Opinion | Why we opted to remove Machar from SPLM/SPLA (IO) leadership

OPINION – This article serves to gives brief enlightenment and sensitizes the public, especially the die-hard supporters of the People’s movement. Therefore, it would also educates those who are always judging things in distances and purely have no idea why the military wing of the SPLA (IO) opted to take over the leadership from the former rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon.

Of course, Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, is a PhD holder who had joined the liberation struggle in 1985, but seven (7) years later, he had orchestrated an unorganized coup with other senior commanders against Dr. John Garang De Mabior. The coup was kick off on the Aug/28th/1991 and was cited as the Nasir Declaration which later came as the South Sudan Independence Movement/Army (SSIM/A) that subsequently failed due to its mediocre, inevitable hegemony, egotistical, and ignorance from the top leadership.

Since the time of the declaration of that movement, no single meeting or conference had been conducted other than the Akobo convention which was later initiated after a long tenacity from the members in 1994, imagine, (4) years period from the time of the splits of the SPLM/A movement.

As a matter of fact, some people, not all, will agree with my points here. The Akobo convention was the first of its kind which did not only destroyed the unity of the Nuer community but also killed thousands of Nuer heroes and heroines to their best simply because they were all made to believe.

All those heroes and heroines were perished by none calculated ideologies and senseless wars just to defense their tribeman Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon.

But the question is; did Dr.Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, had glanced his back one day and came to his mind and did something at least to the orphans whose fathers and mothers lost lives in his defense? Did he prepare plots for the families of his colleagues especially the senior commanders who unfortunately lost lives in his defense? Please leave your emotions, but you need to answer these questions carefully because our heroes and heroines are waiting to listen to your answers as the defenders of Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon.

In 1997, when Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon failed to intervene in the aerial communal and sectional fightings between Lou and Gajiok Nuer, Gajiok and Gajaak Nuer, Lou and Gawaar Nuer, Gawaar and Laak Nuer, Bul, Leek, Jagei, Jikany, Dok, and Nyuong Nuer, finally he had again absconded the South Sudan Independence Movement/Army (SSIM/A) and signed a weak deal with the National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum and impulsively ordered some of his commanders to go to Khartoum and left behind over thousands without asking their consents, after the arrival, he formed another movement known as “South Sudan Democratic Front” (SSDF) to constituted the South Sudan Independence Movement (SSIM/A).

Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon had neither shown any form of a democratic system, nor even trained cadres to exercise their expertise and experiences. He run the movement alone without advisors, then no clear program framed to guides the movement, even the apportionment of all positions, were undeniably allocated to the close relatives.

After (4) years’ time, some of his commanders felt as being isolated from the leadership and were deserted the movement as there was no option to continue the autocratic movement. After Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, saw things fall apart, he had again absconded the South Sudan Democratic Front (SSDF) and sneaked out from Sudan to Germany, where he abdicated his leadership and finally made surrendering strategy to Dr. John Garang De Mabior, without consulting his commanders.

The question is; where on earth one can make a coup and leads a rebellion without friends? Logically can you compare and tell me the difference between the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar and Dr. John Garang? Dr. Riek Machar has been commanding rebellions without friends, has no clear foreign policy, using the Nuer community as an armor plate for himself to survive. So what is your view on this point? I think the answer might be yes!

Okay, no problem he should use them as a tribesman but also he must know their interest rather than to use clanic favoritism and incitement among the communities.

Nobody is against Dr. Riek Machar, personally but in fact, his naive leadership, micromanagement, and illusional ideology, that severely deceived the Nuer community as he thought to be the only educated person above all, but in the real sense, many Nuer educated sons, and daughters are there but just given him a chance to lead them for thirty years.

Conclusion

Let us not waste time about Dr. Riek Machar, his time with us as a leader has expired even the time of Ngundeng, Diu, Maani and Wiiw respectively, I am sure some people, not all, did not agree with the way they had performed their powers. Even Jesus of Nazareth, rule of Israel had performed miraculously, yet there were oppositions in Israel too. Why does Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon, has been leading the Nuer nation for thirty years without performance, and yet people are still praising him? Everything in this world needs change. We need him to sit as an elderly person in the country and help in nation-building by writing books to serves the upcoming generations rather than to distort his previous history in South Sudan. Let him gives chance to others for him to retain the last respect.

The author is the official spokesman of SPLA-IO. Contact him via his Facebook page HERE.

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