The Problem With the Reunification of the SPLM Aristocracy By Mabior Garang de Mabior

February 3, 2019 Newsbeat, Press Releases, South Sudan

Public Service Announcement,
By Cpt. Mabior Garang de Mabior,

Mabior Garang de Mabior, the SPLM/A(IO) Chairman of Information and Public Relations(Photo credit: Mabior’s mobile office)

Saturda Feb 2, 2019(SSNN) — The citizens of the Republic of South Sudan must have heard by now about the recent announcement by the SPLM Former Detainees (FD’s) to join the SPLM In Government (IG). This announcement was made two days ago at the Juba State House (known as “J-1) by a delegation of the FD’s led by, Cde. Deng Alor Kuol. This announcement comes as no shock to anyone who has been objectively following the prospects for war and peace in our country. It should however, be a point of concern to all of our civil population.

Compatriots,

We should be concerned with the recent events that have taken place in our beloved homeland in recent days, as they threaten to roll back the hard-won progress in achieving fundamental change in our country, through the negotiated settlement.
The recent announcement by the FDs is the latest conspiracy by the group, aimed at undermining our people’s efforts at determining for themselves, their own destiny.
This latest gimmick by the FDs is intended to appear as a confidence building measure towards the peace process when the reality is that it is contradictory to the peace process.
The FDs being signatories to the Arusha Agreement and to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) abdicated their role and responsibility to the peace process.
The reunification of the SPLM under the Arusha Agreement should be voluntarily agreed and should come as a resolution and should not be an agenda.
The people of South Sudan in their cattle camps, villages, in refugee and in internally displaced camps should be vigilant as this is another effort by the traditional elite to keep power away from the people.
According to the structures of the SPLM, the highest decision-making body is the National Convention, which is a collection of the various Boma Liberation Council (BLC) delegates. This was how the Movement ensured that power would be in the hands of our civil population.
The catalyst to the current civil conflict was the disagreement of the SPLM leaders to call for a scheduled meeting of the National Convention where our people would have chosen new leadership including the SPLM candidate for President.
The current SPLM leadership expired in May 2013 and members were to choose new leaders at the National Convention the same year.
The current leadership fearing to face the BLC aware that the people may vote them out for failing to deliver the promises of the liberation struggle; conspired to precipitate a crisis in the Political Bureau (PB) and the National Liberation Council (NLC), in order to circumvent the democratic process.
If the SPLM Leaders were confident about the re-unification of the SPLM and it was not a gimmick they would call for the National convention and allow our people to make whatever decision they see fit.
Otherwise, this is just a conspiracy by the SPLM PB, an entitled, tribalistic, aristocracy that has failed to deliver the basic promises of the liberation struggle and have instead proceeded to loot our country and put us on the path of state failure.
The people of South Sudan should not allow the SPLM Leaders to deceive them that peace will be achieved through dinners and photo ops with the President, nor will it be achieved through a change of heart by those who have created for us a failed state.
The only way to restore peace to our beloved homeland is through the full implementation, in spirit and letter, of the provisions of the negotiated settlement. Anything short of this, is surrender in disguise.
The restoration of peace to our homeland is beyond the reconciliation of a handful of celebrity politicians. This will not reverse the failure of state, nor will it arrest the continuing freefall of our economy.
The Revitalized Agreement has provisions which address the economic crisis, the humanitarian disaster, the insecurity in the country, issues of power sharing, establishment of institutions, the constitution making process, basically, establishing a state for the first time, as the First Republic of South Sudan, has been a false start.
The People of South Sudan must understand, that anything short of the full implementation of the negotiated settlement, will not bring peace.
The SPLM(IO), shall wage the struggle for a just and peaceful society and to fulfil the promises of the liberation struggle, to its logical conclusion.

Signed.

Cpt. Mabior Garang de Mabior
Mobile Office

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