South Sudan's Monkey Politics Of Folly

(Photo Credit: Provided/Supplied)

(Pachodo.org) - South Sudanese politics is seriously flawed, its nature and systems are hard to understand because political cadres switching parties, alliances, and loyalties like monkeys jumping branches. Not for national interests, personal gains.

Chameleons are even better than some political cadres; Chameleons change colours to fit, and adapt to the environment, while these cadres change parties like clothes, driven by money and positions, but not national interest.

They leave no legacy, only adding numbers, lacking capacity to bring meaningful political, social, economic, or moral change to the new system they jumped to.

Given our lack of "truth or principle in politics," how can we expect genuine politics for nation-building when we're insincere? The good governance that we are singing can't sprout from selfish politics that prioritizes individual interests over the nation's, like in our case today.

Our political inconsistency fuels corruption, rebellions, and social discord, yet we blame others and systems, pretending to be saints when we're the problem.

Our political behaviour is like monkeys', jumping here and there without political purpose or vision. Even chameleons are much better than us because it changes colours with a goal.

Don't get me wrong, but look at South Sudan's politics – most people aren't pushing for genuine political cause, changes of system, policy reforms, or good governance. They're after money, positions, and power – all for personal gain, not the nation's.

Thus, wherever we hear that there is money, we run there faster like monkeys running to a fruits field. Wherever we believe there are potential political opportunities for power and positions, we jump there faster like flies jumping on faeces, just like Dr. Sunday De John that could have been the face of revolution, jumped from revolutionary ship to the flawed, and sinking boat of the regime of President Salva Kiir.

Because of money and positions, the political desperado SPLM-IO Delink group of the lunatic Ambassador Stephen Phar, and associates jumped reformation stage to dance to the regime's tune.

We are political hoppers who have completely lost our strong personal, and political values, principles, or beliefs. We have become political folly, easily persuaded, manipulated, or deceived by the regime to serve and save the regime's individual political interests of the Elites, Most of us have forgotten the cause of the national political struggles, and turned to dance like monkey for the interests of regime's selfish, purposeless, and political lost elites, simple for positions and money.

A true politician with genuine political intentions won't join a flawed system like the SPLM regime or jump parties for personal gain. They're driven by political conviction, vision, and a strong moral compass that helps them resist temptations and maintain integrity, for the nation's cause.

A true politician won't jump parties like a monkey swinging trees – SPLM-IG to SPLM-IO to SSOA and back to SPLM-IG like slaughtered hens without head. They've got principles, not just a hunger for power, position and wealth.

As a Military General with a just, and rightful conscience, wherever I am, and in whatsoever situations I could be, "I won't back down from shaping my country's politics". But honestly, it's tough to find honest cadres in South Sudan without risking betrayal due to some folks' politics of folly.

Most of our political and military cadres, like my highly regarded junior officer in Sector six (6)
Brigadier General Bol A'nuer, jumped the Revolutionary truck to tribal Uber of SSPDF that have lost values, principles, aims and standards.

In name and spirit of tribal solidarities, we jump systems like it's a game, but only chasing personal gains. The political hoppers of South Sudan have made politics to become a gamble, about getting to power and getting paid. They have made politics to be all about personalities, corruption's rampant, and have swapped politics from genuine change of the system and policies for the national cause, and interests, to the fulfilment of their own selfish ambitious.

This mess makes it super tough for real leaders to emerge and save the country, as everyone in politics are now for their very own interests, no one's pushing any more for genuine politics for nation's cause.

Of course, we have a few cadres who want to serve and save the nation, but they're getting crushed by the current state of politics; where politics are no longer driven by ideas, values, or shared beliefs, than being mere vehicles for patronage, wealth accumulation, and the pursuit of power for its own sake.

In South Sudan today, politics has lost its meaning – we're putting our own interests first, using it as a tool for personal gain or to reward our mates, and supporters.

This misbelief and political folly are fuelling corruption and opportunism, threatening our nationhood, hurting governance, and burying genuine leaders with vision to serve the nation.

Today, politics in South Sudan is no longer platforms for engaging in meaningful policy debates based on principles for nation building. Our politics is no longer about long-term ideological vision for the Country because we now make political decisions often on a short-term basis, and reactionary; leading to policy reversals and inefficient governance, breakdown in the social fabric, and potentially increases of instabilities, and strengthening of extremist views that faster desires for tribal, and political chaos. That is why, we as a nation, we don't have peace, unity and development.

Therefore, If we want genuine politics that will build South Sudan nationhood, and brings good governance and development to the people.

We must firstly stop supporting, and following political-hoppers, who jump from one system to another. Political hoppers lack sense of directions and moral compass. They are mental unstable, and are often driven by selfish interests rather than a sincere political desire to serve the nation.

They don't have political vision and agenda to drive meaningful change or contribute to national stability, unity and development as they are more focused on personal gain than the people's welfare. Hence, are not leaders, but opportunists that need to be disowned, and hold accountable whenever they emerge. Our demand for leadership should not be for political loyalty, but political vision, and will.

Secondly, ditch the system that uses resources and favours to buy support because such systems are doomed to fail in building a successful democratic state, than fulfilment of individual interests of the political elites, on expense of the state, just like the regime of SPLM.

We should know that regimes manipulating politics to gain support have failed ideologically to convince supports, and lack socio-political, and economic innovative ideas, programs and agenda to build a successful nation, despite having the means.

In this regard, as a nation, we should be aware that, the concurrent tactics of manipulation used by the SPLM regime are clear symptom of deeper issues of the regime's lack of ideological edge, convincing political vision, and political agenda for nation-building.

Hence, is using manipulations - just for survival mode, for the interests of the selfish political ambitious of leadership elites.

*By Maj. Gen. John Sunday Martin*
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