POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND THE ECONOMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
POLITICAL
INSTABILITY AND THE ECONOMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
BY A.M
MAKETH
There has
been a lot of discussion lately on the current economic situation in the
Republic of South Sudan. Top economists and scholars have made concrete
arguments on the topic and went on to lay down possible remedies and all of
that bore no fruit; although am not an economists or someone specialized in the
said field per se, I do deem it wise to put in my thoughts. Many scholars have
based their arguments on the current political situation as a sole cause of the
deteriorating economy which I intent to agree. I am going to analyze the
'cancer' herein in relation to Security issues, the law and any other possible
factors thereof. It will also be important to appreciate the effort put in by
the current regime in alignment to their contribution to the current economical
demise. At the end of this article, I will assess a few remedies of the problem
here-above mentioned.
Since independence,
the country has been stable for a short period of about two years and for the
large part of our independence questions have been asked on where we went
wrong. Did we really enjoy the fruits of our absolute liberty? I believe not.
The country embarked on civil war by the end of 2013, speaking of which
thousands of innocent civilians were killed, nearly two million others were
rendered homeless and scores injured. In lieu of the above catastrophe, the
country’s economy started to be in limbo and since then we have never
recovered. As a result of the above shortcoming, the business community could
not import their goods from Uganda or Kenya. There were many cases of shooting
and killing traders on roads by rebels (at least that is what “they” say).
Trucks were being hijacked and goods stolen. To make the matter worse, prices
of stable commodities were hyped up and for sure the livelihood of an ordinary
citizen was affected a great deal.
Many of
our compatriots from the government and outside it understand very well that
the main source of government revenue in our country is from proceeds of crude
oil sale. So this is an economic area of production that was not spared.
‘Before the crisis of 2013 we were producing 240,000 barrels per day. In 2014
up to the first half of 2015 we were producing 160,000 barrels per day. To my
knowledge we are below 130,000’.[1] Civil war is believed to
be the main cause of the crumbles in our economy and if someone is to make some
inquiries on this, the findings are likely to remain the same. It is not that
nothing has been done all this long. Almost everything has been done to make
sure that peace returns to the country but we, the citizens with our tribal
minds and of course always championed by our leaders have not let harmony have
a place within the society. Therefore the peace deals and the so called cease
fire agreements have remained only that.
If you
look at the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Government hereinafter
referred to as SPLA-IG, its’ members are majorly Dinka and a few of their
loyalist from other tribes. The same case applies to Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement/Army in Opposition hereinafter referred to as SPLA-IO, it is dominated
by majority Nuer which are the second largest tribe in South Sudan and of
course not to forget a few of their loyalist from other tribes. Having analyzed
the above group of armed men and women, I do ask myself, are this two
communities responsible for the dying economy of the Republic of South Sudan? I
have no answer yet. While holding on that thought I had to look at the
structure, role and functions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army “the SPLA”
and South Sudan Police Service “the Police” as envisaged in the Constitution
and the relevant Laws. My view on this is to look at how the SPLA and the
police have failed us in building our economy directly or indirectly. In the
legal profession, we have this question, “what if this and that”. What if the
SPLA and the Police would not have betrayed their oath of office, would we be
in this unprecedented situation? Many scholars belief that political problem
must always be solved politically. In my view the use of violence and
disruption of peace by Dr. Riek Machar, the First Vice President (as he then
was) is not one of the necessary solutions.
The
Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan states that, ‘Sovereignty
is vested in the people and shall be exercised through its democratic and
representative institutions established by the constitution and the law.’[2]
So to speak, using divisive methods by either groups to jeopardize peace was
ill-will. We are very certain that the growth of our economy is dependent on
the political stability of this country. My position on this is that the will
of the people suffice and one’s political ambitions must not be used to
dismantle the harmony which was built over the years. The constitution was
written by people and for the people; it should be guiding all of us and we
must abide by it. Article 3 (1) postulate that the constitution derives its authority
from the will of the people and shall be the supreme law of the land. It shall
have a binding force on all persons, institutions, organs and agencies of
government throughout the country.[3]
In a
nutshell, the constitution has laid down the foundation of everything. If we
were all of sound minds and educated as we claim to be, there should be no need
of dismantling our economy by killing each other and creating unnecessary fears
among ourselves. Article 11 of the Constitution states that, ‘Every person has the inherent right to
life, dignity and the integrity of his or her person which shall be
protected by the law; no one shall be
arbitrarily deprived of his or her life.’[4]
So were it not because of what happened on the 15th day of
December, 2013, our country would have been at another level. So we should stop
unnecessary killing for our economy to thrive. Article 12 and the whole of the
Bill of rights must be respected if we are to build the country and more so to
enhance economic prosperity.
My last
take on this is to look at the structure, role and functions of the SPLA and
the National Police Service as stipulated by the Constitution under articles
152 and 155 respectively. ‘The Sudan People’s Liberation movement
shall be transformed into the South Sudan Armed Forces, and shall be non-partisan,
national in character, patriotic and subordinate to the civilian authority.’[5]
Part C of the same article gave one of the functions of the SPLA as to protect
the people of South Sudan.[6] The mission of the police
service as per article 155 is to prevent, combat and investigate crime,
maintain law and public order, protect the people and their property. The same
as been echoed in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army Act, Laws of South Sudan at
Section 7 and 8 and also the Southern Sudan Police Act at Section 7. This shows
that it is significance for our security forces to adhere to their oath of
office.
The
upshot herein, is that both the SPLA and the Police must do all they can to
bring political stability. They are the ones mandated to protect lives and
property of all persons in the country. When we are all secured and the country
is united, then private citizens may as well decide what to do with their
livelihood. They may explore every business opportunities available in our
country to build our economy and to eradicate hyperinflation.
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