From : SalShua7@aol.com
Sent : Friday, August 26, 2005 7:19 PM
To : arabtimesnewspaper@hotmail.com
Subject : article for publication

dear : the editor

Hi, I send this article for publication in your opinion pages, if possible.

Salah Shuaib
Address: 1613 Becontree La #3b
Reston VA 20190
Home :703-7090830
Work: 703-5721572

thanks


John Garang: A man whose Equality is a majority
Does He Become a Sudanese Myth That May Give The Third World an Example for Ethnic Reconciliation?

Salah Shuaib*

The death of Garang , the ex-leader of Sudan People Libration Movement/ SPLM, was a very dramatic and filled with all the means of anguish and sorrow, and so is an event that may make Sudan's peace agreement difficult to end in peaceful solution, unless something unige is happenning.
Such a notion may be harder to explain for both international concern and those Sudanese whose sole expectation of the end of the peace period is of course whether to save the known borders of the country or achieving independence for the south of Sudan.
Garang's admired ability and exceptionality was, and is,representing in bringing about the recognition with the equality of the southern political subjects from all Sudanese elites and citizens, as well as from the regional and international states. Leaving his name as an hero of all the Sudanese people that he was the only leader in the modern history of Sudan is likable, the ex-rebel leader firmly dedicated himself to what he believes in, and that he didn't waiver over the necessity of attaining the goal: liberating the nation of the old Sudan that didn't keep an eye on the subjects of comprehensive equality and justice among all Sudanese ethnic groups.
In fact, the western media, tink tank fields, political organizations, and religious sections and the like factually realize not how Garang played a key role in leading his simultaneously southern and northern natives to a new era -- in which they discovered their real existence situation.
In spite of my well understanding of how such western civic apparatuses think of the Garang movement in terms of civilizational district ions. but such apparatuses try not to dive further into the deep impacts of SPLM on changing Sudanese present and future thinking climate, particularly that no any leader had a clear road map of solving the historic problematic and that he or she prepared the nation to serve Sudan's wanted stability and progress.
On of Garang's great habit the Sudanese people will not forget is his simple language that analyze their complicated crises. That language expressing a future filled with academic, cultural, economic, educational benefit was easier to understand , this without mentioning that Arrange had a joyful soul is able to let even his former enemies laughing.
To that, the writer could say that all the state-man skills shown on his attitude were exact reasons of his differently thrilling experience in life.
If an autobiography has been written of him, Garang would have been profiled on which as the man who much benefits from the contradicted legacy he was diving in it. He attracted so many northern intellectuals believing in that goal. And then he functioned them through the movement's military and political fields, but Garang was the same military commander who fought those southern intellectuals and soldiers showing that he is supposed not to be the only person hijacking the south issue.
Garang, on the other hand, combined militarily with academia, agricultural specializations with political hypotheses. He honestly called upon all Sudanese to build a genuine unity in novel bases, and in the mean time the ex- deputy minister did so for his ethnicity as it they would assuringly free themselves from the other Sudanese benignities.
So, too, Garang, combined military discipline with the easiness in dealing with civilian matters, a kind of old African religion with Christianity, serving the Sudanese army, as a colonel, with fighting it later, beginning with logistic help from the Soviet Union with finishing with the United States as a heave- weight friend.
Moreover, he was promoting a good relationship with some Arab leaders while maintain geopolitical aids from African ones. And that he mixed his tribe wisdom with universal culture values.
Concerning, on the other hand, the catastrophic crisis of Darfour, as well as the western Sudan, Garang was considered as a likely mediator behind the scene to facilitate an agreement with the rebels' regional demands, which resemble the south ones that were met.
From what is known is that Garang logistically helped those rebellions prosper as other fronts boosting the strengthen of his movement while weakening the central government. A position such as this made Garang a man that could be trusted as to the potential of giving such northern rebellions a great deal of settling their anger military struggles against Sudan's old authorities. Now, with no Garang's influence over the government negotiations with the western and eastern rebelled movements, accomplishing peace accords with them would be as a sort of hardness as the affection of Garang's death on such rebellions.
Yes, no doubt the southern Movement can participate, in a nice manner, in the success of the coming negotiations with both fronts. This since a comprehensive peace in the country benefits the Naivasha protocols that only included the south of the country, but no body knows whether or not Calva kiir - the new leader of the southern Sudan government- is eager to honestly fulfil political commitments Garang made to both rebellions, of them are (1) creating and maintaining a united Sudan in which all Sudanese "geographic directions" share the power , and not only one direction representing in the north. and this means that neither Darfour nor the eastern Sudan are to be exploited by a central authority that composes of those Arabs controlling the country, as it is the situation since the independence.
To the author, had D.John Garang, who held PHD in agricultural economy form U.S, afforded, through the peace process, to make that articulation of the new Sudan vision, all Sudanese would have find it easier to forget the psychological and physical impacts of the war and to make unity possible. The reasons for this here are that Garang, since his resume accumulation is various, rich and effective in solving problematic issues- as his movement experiment has shown us , was being an agreed upon leader through the new political scene shaping in Sudan now. From aside, the National Islamic Front/NIF which dominated the government that assigned the peace protocols with SPLM was having every reasons to see Garang alive to maintain the accord process, particularly that the government strongly viewed him as he is nothing but a unity man who could have play a positive role in convincing his clan to save Sudanese from splitting to two nations.
To that, the National Democratic Alliance which has politically and militarily alienated with Garang in oppositional roles against the government since 1990 also shared the same view with NIF. In addition, this opposing alliance was heavily depending on the ex-rebel leader to sustain its dream of defeating the government through the coming election.
Other political parties and civil organizations, as well as some national figures put a good faith on Garang that he is the only trusted leader in terms of that no one other than him is able not to keep silence of couples of governmental and traditional hurdles, which have been undermining Sudanese and causing them to survive such a dilemma. On the other hand, some Sudanese tribal groups possibly looked at Garang as the one who might would grant them, from his presidential position, a full respect in national representation upon governmental branches, specially that those tribal groups have been marginalized in the all past governments.
Eventually, It is true that there is still a societal gap between the old Sudan and the new one that the National Islamic Front is wanting not to bridging it. This despite the reality that the past central authorities exercises of power that brought failures and wars are inevitable reasons for a permanent decline in Sudan's stability.
but Garang's movement, any way, have paved the peaceful way for a genuine, fundamental change in societal status quo. and this change, however, would judge Sudanese thinking and concern for the invincible future, no matter how Islamisis ignore, or say insist.


* Salah Shuaib, a Sudanese writer and journalist, living in Virginia and working for Delta Global Service, Washington Dulles International Airport