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Contributor's Opinion

The Nuer: A tribe under Trauma and Political Confusion:

“We’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self destruction.” ~Suzanne Collins.
By Matai Muon,
Opinion
The loyal Nuer politicians in Salva Kiir government post for a group photo after a meeting that deliberates the political interests of loyal Nuer in Salva Kiir government(Photo: Buay/Nyamilepedia version)
The loyal Nuer politicians in Salva Kiir government post for a group photo after a meeting that deliberates the political interests of loyal Nuer in Salva Kiir government(Photo: Buay/Nyamilepedia version)

Dec 03, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —– The above statement clearly summarizes what I am going to share in a while. The Nuer are fickle in a way they change loyalties, interests and oaths so soon. Self-destruction results when one reduces oneself to a mere political prostitute at the expense of their nation and communities. What good is in politics that doesn’t develop humanity? Keep reading.

In the aftermath of December 15, 2013, the Nuer, being the flagship of the crisis that took the nation by shock, were quick to send out messages of condemnations, forged solidarity amongst themselves across the globe. They were soon declaring allegiance to whatever leadership that was ready to take action against the system in place. Many were speaking one message: “I left this government not because of politics behind it, not because of Riek Machar, but because of the brutal murder of my innocent tribe.” Beautiful reaction that was!

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A nation is conglomerate of tribes. Without families, no clans, without clans, tribes cannot exist and minus tribes, a nation is not possible. So tribes make us. The problem with tribes is when they’re attended to more than the nation itself. That’s what bears “tribalism”. When the Dinka was being targeted along the road sides in Equatoria region, the Dinka felt insulted, and the phrase ” Dinka lives matter” took the social media by storm. The Nuer lacks this important human conscience, solidarity.

Years on, since the Nuer are stupid beings, with poor memories, they joined in the bandwagon, under the pretense of peace. Peace? What changed so soon? Under whose instructions do you promise peace in South Sudan? Peace is a beautiful word. Each of us yearns for it. But Jimi Hendrix has a piece of advice for you, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

One of my best patriotic writers once put it, “the Nuer are brave fighters, they fight a lot, and they win battles. However, the Nuer know not enmity. They can fight a war but cannot maintain its purpose in the long run because they always lack the strategies to employ against the enemies.” Agree? What went down on that fateful night, always remains imprinted on everyone’s mind. It was, as Ms. Johnson put it, “a state sponsored killing plan with the ill-intentions for elimination of a given ethnic group.” Societies across time and space only and only achieve a durable peace when the wrongs committed are publically acknowledged. It’s only in South Sudan where a section of people thinks that viable peace can be achieved in the midst of storm and ethnic war fare.

Trauma, on the other hand, plays its part on most of the Nuer section. The Nuer now are reduced to blaming machines, insulting people without a just cause. They have resorted to politics of categorization. There are Nuer-Weew (Money-Nuer), the Crown Hotel-Nuer), and so forth. These are disturbing signs of a society in disintegration. Calling people names doesn’t justify one’s frustration. We are in a brutal century, a tough economic period that continues to test our human capacity. That being said, someone might burn inside but has no apparent choice considering other factors. Do we disown them? Can they be stripped off their citizenship they naturally deserve? And if you think everyone should react the same way you do, what makes you less a dictator than the former system? Think about it.

The Nuer, owing to their confusion, fail to draw a distinction between a community and politics. This is dangerous. They invite political elites to their events only to confuse them more. Some deny them access which equally begs the question like, how do you register your disappointment if you cannot tell them to their guilty faces. As many observers would agree with me, South Sudan of current, doesn’t have politics in place. It’s a young, corrupt individual system that encourages personal wealth over national interest. In the sound political nations, progress is tangible. Infrastructure development doesn’t precede progress, it leads. Children have access to modern schools, patients have access to the state of the art hospitals. Roads are tarmacked and street lit. In a nation where 60% of the budget goes to the  defense, one would agree with me that no development is feasible.

My sincere advice to the Nuer ethnicity. Be bold in your stance against the system. Stop being submissive to anybody. Lastly, let’s respect people’s choices howsoever they might hurt us. In today’s world, no one has the capacity to rally everyone under one umbrella. People are different. They will always remain so. The question is, how determined are you to stand your ground in spite of the challenges these people put against your pursuit to achieve end goals?

Matai Manuoi Muon is a concerned citizen of the Republic of South Sudan. The author can be reached through his emails at: mataimuon@yahoo.com.

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