The Slogan of “make unity attractive”
By Bushara Ahmed Gumaa, President of Darfur’s Friends Association (DFA)
August, 18, 2005
More Articles of the author at: http://www.sudana.net and http://www.yazol.netThe genocidal regime of the dictator Omar Al-Bashir, his accomplices and many innocent columnists repeat again and again the slogan of "make unity attractive", they believe that a massive campaign in favour of the union and the fulfillment of the CPA, especially the wealth sharing, 50 % of the southern oil revenue for the southerners make them to vote in favour of the union. The regime doesn't tolerate anybody who thinks different, it has repudiated the voices that had enough courage to say publicly that they are in favour of the secession of south Sudan. Some of the poor civilians who never live in a real democracy and never enjoy freedom of expression call those who differ from the official line as traitors and not good patriots. In fact, some rumors said that the successor of Dr. John Garang, Mr Salva Kiir is regarded as a secessionist, this news has stroked like earthquake in the Sudanese public opinion, up to a point that the new vice-president forced to announce publicly that he'll follow the same path traced by Dr. Garang, that means he is unionist. Nevertheless, many people are still sceptical and continue writing controversial reports about his political ideas.
Therefore, Sudan is still governed by a totalitarian regime. Freedom of expression doesn't exist now, and it will not exist in future, meanwhile AL-INTIKAS regime is in power. Some people think that if the southern president is not a secessionist, then the union is going to be guaranteed. Obviously, this logic is valid only under dictatorial regimes where the result of elections is used to be known before hand, like what happened in the last elections that held by the tyrant Omar Al-Bashir in which he "won" with about 99.9 % of the votes. But the referendum that is going to be held in southern Sudan in 2011 is going to be really clean and transparent, since it is going to be controlled by the UNO and by international observers, and if the regime attempted to manipulate it, then the consequences would be very dangerous… consequently, the southern people are the unique who have the right to decide with their votes whether to remain as part of Sudan or to secede, in a democratic referendum. Because they'll not have any fair neither from their leaders nor from the dictator. They'll vote what they like, obeying only their own conscience and their interests.
In France, on May 29, 2005 President Jack Cheraq had a big disappointment on the results of the referendum held on the European Constitution, because the immense majority of the French citizens has voted against it. Even though the government and president Chirac had waged an all-out campaign to persuade French people to vote "yes". But the French president accepted the voters' "sovereign decision". So this attitude of Mr. Chiraq should be given as a lesson to the dictator Omar Al-bashir, so as to learn the meaning of real democracy.
From my point of view, the Sudanese society and the government should invest more in strengthening the culture of living together with tolerance among all ethnic groups and tribes of the country, wherever they live: in the south, Darfur, East, centre or in the north. The regime should work hard for social peace; instead of wasting time in slogans fomenting the union, hiding the head under the "wings" and covering the citizens' ears so as not to hear the word "secession". Whatever the result of the referendum that will be held in southern Sudan in 2011, the southerners and the rest of the Sudanese are forced to coexist forever, perhaps they continue as citizens of the same country or perhaps as neighbours of two independent States.
The best slogan to foment the union is not "make unity attractive", but "be free and vote what you like". Moreover, let all citizens to express freely their point of view, even those who are against the union should have voice. Thus all citizens will feel free and we’ll put the first brick to build a real democracy in the country. Otherwise, secession will be fomented and secessionist will have enough arguments to do so. Since, an oppressed person will always fights for his freedom.
Unfortunately, yet there are some columnists in Sudan so retrograde, who write some articles on pro-governmental newspapers in favour of the dictator Omar Al-Bashir to stay in power the longest time possible and after his death they hope that another military man will replace him. According to them, the political parties in Sudan are not well prepared to govern the country. This way of thinking makes me remember those who were against the abolition of slavery, argued that the enslaved persons have born for this purpose. The racist people and few stupid African brothers, say that the European colonialists should not have withdrawn from their colonies in Africa, since the African people were not enough prepared to govern themselves. These stupid people believe in a racist theory that classifies people and their intellectual capacity depending on the color of their skin. These kinds of theories are formulated by racists or ignorants. And the Sudanese columnists who praise the dictator, they’re either cowards or parasites, those who afraid from freedom and real democracy to cut their privileges that they’ve enjoyed for years from the dictatorial regime of the tyrant Omar Al-Bashir.
Freedom is the locomotive that moves the democracy train and without it there will not
be any real democracy. For instance, twenty seven years ago, wind of freedom has changed the Spanish society: The dictator Francisco Franco had governed Spain for forty years, during those years some Spaniards thought that the only viable alternative after the death of the dictator was another military man to govern the country with stability, since the political parties were absent during almost half century. Nevertheless, after the death of the dictator the political parties have revived and the Spanish politicians have joined together to write a permanent constitution that lasted till today. The Spanish transition from a totalitarian system of the dictator Franco to democracy is considered by many experts as a model to follow. Why don’t we do the same in our country? Why do we accept a halfe-solution?Is it serious letting the dictator himself to take charge of the Sudanese transition from dictatorial regime to democracy? I don’t think so, but in this case, first of all the dictator should convert into a democrat, and this is impossible for the criminal dictator Omar Al-Bashir to do it. Because this tyrant even when he talks about peace, he uses despotic and dictatorial forms. Therefore, in order to get a fair political transition that recovers the democracy and our dignity, the dictator Omar Al-Bashir must disappear from the political scene right now! and face trail in the ICC for all his crimes. Then, the most experienced Judge in the country should be nominated as head of the State, a permanent constitution should be written by all political parties without any exclusion. Then, a free election should be held. But military men should not participate in politics and should not govern anymore, the army should devote to guard the territorial integrity of the country and not to act like today, as dog-guards of the dictator, defending him from his own citizens, meanwhile Egypt is still occupying the Halaib Triangle.