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Should Padang-Dinka community continue silent over Jongeli incident? By Atok Dan Baguoot
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May 10, 2010 - 9:14:09 AM

Should Padang-Dinka community continue silent over Jongeli incident?

By Atok Dan Baguoot

With a natural classification of things, human being happened to be the wisest and most civilized kingdom over the rest of other existing kingdoms because of its intuitive intellects and ability to invent scientifically. And as such we the human beings in this part of the world called Southern Sudan in particular fall under the same description of classifications in which are politically and culturally grouped based on factors known best to creator who gathered us here. Within the smallest unit of things, families formed sensitive political grouping which always defines our daily activities.

Without taking us long, the incident in Jongeli is headed if not engineered by a fellow who by nature happens to be from the largest grouping in the South called Dinka and under a micro unit called Padang-Dinka. This actually gives us a brief definition of who is doing what where. Whereas, defining who George Athor Deng Dut is, he is a member of the greater Padang-Dinka whose socio-political settlement is straddled across four states of Unity, Upper Nile, Jongeli and Warrap for the case of Ngok-Dinka in Abyei and other definitive affiliates. This grouping is one of the powerful sections in the Dinka with related and intertwined cultures and dialectical difference with the rest of their Dinka clans.

In those other political boils which occurred in our life time during those years of struggles, Padang-Dinka has been the only unit that had never experienced much division within its political rank because of their cultural docility.

As a concern person in the same grouping and bothered by streets talks of what this situation is and who behind it, I would like to tell the world that the unfortunate situation in Jongeli is never a unified nor it a common stance of Padang-Dinka though naturally birds of the same feathers flock together, this is where somebody of my likes can pose such a question on the whereabouts of such a important political community called Padang to intervene in this outrageous situation.

Given the fact that the situation is outside their political jurisdiction, their cordial interventions can do much positively impact than the military intervention because of nature of thing. Argumentatively, parts of this can be traced back to personal differences and fight within the community hence, Padang-Dinka politicians and elders have to bear the burden as those whose senior son is heading this partially derailed   trained even if am not clear with the whole incident

Their silence over this incident by Padang-Dinka would generate thousand dollars questions in a mind of right thinking Southern Sudanese that this people bear ill coordinated affair in the matter otherwise they would have been the one to spearhead peaceful settlement of the incident unlike the military intervention where innocent sons and daughters of the South would lose their precious lives in a preventable situation of the kind. Let Padang-Dinka intervene and give us their reports on this situation.

Yes, army is to defense the constitution and sovereignty of a nation but there has to be some clear definitive use of such a force especially in our case where we are still waiting for a common enemy in which use of this force would be unquestionable.

Senior Padang-Dinka politicians and elders should never tell the South that the situation is out of their political reach what if the incident spills over to their areas as charity begins at home. Will they keep quiet and allow the discipline SPLA soldiers to do their work as mandated or will they not cry fault of excessive use of force in their homesteads? Yes, some violations might have happened in the voting process in Southern Sudan indeed, but what needed as far now is wise interventions so that it doesn�t cause much harm.

It is a preventable situation therefore; government of Southern Sudan should urge the said community to state their stands instead they hiding behind the government to intervene militarily as a sort of settling and getting rite of their long hidden political indifferences. As I have stated, some percentages of this situation if properly trace keenly would be found to be ill-advised from senior Padang-Dinkas who are obsessed of each others� threats at their back yards. So, this unfortunate incident is being used to settle their errands yet they aren�t aware that they are insinuating the national army into selfish greed.

It would be upon the government of Southern Sudan to see into it that right remedies are applied to as preventive measures otherwise; Padang-Dinka politicians are misleading this great part of the nation. Southerners are wholeheartedly waiting for referenda whose registration will kick off this July and if such a exercise is approached with intentionally made cracks then how shall we meet the required figures besides, the credibility of our new nation coincidentally that Southern Sudanese voted for separation as judged by popular opinions.

Our micro grouping shapes our political destinies given the fact that success in politics in third world countries entirely determined by how adhesive is one community behind their sons or daughters and that�s why best politicians in sub-Saharan African countries are those whose ethnical numerical strengths outweigh the rest.

Most of the countries in the region are headed by those whose tribes formed the lion share of the population of their countries. Southern Sudan is never exceptional in that case. Therefore, rest of Dinka communities should ask the Padang-Dinka on what is happening. or else, underestimating the military might of General George Athor and his few disgruntled members would never be a successful attempt as we are nearing rainy seasons where most parts of Jongeli would be impassable by modern means of transport.

Remember that SPLA is almost a conventional army that would never wish to part with their war tanks and amours besides their safe transport. Finally, there exist exploratory avenues that can be exploited to forge ultimate peaceful solution before enemies of peace capitalize over the immature matter within blinks of eyes.

It is a known occurrence that most of the decisions taken today in Southern Sudan at government levels is always regrettable simply because of ill advises by some group of people with hidden motives who would always wish to lure the highest think-tank into their detrimental foot paths. The government needs to open its eyes very clear this time round because where we are heading now would either determine our political success for quest of a separate South or we continue as second class citizens as commonly emphasized.

Above all, anything within the national interest needs to be treated with a lot of impartiality in order to avoid national disaster gainful to those few myopic with hidden interest.

On this issue, Padang-Dinka cannot and can never masked their faces and distanced themselves as people far away from truth or myths surrounding this case because Gen Athor is part and parcel of the very community and it was through them that a person of the caliber grew up to such a mighty military man. Likewise, Dinka community elders and leaders in Jongeli state are directly answerable to Southern Sudanese on why they would wish to see Southern Sudan being plunged into baseless fight.

The South has lost enough of its desirable citizens of high quality on accounts of tribal conflicts and other ideological skirmishes to the extent that we wish no more death but peace.  Never begin the new dawn with broken of yesterday.  

Atok Dan is a journalist working for Southern Sudan Radio and TV and is reachable at [email protected] or 0917221411/0955410005 or www.atokdan.blogspot.com

 

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