By Bida Elly David
The political relationship between the SPLM and the SPLM-IO is shrinking as both parties throw blames against one another over failures to meet the time frame of the liberation struggle following the Country’s historical journey of conflict.
In a statement seen by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday, the SPLM secretary for political affairs Mr. Kuol Atem accused Dr. Riek Machar Teny for having contributed highly to the slowdown of the country’s independence struggle.
He said that without defection of Dr. Riek Machar with his peers in 1991, South Sudan would have not struggled for 21 years in the wilderness to claim for her independence up to 2011 noting that the liberation struggle would have only been for 5 five years.
Mr. Kuol added that the intimacy that Dr. Riek had with the Sudanese regime was the major reason for the suffering of South Sudanese in the hands of their enemies.
“Riek Machar was in Khartoum for 10 years. He used to move with the soldiers of the Arabs that was why we spent 21 years in struggle. South Sudan would have only struggled for five years but because of our own making, we spent 21 years,” he said.
Meanwhile, Puok Baluang the acting press secretary of the SPLM-IO told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper yesterday that all the accusations against the SPLM-IO by their rivals were baseless mentioning that it was a way to tarnish the reputation of the party particularly their leader.
Puok said that Dr. Riek Machar being the chairperson of the SPLM-IO had never contributed negatively to the failure of South Sudan history noting that the failure transpired due to null and void weakness of all those who participated in the movement.
Puok said that many of the SPLM officials and members who remained in 1991 saga formerly advocated for unity of the two Countries and only it was Dr. Riek who dialogued with the Sudanese government over matters affecting South Sudan.
He noted that Dr. Riek had a clean and positive history as he demonstrated much efforts and struggle to the success of South Sudan independence saying that SPLM party ought to be serious over blames which are against individuals.
Puok reiterated that Dr. Riek was the only South Sudanese who freely advocated for South Sudan to separate from cruelty of the Northerners after brutal years of bloodshed through war.
“Machar was the only one who has been calling for the separation of South Sudan and the independence of the Country that all of us are currently enjoying,” he said.
Baluang further urged the SPLM members to educate their cadres about the SPLM party before 2013 calling them to also respect the history and the people of South Sudan for the sake of peace.
He warned the SPLM to stop using the on-going political differences as a mechanism to spoil the reputation of the SPLM-IO being the main rival.
“SPLM should cease fabricating unnecessary and unethical accusations towards the members of the SPLM-IO party due to the current difference. Despite the fact that the SPLM-IO members are not being in the same camp as President Salva Kiir, their contribution should not be denied,” he said.
Recently there has been a political battle between the two rivaling parties over the removal of the minister of defense and swapping of ministries.
The disagreement between the two heads of the political parties was believed to have been against the agreement formerly signed on the allocation of duties per ministries.
However, despite ending in deadlock, the battle between the two parties over matters remains unchangeable.