A nation built on patronage is a failing nation. Whenever I read southern Sudanese commentaries, I get this feeling that southern Sudan is a nation on the failing route. Most of you will agree with me that national success is very much grounded on fair competition among citizens. Fair competition among citizens leads to invention of new ideas, new technologies, high quality education, high quality medical care, good governance et cetera et cetera and all this comes down to national good. But the question we should ask ourselves is: does fair competition among citizens has a future in southern Sudan? In my opinion, the answer is a plain no, hence the title of my article.
Based on our experiences on many southern Sudanese forums, most of you will concur with me that, there is a growing culture characterized by great need for recognition among southern Sudanese intellectuals. This reality doesn’t originate from the blue, it comes from the fact that success, in southern Sudanese terms, is based on how much “political connection” one has. Put it differently, circumstances in southern Sudan have led to this general believe that success comes with winning favors from those in authority. It is not uncommon to see southern Sudanese intellectuals: doctors, professors, scientists and you name it, use a characteristically sycophantic/flattery language discourse when addressing issues of great concernd, in short, objectivity and critical analysis expected of them (intellectuals) are non-existence. They oftentimes do this with a clear intent to win favors from those in authority. What are the ultimate results of this rising tradition? Let’s give it a critical look.
Once the perception explained above becomes a popular culture, as it has already become, the spirit of fair competition cease to be the case; it eventually dies out. And so, southern Sudan will be a nation where one’s ability doesn’t count.
This culture will undeniably lead to the possession of national resources by the few who manage to enter the circle of the “recognized”. One outstanding characteristic of a tradition like the one emerging in southern Sudan is that of rewarding the “loyalists”. In such a situation, the patron (leader) uses national resources to reward those loyal to him. He (leader) doesn’t only stop at that, he continues using the same national resources to buy more antagonistic intellectuals into the flock of his “converts”. In the process, the leadership/government begins to take on an outlook similar to that of a private enterprise. Those who suffer as a result of this practice are none other than the common men and women who are being deprived their resources.
What does this amount to? Well competition over winning favors creates hatred among intellectuals as they battle to enter the chime of the “recognized”. At the same time, the intellectuals who happen to be in the “circle of loyalists” take upon themselves the task of defending every bid of policy that comes from the leader irrespective of how unpopular it may appear. They begin to do this at the expense of their disgruntle counterparts who are outside the “circle of success” as well as the general public. As time passes by, one begins hearing cases of conspiracy. The loyalists who must always feel threatened by anyone questioning the whole system of benefaction/patronage understandably embark on conspiracy against the watchdogs -those who crave to expose the “evil” to the public. And so cases of disappearances, arbitrary arrests, imprisonments etc become the order of the day.
Further, other areas of the society commence to feel the heat of this culture. For instance educational standard (esp) of higher institutions will remain increasingly low. This is because both hiring and funding for researches will depend on one’s level of “connection”. Some top academics that aren’t lucky to have better “connections” will be pushed to the edge leaving those (presumeably idiots) who have cultivated better relation with those in authority in the field of research. So most of the academics who feel alienated will simply move to other countries where individual merits are the key to success/employment. Call this brain drain if you like.
As the culture of patronage continues to gain root, corruption inevitably crops in. Leaders start using state/public resources to buy “loyalists” and this is in itself a form of corruption. There will be no accountability and transparency in public sector for a simple reason that majority of the employees in key areas of public sector are those rewarded with such positions (for their loyalty). Knowing that they got such positions through fraud, they (employees) will have no reason to question unjustifiable dealings in their respective sectors. Their are numerous other examples of scope which can be added to the list of consequences. At this point, the nation will be considered to have failed.
Most of the ideas depicted in this article are more or less hypothetical, but they have some degree of relevance to the actual situation in southern Sudan. If the culture of political rewards, political patronage continues to be the case in southern Sudan, then the theoretical situation illustrated in this article will indeed apply. Our southern Sudanese intellectuals who are rivaling to gain excess to the "ring of converts/success" are already working toward realizing this sad reality: culture of patronage. Southern nation will most likely fail unless some drastic measures are taken to discourage the culture sycophancy and bootlicking and encourage fair competition among southern Sudanese citizens. But the question remains; who will do the task of discouraging this tradition when leaders are themselves the beneficiaries of the emerging cultlure? I leave it to you to think about it. Thanks.
That article is fantastic and enormously credible piece of argument that really addressed the underlying issue that has put our country into political turmoil. Southern Sudanese are making mistake here, land without people is not what a sound minded individual would cheerfully call a home.
It is a land which had been tightly stumped down by few individuals with culture of striking at any citizens who would be outrageous by injustice and continuing bullying on innocents resisting their rights being snatched away by these few righteous fellows.
The hope of Southern Sudanese will be withered by this culture of sycophancy since it is being reinforced day and night by the top man at authority. Nothing would be achieved without this sycophants being lamed.
Dhor Arol.
-- Edited by Kijana Dhor at 21:34, 2005-03-07
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"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors" Plato.
There is no question that Kuot Kuot has diagnosed the situation which has tragically crumbled our economic, security, political, and social structures in South Sudan as well as in some African countries which have the same dysfunctional system. Much destruction has occurred in South Sudan due to the fact most of our leaders have encouraged this situation to exist instead of discouraging it from developing. Mind you, there is nothing more dangerous than the whole nation becoming "dependent and slavish thinking." This situation never encourages innovation and discovery because the governement controls the peoples' ambitions and abilities in every respect. This situation also makes peoples expect more from the government because they are made to believe that they have no other alternatives beside what the government could provide, I mean that it doesn't encourage creativity. This situation also puts intellectuals in the place where they never respect their professional ethics in their careers and consequently they harm the public.
Given the fact this situation has taken a deep root and has indeed become a new "culture", we have a lot of work to do to eradicate it from our country. Lack of "fair competition" to acquire job is not healthy to the nation and its populac. And therefore it would be good if our leaders understand the importance of promoting multi-cultural system, where diversity would be respected in all sectors of employment and participation and management in the government. People should understand that nation can grow and prosper only if the nation gives fair and equal respect to citizens's abilities irrespective of their personal or relation attachments to those individuals in the top positions. As we are aware that this new culture has destroyed trust, honesty, and accountability, we thus ought to be watchful so that it won't overtake our capacity in the future. Working to fight it off would be a better option to succeed in our future endeavors.
"Who would do the task of discouraging this tradion?" I believe we all have the responsibility to fight this tradition. We have to fight it from our respective states or counties in South Sudan for us to be able to uproot it completely. We have to encourage a true democracy and recognition of the public importance in relation to the politics. Popularity among the peoples and individual ability must be recognized in our community/communities because they can bring a common good to the vast majority as opposed to corruption which is only for a few individuals who have controlled the power.
