The Traces of Tears at the People’s Flag “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves”. Abraham Lincoln 21 August 2011
By Stephen Par Kuol “Comes rain or shine, South Sudan will be independent on July 9, 2011”vowed the people six few years ago. True to their word, the people of South Sudan from all their political colours and walks of life voted 99% for independence on January 9, 2011. The writings on the wall have then become abundantly clear for the birth of the young nation state we now call, the Republic of South Sudan. The rest was just adherence to the international conventional procedures to declare the independence. Otherwise, no body could temper with that aspiration of life and death. Even the Mother Nature could not fiddle with it. Thank to our steadfast leadership in the person of General Salva Kiir Mayardit who had to painstakingly dodge countless military provocations for this day to come to pass. My learned friend, Jacob Akol of Gurtong Trust Magazine has termed it as a Dogged Pragmaticism. Perhaps, this means, meticulous focus on the biggest picture of the things at stake (independence) during that trying time. So came the “D” day and it did with elegant shine! From the Mighty Range of Imatong where the longest flag on Earth will be raised soon in fulfilment of the prophecy of Prophet Isiah( Isiah Capter 18), to our Tropical Rainforest Paradise of Western Equatoria, the Sudd of abundance in the heartland, Boma Plateau, to Renk in Northern Upper Nile and the Mountain of God (Kujur Mountain) in Central Equatoria, it came shining as demanded by the spirit of our martyrs. In real life, it was a day like no other day in the collective psyche of our nation. In my home state capital of historical Mading Bor, the night of July 8, 2011 was the longest night I ever experienced since I moved here 12 months ago. From the dust of its eve to the dawn of its advent, the whole town was abuzz with spirit of celebration. In no time, the diverse voices of our youth mama choir, and the bands of the state organized forces stormed the streets of Bor town filling the air with stimulating rhymes of their drums. Bor could not wait for Boma and Raat Mountains in the far east of our great state to lend it the shine of Jonglei Sun. As spiritually invoked, the day came and it found us here well and waiting. The half-slept inhabitants of the state capital then swiftly sprinted east to the New Freedom Square footing, using automobiles and bodabodas even before the sun rays could properly light the streets. It was a party with few late comers. Those who delayed for one reason or another did so at their own peril of not finding seating up front to intimately watch the breathe-taking event of the party (hoisting of the flag). Some friends still blame me to this day for miserable failure to squiz them into the VIP seating area where with physical assistance of my bodyguards, I fought my way in through thick and thin. The prevailing emotion defied traffic laws and all the protocols in place. The party then started in earnest before getting the shocking directive that the states must wait for Juba to declare the independence which was briefly halted by apparent delay of President Omer Al- Bashier’s flight from Khartoum. A joke was cracked that Bor is warned not to go the other way (unilateral declaration of independence) from Juba. As the heat caught up with us, that delay from Juba provoked huffy tempers in the anxious crowd at the stage. Some went as far as protesting the very idea of involving Al-Bishier in the party for whatever diplomatic reason. Although President Omar Hassan Al-Bishier has been exacting that the North will not only recognize the independence of the new state in the South but will also join the Southerners in celebrating their independence. Since the year 2005, the memories of South- North agreements often make it extremely difficult for a typical South Sudanese citizen to take a typical North Sudanese political leader at his word in matters pertaining to self-determination and independence. Nevertheless, it was worth a try to give the North this last chance of a few hours to dishonour that like all the agreements it dishonoured as documented in Abel Alier’s Too Many Agreement Dishonoured. So, we had to wait for another two hours. To the citizen in question, that two hours-time felt as long as 190 years under the bondage of Arab slave raids, occupation, marginalization, exploitation and oppression. As a pleasant surprise though, President Omar Al- Beshier honoured his word this time around and eventually showed up in Juba in a very high level entourage. All the infamous political elite of the North including Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi also joined the Southerners in celebrating their independence. The Flag with guiding star was then raised at Dr. John Garang’s Mausoleum in Juba with massive presence of the international media and diplomatic blessing of some highly placed foreign dignitaries. The wireless technology brought the news to us in Bor as it happened. Before, I knew it, the tempest was blown and the national anthem of our old nation, the Republic of the Sudan (Jundi Al- Alah, Jundi Al Waton) was sung for the last time. Waking up from day dreaming about the independence as a mere possibility, the Flag of the Republic of the Sudan was lowered, removed from the poll and folded. The people’s Flag was then proudly hoisted. The new national anthem of the Republic of South Sudan was sung and South Sudan was declared sovereign and independent. The next things at sight were: people exchanging hugs and showers of tears on one another’s shoulders. Overwhelmed with the disbelief that what has consumed 2.5 million souls of my people is resolved in a split second of hoisting the flag, the first thing I felt were: long traces of tears shattering my eyelids. Humanly speaking, it was a pleasant shock I cannot describe in words. In futile attempt to hang my tears higher facing the stage like a dignified man, my own eyes met even more traces of tears trickling down the cheeks of all my colleagues in the front rows. Glancing back, I saw others collapsing in their chairs behind me. The Freedom Square quickly turned into a chaotic stage demanding ambulances like a terror scene. Reports coming from other towns and the national capital put the number of people affected by this shock at 50. One good friend of mine was among the casualties of this shock but no fatality has been reported so far in Jonglei State. Amazing isn’t it to see the same people who have been shedding tears mourning their loved ones dying in the war for years shedding even more tears at their flag? Evidently, the people were not emotionally prepared to fathom that their freedom could come the way it did that morning. For one obvious thing also, we are novice at this experience (freedom). Coming to term with my own traces of tears, I found myself shedding tears for my parent’s first born, 1st LT Thomas Ruai Kuol and his comrades in arms namely: Captain Peter Pajok Tutdeal and Major Stephen Wie Dup who martyred even earlier to pave the way for the SPLA to exist in Greater Fangak and for us as a family to spend the rest of our lives either in exile or in the bushes of Southern Sudan. I could not also help shedding tears for my cousin and guidance, CDR William Nyuon Bany who made it a point on several occasions that this day is never for the liberators but for the liberated. I had to shed even more tears for my good friend and comrade in arms, L.T Colonel, Manyang Gatwech and the company of his soldiers and Fangak County administrators who accompanied, served and guarded our leadership on last year’s referendum campaign trail but could not get the chance of shedding their own tears with us on that day simply because one monster in the pay of the erstwhile enemy took their lives only four months to the day. Ultimately, I took my traces of tears are as tributes to our fallen heroes of all our armed struggles from Anyanya I to Anyanya II and SPLA who made that day. They and their commander in Chief, Dr. John Garang De Mabior must have been shedding the same tears of joy in their graves watching us that day as the mission is accomplished. It must also be confessed that the most irreconcilable element of those tears shed is the one of the collective guilt that we are celebrating liberation by the fallen comrades whose parents, orphans and widows are still crawling on the edges of ignorance, diseases and destitution at the time of this writing. This puts a mandatory debt of toil on the leadership and the Republic of South Sudan to thoroughly address that through provision of adequate social services such as health care, basic education and vocational rehabilitation for the wounded heroes. On a different note and for a totally different cause, tears were also shed in the Republic of the Sudan. According to eyewitness accounts in the capital, Khartoum, the old country shed tears for losing about 25% of its geographical area. 80% of its forest. 75% of its oil and 20% of its population. With the emergence of the new state in its southern border, the Old Country has instantly and for good lost its long borders with Kenya, Uganda, Congo and CAR. The Old country also sobbed for losing the Green Belt of Agriculture and truly African Tropical Rainforest. In what I call “written tears”, the prominent Sudanese writer and Poet, Majuf Sharif has expressed heartfelt emotion in a new poem he calls: The Trees have Passed”. The poem goes like this: the trees have passed like imaginary dream. Nice and gentle people, through shade and clouds, the trees have passed. Where are you my dear? It is a painful scene, I am shedding my tears. Where are you going? Mary, I will miss you!!. I am shedding my tears, Yet, we are citizens by our Marks in drawing, we are neighbours. The Trees have passed. True, the trees have passed and like spilt milk, there is no point of wiping over them. It is also true that we can change many things, but not the Geography. The two states are naturally bound to deal with each other either one way or the highway. I personally object to the later. In my book, we should at least have a good diplomatic relations even if we fail to have the friendly one. Neither of the two can be realized without coming down to our senses and psychologically accept the divorce as a reality without vanquished and victors. It must also be born in mind that these conflicting tears at the people’s flag cannot be permanently wiped without clean and fixed geopolitical boundaries between the two Sudans. Bending the borderline southward to follow the mineral wealth underneath is a recipe for more wars we cannot afford to fight as inherently war ravaged countries. In the interest of peace and reconciliation, the North must stop its long held attitude of seeing the South as a no-man land of natural abundance good for nothing but plunder at will. The new geopolitical climate dictates the North to see the South as a possession of a sovereign people who can only befriended for mutual benefits of the two peoples. Anything short of that will only produce more tears of agony! Uncle Joseph Oduho, one of the pioneers of South Sudanese nationalism once stated that “the South does not hold grudges against any one; all we need is a declaration of political independence after which we will declare friendship with every one including our northern neighbours”. This prophetic assertion has been adopted as the principal framework of South Sudan’s Foreign Policy. The Republic of the Sudan is expected to diplomatically reciprocate. As for us as a people, the first phase of the liberation struggle to attain political independence is over. The daunting phase of liberation struggle against the pathological mentalities of war time and oppression that have deeply affected our collective self-esteem has begun. This is another protracted liberation struggle against self-defeating vices such as corruption, political tribalism, poor work ethics, victim mentality and mutual suspicion. This crucial phase of liberation struggle demands us to lift the bar higher beyond the unity of purpose to protect the gains of the liberation struggle. We must now embark on building a nation with concrete and nuclear sense of national identity, a nation without oppressed and oppressors. A nation that reconciles with its past and builds the common future on one footing of equality, peace and prosperity as enshrined in the national anthem. There is no more North to bash for our ills and misfortunes .As Abraham Lincoln put it If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves alone. In the balance, it is a collective responsibility to nurture the living memories of our long liberation struggle by permanently writing them in the young minds of our children through Civic Education that the attainment of this freedom and sovereignty took three bold “B” words and one last but not the least capital “T “ word: bullets, blood, ballots and Tears. Yes, we have attained it, but at a cost that has left all our lives empty in term of human life. The golden gain of that immeasurable sacrifice is what human being values the most (freedom).May South Sudan live up to its destiny and set a glaring example for all to see. Long live the Republic of South Sudan Long Live the people’s Flag *You may post your response in the space provided below. It will be approved or rejected in accordance with the website principles. Posted in: Opinions -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
