Opinion | Is prevailing delusion spread by Akol Paul a strategy to divide Agar along political pluralism for his gain?

By John Malual Mayen

OPINION — Agar is among the few South Sudanese subsections of a tribe that, for a considerable period before and after the country gained independence, maintained a reputation for uninterrupted peace among its political elites and intellectuals. This is a remarkable achievement given that the country has had its fair share of turbulent times since the outbreak of a precarious civil war that divides politicians along with tribes, interests, and gains.

The Samuel Aru state in Rumbek Center (during the independence of Sudan-SPLA liberation struggle) muzzled nascent plural democracy in Rumbek Centre among its subsection but the political formation was correctly in control because its leader Samuel Aru was calculative and descent in dealing with issues pertaining the affairs of Agar.

Subsequently intermittent political badmouthing characterized the area after the likes of Akol Paul Kordit sprouted up through the SPLM Youth League. A system of violence and malicious attacks against prominent Agar leaders such as Paul Mayom Akec as an alternative to the free trade in ideas eventually mutated into a phase of name-calling clashes as witnessed in the recent welcoming ceremony of Hon. Nyitur Dhieu as an MP to the recently reconstituted parliament.

This tabloid will put together those who are propelling the hatred and political bootlicking among Agar political classes and the rate at which self-propulsion of the same character can lead to destruction. The current internal wars and tension propagated by Akol Paul Kordit are very unhealthy since it doesn’t copulate the right interest of the community: Akol Paul is a letdown by himself before he takes stock of others, his long overdue in Nairobi studying electrical engineering is a facade of uninformed and lack of self-recollections.

His barbaric attacks against prominent community leaders such as Paul Mayom Akec and the rest is a kernel of immaturity and mind distortion to himself.

Taking Stock of a Political Crisis at the country level to drive someone else egos is a shell of stupidity and disrespect. All these events he is currently using to tarnish the name of Mayom Akec served to put the community on a perilous political trajectory. With the banning of robust debate among the community intellectuals and social muzzled due to the pandemic, political intolerance set in and self-drive became subterranean. Rather than to address the menace aggravating away at the community body politic, successive political leaders indulged in a dance of self-deception which exacerbated challenges such as the endemic but mundane corruption that faced the community and, alarmingly, bought into the self-constructed myth of a peaceful Agar.

The violence that erupted in the wake of the Nyitur welcoming ceremony tested Agar’s political stability more than ever before, it is almost plunging the community into full-blown civil strife that if not put off can spill over to the next face. Like a festering wound, it exposed the structural rot embedded in the community cohesion system.

A confluence of irregularities about position allocation, an overbearing political kingpin-ship, a pervasive culture of impunity, and sectionalization of Agar into East, Center, and North for power, malfeasance, and sheer mendacity among both the political elite especially the young one lead by Akol Paul and the rabble instincts that persuade his followers into continuous rants. 

The current crisis within the requirements of the Agar, however, also presented the community with an invaluable opportunity to renew the community through institutional and constitutional reforms and it would be regrettable if the political elite squandered that opportunity and once more began playing politics with the grave issues facing the community.

Akol Paul who is now running between the curtains to tarnish the name of others to serve his interests is not only harming himself but also precariously disembarking on what might help him in the future, he is now nuzzling the like of Gen. Majak Akec to divide Rumbek east especially Cuei-Chok as a leader to climb into prominence and possible leadership seat on the expense of the interest of the community.

His attempts to situate the interface between Cuei-Chok and other Payam within the ambit of Agar historiography is unacceptable. He must draw his line of consuming political sentiments for him to survive politically.

The author is a concerned citizen. Reach him via:  malualmayen@gmail.com.

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