Lokuji At Large: Ideology-based Political Parties "A bona fide political party does not begin with registration – that is only a legal formality... We have a tendency to ally with a politician on a number of identities which deal mortal blows to political party ideological development orientation: " 31 August 2016
By Alfred Sebit Lokuji Almost everyone I know dreams about South Sudanese nationalism – and that’s good for a start. However, like a good crop, nationalism does not grow on barren ground; a ground full of tribal rocks and pebbles; a ground that is the quarry of political machinations; a ground that is the real estate of extremely ambitious warlords and their affiliated upstarts. South Sudanese nationalism will have to be built on solid nationalist aspirations grounded on ideas of the common good. To a very large extent, that is the story of John Garang’s success with the SPLM – an organization that has withered and dried because it was left in the hands of far less capable get-rich-quick turn-boys and girls with a Red District mentality. I offer no apologies for these conclusions. A bona fide political party does not begin with registration – that is only a legal formality. It begins with a solid body of comprehensive ideas about moving society forward – often referred to as an ideology. Although it often came to be a term associated with forms of extremism (Left, Rightist, or Anarchist) during the Cold War, the term nevertheless expresses the idea of bold thought and action positions on a spectrum from Left to Right. A far left party would, for instance, advocate the common good through public ownership; on the other hand, the far right party would, as a minimum, call for minimal government engagement in providing the public good. Communism, a leftist set of ideologies would, for instance, have public-owned companies as in Cuba, China, North Korea, and to some extent, the Venezuela of Chavez (now Maduro). While Capitalism, a-la USA, is down to almost pure individualism. This is not the place to cover the various shades of ideology – only to show that it is absent in the theatres of political party conglomerations in South Sudan, complete with kaleidoscopic characteristics. We have a tendency to ally with a politician on a number of identities which deal mortal blows to political party ideological development orientation: he/she is our son; a fellow combatant in the trenches; has name recognition; has money; is a “Dr.” etc. This has encouraged political ambition to be based purely on the self and the community of origin, rather than a broad ranch of neatly-related ideas that would benefit the Citizens of South Sudan. Most of us are unable to develop and apply a simple litmus test to determine if “This Leader and His Party” has political ideology. Our dream should be to snub out ethnic-based party following and replace it with ideological affinities. *Dated: (August 31 2016)* Posted in: Opinions <http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/CategoryView/mid/519/categoryId/24/Opinions.aspx> - See more at: http://gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/19822/Default.aspx#sthash.g39zHVu3.dpuf -- To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/southsudankob View this message at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/southsudankob/topic-id/message-id For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14oo0fN9HRDnyu0Qmj5hhvMCqLBU-WwoqA%3DaaxC2o5k7nXw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
