By Dhiim Manyuon
Perth, Western Australia
(Gurtong Edited)-As we wait for the next debate on our Constitution, I would like to jumpstart it with this controversial question – should the Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan make it an individual freedom/right to form a political party? The answer to this, in my opinion, should be NO. The situation on the ground in the South at the moment is not conducive for such a practice. But before I elaborated further, I would like to make one thing crystal clear – I do support multi-party politics but on a limited based. In our case, we need to tick some boxes before embracing ‘Unlimited Multi-party Democracy’. Among the biggest problem is education.
Our country is facing two critical challenges: high rate of illiteracy and ethnic diversity. While I am very proud of our ethnic diversity, its future survival depends on how we manage politics. This is self-evident across South Sudan, as shown by highest degree of mistrust among communities. The biggest hurdle is the high rate of illiteracy - which prompted the following questions – Can multi-party politics actually work in such a situation? Or could it become a vacuum for opportunist? In our case it is possible that some individuals will take advantage of the fact that our people are not intellectually or politically mature to separate politics from tribalism. If you look at the last election, people voted based on who they know or related to, but not for their credentials.
In Africa (allow me to generalise it), democracy has been taken for granted. Whoever thinks he/she can lead is free to form their party. This has become a norm in African politics, as shown by the following African countries: Uganda; there are 12 registered political parties, Kenya, just prior to the 2007 elections more than 300 political parties were registered of which 117 candidates were nominated for the National Assembly. The enforcement of the provision of the Political Parties Act 2007 reduced the number to 47 by March 2010, (EISD).
Malawi: according to Malawi Election Archive, in 2009 Presidential & National Assembly Elections, 7 candidates ran for Presidency, South Africa: according to the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa, in 2009 election, there were 119 registered political parties but only 42 summited candidates’ lists, and finally, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 278 political parties are registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
So what do we take out of these figures? Well, there may be other reasons behind this massive production of political parties in these countries, but one thing is common – ‘Ethnic Diversity’. In African politics, tribe comes first. Rwanda is a living example of this. So it would be great if we could take the word ‘Democracy’ and define it in our own image.
We should not get married to these conventional words such as Universal democracy or International standard. There is hidden side of everything. South Sudanese leaders should do what is right for their people, irrespective of what others think.
In his first address to the United Nation General Assembly, in 2009, President Obama said, and I quote “Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside. Each society must search for its own path. No path is prefect. Each country will pursue a path rooted in the culture of its people and in the pass tradition”.
In South Sudan, at the moment, there are more than 20 political parties and counting… in my opinion there should be a legal limit (set out in the Constitution) which can be review in the distant future. The main issue here is not about limiting individual freedom but building a foundation that is sustainable to future prosperity. A reasonable mind should look no further than the situation unfolding now, as evident by the recent rebellion and tribal fighting.
In conclusion, South Sudan must pursue its own path to prosperity. Proliferation of parties alone cannot bring political, economic, and even individual freedom. And if I am wrong, then Democratic Republic of the Congo can be my witness! As we have seen from other African Countries, proliferation of political parties is on the rise and the South Sudan is following suit. I have a fear that we might end up with tribes or clans forming their own parities. Democracy should not be seen as a magic wand to country’s’ fundamental structure. I hope people may not take this as an attack on democracy and individual freedom. Sometimes you have to take a long distant to reach short destination.