I hope most of you have enjoyed their time during this christmas and hopefully will still enjoy the fruitfulness, graciousness, and blessings of the new year. I also believe and so do most of you that, 2005, besides being the new year, it is also the year that will always be remembered, commemorated, and celebrated by successive generations in the history of South Sudan. Because of this unique essence, 2005, will remain unforgettable year for Southerners who have [for agonizing/painful decades of murderous, atrocitous, and psychological devastating war] finally been relieved of all this disturbing and debilitating privation or plight caused by the long devastating war.
But is that all we have been striving for to obtain and ralax after we got it? I hope not. I believe more need to be done to secure a true triumph over our enemy and political corruption which is rampant across the country. Challenges remain massive and keep increasing every single day in South Sudan. The already buried concern or caring for the enfeebled, voiceless, and visionless masses which has been replaced by excessvie care for self-aggrandizement and autocracy, remains a major threat to our ideal durable stability and potential flourishing prosperity for all. Considering this factual reality of the situation, what can we do together with our leadership back home to successfully combat each and every challenge in a more constructive manner? What we do to put opportunities at the reach of everyone in the South? Since no one will ever be tempted to underestimate the difficult situation South Sudan has been plunged into, I urge everybody to think critically of better ways to combat these challenges. The challenges are clearly obvious.
1.Political corruption and mismanagement/embezzlement of national resources. Historically, Southerners have never had legitimate or legal opportunity/power on their own to extract and use resources for their developments, innovations, constructions, and exportations to other countries so that they can have access to resources they didn't produce domestically. However, for the first time, they will have at least something they can use either for improvement and development in the South or something for the leaders to be extremely wealthy people while the masses remain below the economic/poverty line for innumerable decades. The challenge here is that, is the leadership or administration mindful enough to use resources for alleviating poverty, improving health conditions/environmental conditions, improving water quality and as well as creating an environment, where all citizens will have access to employment and education opportunities? I believe all Southerners deserve an equal opportunity to harvest the fruitfulness, productivity, and preciousness of their land and abundant resources in it. This is one important thing we ought to make sure that it is truely followed and correctly addressed. I am afraid, indeed, of what will happen to the masses if the leadership doesn't focus on their problems solving and enlightenment. The voicless, visionless, orphans, amputees, widowers, widows, traumatized, innumerable number of illiterates, and other worst situations I can't mention here.
2. The contrary ideas of supporting democracy and opposing democracy. We all know that democracy is the only way we can get a quick access to participation and management in our government. We all know that it is through a democracy that the people [based upon the principle of constituency] would be able to select or elect the person of their choice and interest. We all know that it is through a democracy that the freedom of speech, equality, sovereignty of the people would prevail and flourish in the hearts and minds of the common people. We all know that it is through a genuine democracy that the enlightenment of "blind nature of human psychology or the great unthinking mass" would be achieved or obtained. We all know that it is through a genuine democracy the deep-rooted hatred and animosities amongst tribes and individuals would be eradicated or remedied. We all know that it is through that the citizens would be taught about the correct procedures and policies of conducting oneself in politics, or it is through a true democracy that they common people [the unducated masses] would be taught how to defend and protect their rights and priviledges. However, I still doubt about the success of bringing democracy home. There is highly a likelihood that democracy would be risk its opportunity to establish and flourish in the South. My argument on democracy is that [though it is clearly obvious that southerners are still largely "self-inflicted immature and more slavish" mentally] can we still do anything in our capacity to rescue South?
3. The question of well-established and continuously flourishing tribalism, hatred, dominating tendency, and putative supremacy in the South. The rampant hatred is almost every singly day gaining a tough ground and easy access to heart and mind of every Southerner. We all know that hatred, tribalism, infightings, mistrust, hopelessness, pessimism, and threats to crush weaker tribes or minorities has overwhlemingly controlled our spirits. On the contrary, we all know that this tendency to fight or crush individuals or tribes dosn't promot a conducive and flourishing development in the region. Therefore, what can we do to stop and break its cycle in our hearts and minds? This is the biggest challenge we should all address, especially the leadership in the South. Southerners need to have access to move everywhere in South, with no fear to be threatened or killed in a different area. I wish that the government should take this opportunity to use it wisely to bring tribes and individuals together so that we can work honestly collaboratively as one team [with common goal] to promote a durable relation, peace, unity, tranquillity, and more importantly the ultimate security in the South. I am of opinion, that these years of peace are not the years of relaxation and enjoyment but they are the years of recovering and estabishing a true essence of South Sudan. And by noting that fundamental reality, which requires a commitment or dedication to rescue the masses affected and magnitude of devastation caused by the war, we need to work so hard to evade the temptations of deviating from helping the destitute multitudes in South. I urge everybody, particularly the leadership to take this responsibility to create a genuine essence of South Sudan. The leadership should create the South that will be free from intimidation or blackmailling from anybody, the South that will encourage and promote the peacefully conducive atmosphere for all Southerners, to interact with no fear of danger anwhere in the country of South Sudan, the South that will encourage all citizens to remain independent-thinkers, egalitarian-thinkers, and self-managers and not self-submissive-thinkers nor subservient-thinkers nor slavish-thinkers.
4. The question of having gotten the final freedom versus Arabs's tactic based upon their obvious deceptive games. Is the notion of securing the ultimtate self-management or autonomy and complete independence successful yet or not? Again, more need to be done to secure the final triumph over our deceptive enemy, the barbarous Arab oppressive and tyrannical regime. This is the situation where the notion of caring for oneself versus caring for nation [people] comes immediately. The question is , do or would Southerners have sufficient courage and determination to tenaciously cling to idea of achieving an ultimate freedom and self-management regardless of tremendous amount of money that will come to them from Arabs's wealthy nations or individuals? I am again afraid of this highly likely tempting situation. Would our leaders ignore them and stick to notion of self-management/determination in spite of their poor situations? This is the vital part of our concern or worry in the South, we have to have better ways/strategies to deal with this obvious frangibility of social, economic, and political situations. Courage, caring for weak masses, and determination have to have way into minds and hearts so that the notorious enemy goes away forever, and we remain independent and masters of own affairs in the South.
5. The identification of the backbone of our economy and commitment of resources to improve that backbone. The question is, what would be a foundation of South economy? In other word, what would Southerners use as the source of their major exportation? Personally, I am not sure how natural resources in the South are distributed. I am not sure, either, if the natural resources would be sufficient enough to sustain our economy. However, I am of opinion that agriculture should be improved to support the local survivalhood and other developments. There is also a major setback in selecting agriculture as a major economy supporter. The problem is that South Sudan climatic is either desert or semi-desert. Therefore, what can we do to improve agricultural production for both local consumption and perhaps exportation? What kind of crops could be used to improve agriculture sector over other means? The problems are massive and no underestimation of these situations.
Have a wonderful and gracious new year in your places.
