By Tong Akok Anei Mawien
The first bullet in 1983 was our bulldozer, clearing the way for South Sudan’s independence. That bullet was shot by the people with common goals and common problems, the people who deeply disliked the oppressions and marginalization of the Arabs. It was actually shot based on the term that other people are leaders and other competent ones are not; others are eating the national cake greedily and others are starving; the natural resources at our disposal are being exploited at other expenses; and so, a few patriotic fellows took up opposition and fired the first bullet that announced their rebellion.
Now that the road is being cleared, all battles were fought through the contributions of all local communities (either contributing their sons or materials). The road had been cemented with the blood of our fallen heroes and heroines, and this led us to this independent country. Our independence was obtained while maneuvering on the bloody roads. This road was not only meant to lead us to independence but could also be used in our post-independence period. But are we together aligned with the spirit as it was started in 1983? Where everyone was a comrade, where the problem affecting the communities was seen by all, I’m still wondering if no one could attest to it, not even the leaders. Perhaps the briefcase that crashed with the founding father of this nation irretrievably went with all manifestoes that would have changed the country better. I wish others could be retrieved in that briefcase, so that one could retrieve economic development manifestoes, residential security manifestoes, other good manifestoes that would have taken our country forward, and even John Garang himself.
Since nature cannot be rewound to a certain point of need, our country’s status is “maneuvering on a dead road. The blood of our fallen heroes and heroines is not turned into a monument that we could honor as the key element in achieving this nation’s freedom by responding to their communities at the exact time of need. a dead road, for we fail to imagine that after the Arabs are gone, we still have a common enemy called economic, security, and development that we have to unite against and tackle as comrades, not enriching ourselves. Nevertheless, our hope should not fade away; we still have a chance, a chance to bring our road back to life, and that chance is only elections—not just a mere election of representatives but the elections that reflect our future road.
The author can be reached via Tel: 0929300008/ 0988011119 tongakok7170@gmail.com / tongakok47.@gmail.com