The Trial of Brother Gore: How to fail a revolution

BY: Lomuche Nyaloro, JUBA

MAY 25/2010, SSN; Quote: “…the most difficult, most important fight that anyone with power faces is the fight against himself, the struggle for self-control…against corruption and even against the abuse of one’s prerogatives. One has to have a very well-trained, strong conscience, a great deal of awareness…because the use of power the wrong way is something you have to be on constant watch for.” (Castro, F (2007) My Life, Penguin Books, London).

Defective birth: The SPLM/A had a congenital defect right from birth. This defect was a consequence of the manner of its birth. To date, many Southerners still question the motivation of the SPLM/A’s birth. Some people say it is a genuine revolutionary baby, while others ascribe its formation to pique of and angry anti-Kokora forces from the other regions.

In the beginning, those who doubted the liberation credential of the movement were mainly found in Equatoria region. The ministers and governors in that region at the time of formation rejected the SPLM/A outright. Ministers and other officials had poured scorns on the objectives and pronouncements of the movement. With time, it looked as though the movement might remain a parochial, anti-Equatorians, outfit.

Dealing with critics: In the 1980’s, the government formed following Kokora in Equatoria was becoming guilty of the same discrimination of which the regional government of Abel Alier was accused. The Central Equatorians were now in ascendancy. The people of Eastern Equatoria, notably the Acholi, the Lotuko and other ethnic groups voted with their feet and joined the movement in droves. Still, the people of central Equatoria remained opposed to the SPLM/A until the 1990’s. As the movement was getting international recognition, its desire and craving to be accepted by all the Southerners intensified.

Despite the near fatal split 1991, which brought to the fore the dictatorial tendencies of the SPLM/A leadership, some notable Equatorians, (names withheld), who were previously opposed to the SPLM/A, decided to join the rank of the movement at that moment.

The “capture” of these notables by the SPLM was greatly prized. Without any military training, and after confessing their sins, the late-coming Equatorians became the blue-eyed “commanders” of Dr Garang, the leader of the movement. The capture of the late-comers also revealed something about the thinking of the SPLM/A leadership: that if you confess with your own mouth and accept the greatness and messianic characteristics of the SPLM/A leadership, all your past sins against the movement are forgiven (Note the present unrestrained use of Biblical personalities in describing the SPLM/A leadership; Moses and Joshua).

Those who, even after fighting in the SPLA, but fail to profess their belief in the leadership will not be forgiven. Those who fall in this latter category are represented by Alfred Lado Gore.

The trial of Lado Gore: Alfred Lado Gore was one of the early recruits to SPLA from Central Equatoria. It is even claimed that he designed the present SPLM/A flag (During the Elections, the SPLM confirmed that the flag was not a Southern one and as such the independent candidates were forbidden from using it).

Alfred had a quarrel with Dr Garang and soon after this, took refuge in Uganda. There he allegedly struck friendship with the Ugandan strong man, Yoweri Museveni, to the chagrin of Dr Garang. Later, Alfred and other Central Equatorians (mostly academics from the University of Nairobi) formed a guerilla outfit, called Patriotic Resistance Movement (PRM). The PRM never took off, and the rest of the members, apart from Alfred, were persuaded by Wani Iga, the present Speaker of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, to join the SPLM/A.

In Nairobi, these academics were inducted in the movement in front of Dr Garang. The induction ritual consisted of shouting “SPLA oyee” three times and “Garang Oyee”, also three times. The new recruits were then ordered to politically destroy Alfred Lado Gore to show their loyalty to the movement. This is the source of trouble for Alfred in the later years.

Fast-forward to 2010. When recently Alfred tried to contest for governorship of Central Equatoria, he was blocked by the now infamous Electoral College in that State. It is instructive to reiterate the philosophy of acceptance of the SPLA/M leadership outlined above.

The former academics colleagues of Alfred, who do not even know which end of the gun the bullets exit from, are now being favored over Alfred who had risked his life as a soldier in the SPLA. The professors have long since acknowledged the messianic nature of the SPLM/A leadership.

Even after Alfred had won the votes in the elections, he was denied his victory, on the behest of the Garang’s widow. It is pertinent to ask the question: Will the right of the people of Central Equatoria to elect their own leaders from now onwards be under the control of Mrs. Garang? God forbids! One cannot fail to notice the vindictiveness of the SPLM/A leadership here.

More significantly, the SPLM/A chose Clement Wani Konga, an avowed enemy of the SPLA who was wounded by the SPLA gun, over Alfred. Clearly, Clement must have accepted the supremacy and divine nature of the SPLM/A leadership.

There is another angle to this sad story. Clement has a cohesive militia. It is clear that the Konga’s militia can cause problem for the ruling SPLM leadership if Konga is not brought into the fold. Ominously, this goes to confirm that owning a credible militia and, thus violence, pays in the Southern politics!

There are other former members of the SPLA who are not forgiven for their steadfastness in resisting the blasphemous genuflection to the phony messianic rubbish. They too suffered the same fate as Alfred’s during the elections as independent candidates.

In their zeal to intimidate the independent candidates in the last elections, the care-take governors in Equatoria revealed to the population that they had received the following instruction from the President of GOSS: to go and smash the heads of all critics of the SPLM (present and past) who were also the independent candidates (vide Governor (defeated) Nunu of Western Equatoria as quoted in the press). Some of these patriots were harassed and humiliated by the Kiir’s election Gestapo in the most unforgettable manner.

Failing three tests: True revolutionaries, such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara know precisely the motivation and the ethics that underlie a successful liberation. Che believed that the only motivation for one to take up arms against a repressive regime is the “love for people”, the down trodden. Does SPLM/A love the people? Fidel Castro’s view on a successful liberator has already been given above.

The three tests on which the SPLM/A can now be examined for being true to its aims and objectives are: what was its motivation for fighting the war; its attitude to the use of power; and its alleged pursuit of reconciliation.

1)      The SPLM/A leadership claimed that they were fighting for the rights of marginalized people of Sudan. These rights are assumed to be economic, democratic, political and other rights. The truthfulness of this claim could only be audited once the SPLM/A was in power. It is now five years since the SPLM/A ascended to power in the South. And the results are there for everyone to see: rampant nepotism, tribalism, theft of public funds, marginalization of certain groups, brutality, deceitfulness and the list goes on. Yet, the GOSS President keeps talking about being zero tolerant to these vices. Telling lies for public consumption has now become the staple of the administration. Would Fidel Castro recognize the movement, which he helped to nurture, if he were to come to the South?  Can it be said that the SPLM/A leadership have judiciously used the power to serve the people of the South? The answers to these questions must be an emphatic NO.

2)      During the last elections, the SPLM/A terrorized the people of the South into voting for its candidates to the exclusion of others. What happened to the claim of fighting for the rights of the marginalized people? Where is the democratic right of the Southerners? The hypocrisy of the SPLM/A officials in chiding the National Congress Party (NCP) for infringing the rights of Sudanese people is nauseating. The SPLM/A is now at par with NCP; it is an oppressive and dictatorial regime which is totally foreign to the aspirations of the Southerners. Would one say that the original motivation for going to bush was the “love for the people”? The answers must an emphatic NO.

3)      After the fraudulent elections, Salva Kiir now talks of reconciliation among the Southerners. How can one reconcile amidst constant provocations? Why persecute Paulino Matip, by killing his troops in Unity State? How can you reconcile when you steal the votes of other Southerners such Angelina Teny and Alfred Gore? Can reconciliation thrive in the atmosphere of corruption, discrimination, marginalization, ethnic chauvinism, exclusion and theft? The answer to these questions is an emphatic NO.

Conclusion: As shown above, the SPLM/A has failed the tests of a true liberator. The movement was conceived and born out of ethnic hatred, like all illegitimate babies. Its objective is to establish an ethnic-based dictatorship in the South. Only those who kneel down to accept the supremacy of a central and anointed ethnic are invited to the high table to eat. But, they will not be equal to the select few.

The Gores, Mulas, Oduhos, Gwakis, Ohisas, Okuks, Ayoks, Angelinas, Kisangas, Kamuyanges, Liyongs, Lomuches, Mois, etc, who believe in real freedom of our people, are not invited.

The onus is now on the Southerners to decide whether the ravenous, illegitimate, thieving and parasitic clique that is now masquerading as liberators and rulers in the South can continue to lord it over us ad infinitum. God bless Southern Sudan.   

Lomuche Nyaloro is a Southern Sudanese residing in Juba and can be reached at lonyaloro@yahoo.com

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