Is Riak Machar Paranoid?

[Elisabeth Janaina]

Is Riak Machar Paranoid?

Luk Kuth Dak [File photo]

By Luk Kuth Dak

June 9, 2013 (SSNA) -- Most certainly, you can make that argument, and
you might be surprised to come to that conclusion, especially if you
were paying attention to the news media of late.

It's self evident that the forlorn Vice President of the Republic of
South Sudan (RSS), Mr. Riak Machar Teny, Ph.D., is becoming more and
more of a nuisance and clearly angry. He lashes out on anyone and
everyone in South Sudan.

Like it matters to him, he's been doggedly and publicly critical of
the President of the Republic, Cde. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement (SPLM/A). And for some reasons, he seems
to take such a great joy in plunging their morals, which's quite
disturbing, especially at this critical juncture in the history of our
young nation.

Hence, in reality, there's of course, nothing wrong with
self-criticism. In fact, it's a great tradition, but only when the
mission is sincere and the intentions are in the best interest of the
people we govern. Unfortunately, in Mr. Machar's case they aren't.

Ironically, the local media are turning a blind eye to ridicule this
barrage of bizarre behavior, giving him even more room to justify
injecting his poison in dividing our peoples on tribal lines. So, the
VP has two choices to make. Either he likes what he sees or move on.
Because publicly bashing the government and the party that made him
the number (2) most powerful man in the Republic, is nothing less than
treason.

By way of example, in Western democracies, the VP serves at the
pleasure of the President. And in the United States of America, for
instance, President Barrack Obama and his VP Joe Biden often have
breakfast together. It's there that they talk about the pressing
issues that they need to work on. " Joe, I want you to go to your
former colleagues in the Congress to lobby them about such and such,
he would ask." “Yes, Mr. President, I will do my best, he would
answer. That's what they call partnership, ladies and gentlemen.

In essence, the people of South Sudan elected Salva Kiir Mayadit.
Machar was simply a running mate. But for those of us who know a thing
or two about the RSS VP, none of his outburst came as a surprise.
After all the man has never been a true believer in the SPLM. His only
motive in joining the movement was/is to advance his personal goals
and not that of a nation.

Truth of the matter, Mr. Machar's simply a power-hungry man, who
despite his much-bragged about Ph.D., he still belives that the Nuer
Prophet, Ngundeng Bong, not the voters in South Sudan, will carry him
to the Presidential Palace in Juba.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The author is a former anchorman at Juba Radio. Reach him at luke
d...@hotmail.com .