Two wrongs dont’ make a right, Mr. Abraham
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by John A. Akec
" How precious words are and how real speech is in its impact on the
way people live and die. When you say something, think. We can give
life with what we say" – Nelson Mandela.
30 June 2011 — A fellow South Sudanese by name Isaiah Abraham who live
in Juba in South Sudan responded critically to my commentary published
on Sudan Tribune entitled "President Salva Kiir Mayardit in New
African Top 100 List" on 29 June 2011
(http://www.sudantribune.com/Preside...). Isaiah’s commentary dated
30th June 2011 bears the title: "Any Award Should be about South Sudan
Pride, Mr. Professor" (http://www.sudantribune.com/Any-awa...).
His comments were not flattering by any stretch of imagination as they
were meant to rebuke me for pointing out that:
"As a son of South Sudan, these accolades make me proud. As son of
Greater Gogrial in Warap State, where Kiir Mayardit and Alek Wek
originate from, I am doubly enthused."
And to be precise, I provoked the wrath of Isaiah Abraham for
celebrating and adding the fact that my pleasure is doubled because
the two South Sudanese who independently made it into this list happen
to come from my own home Counties of Greater Gogrial.
The fatal error that Isaiah made is failing to read the first half of
my sentence which say that what Salva Kiir and Alek Wek have both
achievement is pride of the South Sudan. Reader, what is the
difference between Isaiah’s title and my statement: "As a son of South
Sudan, these accolades make me proud"? Can I be responsible for
Isaiah’s inability to correctly understand and interpret a written
English language sentence?
In rushing to correct what he perceived as my error Mr. Isaiah Abraham
erred by repeating something which I have already mentioned as if it
is his own new idea? Is that not plagiarism in day light Mr. Isaiah?
This is because the two sentences:
"As a son of South Sudan, these accolades make me proud" – John Akec
Compare with:"Any Award Should be about South Sudan Pride" – Isaiah Abraham.
The tragedy is that Mr. Isaiah Abraham believe he is producing a new knowledge…!
In rushing to correct my "wrongs" Mr. Isaiah Abraham committed a
second serious mistake. He misapplied a Bible verse when he said:
" Dr. Aketch blew the horn of Greater Gogrial so loud that his self
inflated pride analogously reminds me of a Biblical Pharisee who stood
aloft in the temple and prayed thus: “ God I thank you that I’m not
like other men”, (Luke 18:9-11). Mr. John exactly wanted to portray
other Southern Sudanese as ‘robbers’, ‘evildoers’ and ‘tax
collectors’."
Is this not a complete fantasy by Mr. Isaiah Abraham? Where on earth
in my commentary did I imply this "holier than thou attitude" directly
or indirectly? How does Mr. Isaiah Abraham interpret my statement
below?
"It is also worth noting that throughout the history of South Sudan,
sons Greater Gogrial in Warap State, like their counterparts in other
states of South Sudan have contributed enormously to the struggle and
advancement of the cause of South Sudan in many spheres of life,
ranging from politics to military to academia to judiciary to media to
culture and sports."
Again, Isaiah rush to pass judgment before he reads the full sentence!
The underlined part of the sentence was my design to close the door in
the face of Isaiah’s of South Sudan. Haven’t I caught a rat sneaking
in to spoil the party? My above phrase does not make such contribution
a monopoly of people of Gogrial, or does say so Isaiah?
The third big mistake committed by Isaiah Abraham is his attempt to
mislead his readers that he knew much about me: my education, my
teaching experience, where I worked before, and that I have been
appointed to a position I do not deserve etc. and I quote:
" Dr. Akec if it weren’t corruption how did you become a Vice
Chancellor of a college within a span of few years after you graduated
with a PhD? Could your part time lectures in South Africa make go up
like that? How many Southerners with many years in classes in colleges
holding ‘proper’ PhDs that never made it to head universities? You
have been quiet and now started to shower praises to Kiir, is that
normal really?" End quote.
My question to Isaiah is how many years are few? 3, 4, 5, 8, 10? Is
completing a PhD more than 10 years ago and completing my master more
than 20 years start teaching at university of Juba more than 23 years
ago still count a few? Do you know some academics can be Vice
Chancellors with only a master degree as the highest degree?
He also says somewhere that no person in rank of associate professor
can be a vice chancellor. Where does he get his data? This is a
blatant untruth by Isaiah. The truth is, he does not know the sector
nor how it operates. Isaiah is simply out of his depth. He needs a
quick rescue or he will sink.
Moreover, I have never been to South Africa, let alone teaching
"part-time" there. I suspect Isaiah havs mixed me up with another
John! And that is not a good thing to be committed by someone who
claims to know "Dr. John Akec" very well.
The fourth mistake is that of playing double standards. Mr. Isaiah
Abraham criticized me for criticizing GOSS in the past, calling it a
disservice to South Sudan. Then same Isaiah turned around to criticize
me for not criticizing what he criticized as corrupt practices in the
GOSS! In one moment criticism of GOSS by John Akec is unpatriotic and
in the next moment (when it is sanctioned and practiced by Isaiah
Abraham) it is patriotic. How fair is that?
In rushing to correct what Mr. Abraham perceived as my wrongs, he
committed many mistakes that range from taking people’s ideas and
calling them his own to claiming to be an expert on somebody (John
Akec) he does not fully know to playing double standards in an
extremely naked way to misapplying Bible verses.
To be clear to Isaiah and anyone towing his line of argument,
celebrating the contribution of a specific community to advancement of
South Sudan in various fields should not be seen as a negative thing,
but an encouragement to all other communities as well as those
immediately celebrating, else why do people of Warwickshire County in
England call and write it on the road side that their County is "the
Shakespeare’s Country?" and Why was President Bill Clinton described
as a "Boy from Little Rock in Arkansas?" and how did we come to know
that President George W. Bush Jnr is from Texas if where leaders or
talented people come from does not matter to the public?
Like any fallible being, I am not above criticism and scrutiny, and
the very fact that someone in person of Isaiah Abraham finds this
particular article "tasteless" should be a genuine cause for concern.
I suspect taking pride in achievement of our communities is wrongly
perceived in Isiaha’s case as ’gloating’ when it is in fact is
"celebrating."
Also when we criticize others we need to be fair to them and avoid
personalization and think about and read what we write. I hope brother
Isaiah Abraham will take these points home.
That apart, Isaiah is entitled to his opinion just as I am entitled to
express my ideas the way I want.
The author is vice chancellor of University of Northern Bahr El Ghazal
in South Sudan, and chairperson of Academics and Researchers Forum for
Development, a think-tank and advocacy group formed by the South
Sudanese academics and researchers. The writer edits a blog:
www.JohnAkecSouthSudan.blogs.... To get in touch, write to:
[email protected].
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