences political parties because affiliation with any political party should be up to the individual to choose the party they want to join. I disagree with the notion that Chollo must join a single political party. Chollo need a leader who will bring them together and bring strong unity within Chollo to achieve their aspiration. Chollo must only follow the leader who will be able help them to achieve their aspiration and who will protect their rights such as education, economic empowerment, social and cultural identity, clean water, health care, and the common good for Chollo welfare. I want Chollo to think out side the box for their own good. It is necessary to educate ourselves about how to consider our leaders.

There is an old African saying that translates to: "What you find share with your relatives first". Soon the trappings of luxury in political office will overwhelm the new leader and what they see in their immediate surroundings, they will think is happening to every one in the country. When people start complaining, they are first told "to be patient because it will take time to fix decades of abuse by previous rulers".  This is exactly what Chollo political leaders have done by creating a gap between themselves and the rest of Chollo.  Aristotle and Plato defined politics as a concern with general issues affecting the whole community.  The way our history will be written depends upon the extent to which whether Chollo political leaders and Chollo grassroots - strive to shape the future of the Chollo community. My concern with the Chollo political leaders or ruling elites in Chollo society is that they really do not care about the poor among Chollo who are now under threat in the Chollo Kingdom from external forces.

Chollo grassroots must come together and seek for a leader among us who is a compassionate leader and care for our common welfare and future generations. It is important for Chollo to follow a political leader who will and can protect the weak and the common welfare of Chollo people at any given time.  I warn Chollo who have been brainwashed by these greedy politicians who do not care for the welfare of Chollo to cease their support for such leaders. As long as Chollo continue to support these opportunistic politicians, they will continue to suffer and be taken advantaged of by these particular politicians who want to achieve their political agenda at the expense of the Chollo.

These particular Chollo politicians do not care about ordinary Chollo; they only care about themselves, power and wealth.  Chollo grassroots must change the venue of campaign. Chollo need a leader who care and not a leader who is selfish.  There are elements of Chollo politicians who don't care much about the average Chollo. For years, these particular Chollo politicians have used the poor of Chollo to achieve their political interest without regard of the poor of Chollo and not providing them with simple basic necessities.

As I have said many times, that it is up to the individual to decide to affiliate with any political party he or she wish to join. Chollo should not be calling upon themselves as a tribe to join a single political party.  For example there are some of us who are neutral and are not necessarily affiliated with any political party but they are members of the Chollo community and concern for our common welfare. Chollo should stop the political radicalization and unnecessary division among themselves because it will not help us to achieve our common welfare.  These notions within Chollo to view others Chollo as an enemy simply because they are not members of the same political party "they are affiliated" is wrong.

This perception will not and cannot help Chollo to form the unified force they need to confront the external forces who are now claiming their ancestral land. As many of us have come to understand and believed that Jieng intention to grab Chollo ancestral land has been well organize and has been institutionalize by the Jieng elements within the GoSS. These dirty politics among Chollo leaders in our community and lack of unity among Chollo community is being used by Jieng to achieve their goal to occupy Chollo ancestral land. Chollo must rethink otherwise the current situation; if this continues, it will destroy Chollo society and its future.  The political poison brought by elements of Chollo politicians to achieve their personal interest will destroy the Chollo community unless Chollo denounce their blind support for such divisive leaders.   These Chollo political leaders of both SPLM and SPLM-DC   have already establish themselves permanent in term of power, wealth and have been building  their  permanent homes far away from Chollo Kingdom  and by default they  may not necessarily live  in Chollo Kingdom.  The real victims are Chollo grassroots themselves who are now facing physical intimidation from external forces that threaten their livelihood in the Chollo Kingdom .

Now they have divided the Chollo community and pit Chollo against Chollo. Chollo political selfishness and power angry individuals who do not care for the poor among Chollo must not be allowed to destroy the Chollo community. Our community has been divided by these elements of Chollo politicians who are only care for their own personal interests. Chollo suffering will not end as long as Chollo continue giving their blind support to Chollo political leaders who do not care about their needs.  These Chollo politicians do not care about ordinary Chollo because they want the rest of Chollo to remain ignorant. They do not want your children to get an education and they want you and your children to remain impoverish.

Without the willingness of Chollo to put aside their political differences and sacrifice for the good of the community as whole, these elements of Chollo political opportunists would turn Chollo society into a collection of selfish individuals with no sense of community spirit. Without community spirit, one would argue that such societies cannot satisfy the deepest needs of its people and perhaps cannot long survive. Many good Chollo wanted to save our society from the political division created by selfish political opportunists. For many years now, Chollo politicians have been taking advantage of the poor of Chollo because of the multitude of Chollo who are unaware and their blindly support for these politicians.  The most striking danger of these divisions is that the Chollo political opportunists have managed to divide Chollo against Chollo.The impact of these political divisions among Chollo cannot be underestimated.

Over the years during the war of liberation struggle, Chollo have been subject of displacement in large numbers in North Sudan and soon Chollo could find themselves being displace in their own country. There are external forces who want to see the destruction of Chollo society, as a whole. These forces are being supported by the elements of Chollo who are power and wealth hungry individuals. Personally, I have the privilege to know and learn from Uncle James Ogilo over the years in which I have also learned from him how deep he was concerned and worried for Chollo future concerning the current crisis.  At one point he told me that, "Chollo and its youth must be save." He hopes and wishes to convince Mr. Olony who is leading a large numbers of Chollo youth to abandon their idea to wage a war against the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) because it would be completely counterproductive and a disadvantage for Chollo as a whole.  I have full respect for our brave Chollo Civil Defense (CCD) led by our two dear sons of Chollo, Commanders Robert Gawang and Olony who have made so many sacrifices in risking their lives in order to protect our ancestral land and vulnerable Chollo civilians against Jieng. Both commanders' actions two to three years ago were supported by all Chollo unanimously.

As I stated in previous postings  that Chollo must think rationally and strategically because if the Chollo Kingdom becomes the battleground between the SPLA and Chollo civil defense, Chollo civilians will be trapped in a conflict zone and the casualties on Chollo civilian populations would be greatly catastrophic. It is clear that there are some elements within Chollo who encourage our youth to wage this kind of war as a way to achieve their political objectives, which will be catastrophic and disadvantage for Chollo community. These individuals are driven by their personal interest to achieve their goal for power and wealth without consideration for Chollo common welfare. I am personal concerned with the elements of Chollo politicians who always take advantage of the poor. I am deeply disturbed by the behavior of some Chollo individuals who are self-serving politicians and they are taking the advantage of the poor.

The worst possible scenario is that these politicians appeal to the poor for support not in order to help or provide them with basic necessities but to take advantage of them. What a pitiful situation it is when the persons who are unaware of their rights are also poor, and are left in the state of not knowing the truth. Some are unaware of their rights and privileges and no one among these politicians dares to help them. I am writing this letter not because I have personal problem with these individuals, but because of their behavior of taking advantage of the poor to achieve their political agenda that does not service the interest of the poor. As a concerned citizen, I feel obligated and have a moral duty to enlighten our people about those individuals taking advantage of the poor and "let those who have an ear to hear let them hear" as written in Revelations in the Bible.

I refused to allow corrupt and immoral politicians take advantage of the poor. They (politicians) take advantage of the helpless unknowing victims is unacceptable and immoral. Most Chollo political leaders are opportunist, greedy and do not really care about Chollo people. I am aware that there are those who would disagree with my view but as I told many Chollo before that these Chollo political leaders whom you are supporting now do not care about you and your children. They only care about their power and themselves and not the poor among Chollo. I am also not happy with those who are living in state denial and using political rhetoric on the electronic wave by the element of Chollo politicians and their blind supporters against other Chollo who do not agree with them. Until it ALL stops, division in the Chollo community will destroy Chollo society.

This portion of Chollo politicians has destroyed the Chollo community; the broken bond between the Chollo people and they are the biggest threat to Chollo security and its future. The Chollo have endured their ill devised politics and can no longer take it; enough is enough.  Some Chollo have watched silently to see them and their related relatives enjoy political hierarchy for years, while masses of poor of Chollo continue to suffer. Chollo have no basic necessities let alone education and while these politicians live in hierarchal cities at the expense of the poor among Chollo.

We should not allow elements of Chollo politicians to gamble with the lives of the poor Chollo and their future. My sincere message to ordinary Chollo is to think for themselves and the future of their children. Chollo must wake up and open their eyes; they should not follow a leader who does not care about their interest and future of their children. Chollo should only follow a leader who is compassionate and really cares for their interest and future of their children. I advise those who are support such political parties and the portion of Chollo politicians who are playing divisive politics to divide our community for their political agenda to cease these dirty games.Chollo must stop uncalled for party differences and work together for their common welfare. The political differences within Chollo must and should not be the future of Chollo community.