By Isaiah Abraham

November 8, 2009 — The President of Southern Sudan Lt. General Salva Kiir Mayardit move on our future in Kator-Juba on the 31/10/2009 heralds the way forward as far as Southern Sudan cause is concerned. There is no better time than this one for our leader to lead the way. Often time we (leaders) stop short of coming to the open with the subject and this is not being fair to our ourselves and others. What makes the Information Minister to contradict the Southern public and the president on this matter? Being black and white at the same time is too bad and is called hypocrisy. We aren’t hypocrites, we have our objectives firmly engraved in our hearts- quest for freedom. Its a huge thing. The earth and heaven are witnesses of our intention. Big issues such as this one (Southern cause) doesn’t require double-face agents; if its burning anyone fingers, it burns, there is no any reason to attempt to run away from the obvious. Whether the President words were naked or not, the fact remains: the unity of the Sudan under the desired or prevailing circumstances is unattainable.

The President has hit the right button at its time (for emphasis purposes) and my hat goes down in his respect. In fact, everyone not just our leader is duty bound to do the same, there is no need to wait until next year to start campaigning. No one knows what issues the election next year might bring. There is an uncertainty in the air. Time is up to drum up a huge campaign about the Referendum exercise-called it civic education, even before the Referendum Bill is out. Our big man, the Vice President on his part is doing everything in his power to avert crisis at hand and believe he will deliver! The message on referendum exercise must be hammered home in two fold: one is curse be unto anyone who will vote for unity and the other is to fix people that eventualities are facts of life, and if they do, we must be prepared for Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI). Whether unity is attractive or not, that isn’t our business, the march is unstoppable.

Let’s detour a while before we return to our argument. Mading Deng Majok and the company are on the scuttle scheme and our people must be on the look out throughout the coming few months. Dr. Mading, one emotive piece of your statement remains premonition and against what our people in Abyei think:

“I have been a strong supporter of unity, but on the basis of full equality and a shared sense of belonging to the nation, with pride and dignity as citizens. I have also supported the right of Self-Determination for the South, not because I wanted the South to secede, but in order to motivate the national leadership, specifically in the North, to create appropriate conditions that would make unity appeal to South…”

Your caveat conclusion parts moreover were just malignant fractions and a terse altogether. Here you are:

“Can anything be done at this late hour to make unity attractive to Southern voters in the Self-Determination Referendum?”, and “what can be done to anticipate the worse case scenarios in the event of the South voting for independence…?

Well, the learned estranged brother could be right given his democratic right to express his opinion in any best way possible, but is that the currency in Abyei land now? I doubt whether the people of Abyei share the same sentiments like that of Dr. Francis Mading Deng. These are his own convictions and no one would be inclined to intimidate him yes, yet its in the record that this man doesn’t know anything about the South or even Abyei or has contributed anything to both in his lifetime. Mading Deng should have been the last person to challenge the CPA tenets given the gains the people of Abyei received through it. Mading Deng, get this right, and not only just to you but your company: if you dare step foot into the South, you would be dead! The South belongs to Southerners and aliens are asked to shut their hells up. Wasn’t the old man (Dengdit Biong) betrayal anything enough to shame you? Who says the South needs roads, bridges and what have you to make it part of the Sudan? Pockets of unionists in our midst are hereby warned sternly to stop entertaining unity cramp. We mean our words!

Back to our argument. What is it that forces our tall minister for information to get so thin before Dr. Manduor Al Mahdi? Who is he in the first place to talk loudly against our President on this matter? But brothers Arabs, when will you leave us alone? The case before you (the Southern future) has been settled, and we urge you to hold your breath while we vote- until a miracle happen at the ballot box on your favor. Dr. Mandour contempt is a sheer hoary; we have been there for several decades and therefore excusable for his stripe against the Southern public. That is to say, so long as this salvo comes from our sworn adversary, and not from our own brothers, there is no much fuss about it. May be his rants are precipitating, meant to provoke the Southern opinion. The South is ahead on those, if I might brag. We need peaceful disengagement with our brothers Arab; we would love it like that.

One thing though must be made clear, we are at a political infuses mood/atmosphere and therefore proper to politicize everything. Our President ought to talk and even go full blast using the same script all over again; he must not fear anyone, but God. He should not be silenced. People can’t go it alone without leaders behind them. Someone must guide them. Time for political chicanery are long gone, we need to get down into materials. As you (Gen. Kiir) do it, you got to be artistic and imaginative like Dr. John Garang de Mabior (smart), but steadfast and sincere as to truth. Politicians are to be creative and focused because of interests they represent.

On a related token moreover, the SPLM in its current position of being in the position will hurt us much. The pressure they think would change things might actually complicate them further. At the moment we know what to do and threats that are externally engineered are recipe for disaster as to our cause. There is an urged need from many Southerners that the SPLM must now drop its hardline position on the election issues; we don’t have huge stage there (elections)- its on the short run. Referendum dispute is on details or fine tuning only. Is there any big issues to take the two camps to war? I don’t think so. As talk now, the NCP has taken a stand and unless by chance anything happen, there is likelihood of breakdown of the entire peace agreement spirit and subsequently the end of the CPA. These issues aren’t difficult to overcome.

The 66% quota proposed through Machar-Taha Accord on Referendum outcome will not be manipulated, as suggested by others. Fears of an interference there are technically baseless. Issues related to elections must be separated from Referendum’s. Fighting them both at the same time again isn’t intelligent. Please people, don’t take things that way and expect people to support you, climb down and start talking. Don’t stand on the way to Referendum SPLM; give a break to your countenances and small chalice when crucial matters are stake. Show responsibility, you have a role to play, no just the NCP. Imagine the US Envoy left with you negative in his cards, why do you insist threats after threats, did that change anything after the passing of the 30s deadline? Dialogue and compromise have brought us this far. We have come a long way, almost to the finishing line.

President Al Bashir, President Kiir, Ustaz Osman Mohamed Taha and Dr. Riek Machar reign on your estranged officials and let the CPA live. People are tired of your lieutenants lack of political etiquette. When men entered into an arrangement/agreement they must see it come to pass. Distractions shall always be there, but single mindedness and leadership are key to success. The two sides need each other for the sake of the peace in the country. Finish the good job you have started, don’t bank on anyone to break the dead lock, you can do it. Clear the air, work cooperatively and join efforts for the smooth democratic transition leading to Referendum few months later. Fighting in the middle of nowhere is wrong.

The author is based in Juba; he can be reached at isaiah_abraham@yahoo.co.uk