Dr. Lam Akol blames SPLM for political crisis in South Sudan

Q: Dr Lam Akol, you are the chairperson of the major opposition party, but President Salva Kiir appointed you to negotiate with the rebels in Addis Ababa. What does this mean?

A: It is a national issue and if it is a national issue, it must involve all political parties and other stakeholders. The president agreed that I join the delegation.
 
The country had no agreement on nation building, and no spirit of unity. So in a diverse country like South Sudan, this is vital. We don’t take each other for granted, but we must sit and see how best we can all together pave a way forward for our country.
   
Q: And in your experience, what do you have to share to ensure everlasting peace in South Sudan?

A: What I want to share with South Sudanese is that the tragedy that this is for all of us. The people who died are our people, all those displaced and the properties lost are ours. So any solution to the problem must come from all of us.

Q: The government has only released seven political detainees, retaining four who were charged with treason. What material evidence does the government have?

A: It is unfortunate that the situation of the detainees is tied down with the talks. I have always said that if the government has evidence against the people who are detained, they must produce evidence and take them to task as soon as possible. So responsibility lies with the government to prove that those people were involved in the incident that took place on December 15, 2013.

You can’t keep somebody in detention for a long time without being charged. We are talking about human rights, about freedom regardless of your own opinion about the person concerned, he or she must get his or her rights.   

Q: How successful is the next phase of the peace talks going to be, given the fact that some people are still held in detention?

A: As far as the talks are concerned, we are talking about the future of South Sudan not about individuals […]. The whole country can’t wait for the few individuals.

Q: The international community has voiced doubt about claims that the violence started with an attempted coup. Do you agree?

A: It is up to the government of South Sudan to back its claims that what happened was a military coup. Whether it was a coup or not, people have died and yet the war is still going on out there. What is important to us as South Sudanese is stopping the war.  

Q: What about the political involvement of the army, did it not contribute to the war?

A: If people listened to us from the very beginning when we said the SPLM must be separated from the SPLA, there would have been nothing like this fighting. It’s always normal that political parties differ and disagree, divide and split. But if the political parties are connected with the Army, then the army will also split, resulting into death. And this is what has happened exactly, because the SPLM party didn’t distance itself from the army.

Q: Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has controlled the government since the country became independent in July 2011. Are they to blame for the recent downward spiral?

A: The failure comes from the ruling SPLM Party. If you remember in 2010 the southerners held a conference in Juba which was attended by all political parties. People gathered and discussed how we can work together as southerners so that the referendum on self determination will be held and achieved.

So we came together and held that meeting […]. Then we, the political parties, came up with the road map so that we should have a transitional government of National Unity. And that government should be for two years after the referendum with the role of preparing the country for the next election, new constitution for the country through a constitutional conference. So all these resolutions were passed -- everybody agreed to it.

And now after independence in July 2011, the SPLM party deviated from that agreement. They refused the formation of the transitional government as agreed, saying SPLM is an elected government. But we political parties had agreed that a new country needs a new nation building and a new consensus. We are in a mess today because SPLM party has monopolised power and then had an internal disagreement.

Q: The legislature and judiciary has not been vocal enough about issues like corruption, insecurity, social service reform within the government and army institutions. What is your stance on this?

A: The real blame goes back to the parliament, as we all know since 2005 South Sudan’s parliament has not questioned several issues of politics in the government. The few members of SPLM-DC opposition in the parliament have been talking, but they are overwhelmed by the majority of the SPLM ruling party members.

I hope that, the parliament will learn from the experience that they have gone through and they will decide to go with the people, because they are the representative of the people.  

Q: Dr. Lam, some people say you will become president after the next democratic elections. Do you seek this role?

A: I don’t have the ambition, I am supposed to serve the people in whatever capacity, if people want me to serve them. I am offering my service to the people in which ever capacity they need them.

And it is too early also to talk about politics because people are still in war. The priority now is to stop the war and create a viable state, a multi-party democratic system and liberty […]. So once that time comes, then come and ask me.