By Deng Kur Deng
The evidence of hope in our community lies within each individual, as we live side by side in peace and unity with rest of the communities in Bor. This unity has been put to the test, as a few people have been preaching hate and division among our people. These very individuals who know so little about the importance of cohesion have been aimlessly advocating the pointless isolation of Gok, in order to dismantle and reduce Bor to very unfavorable standards. These individuals have always teamed up to go through with their contemptible acts. They have tried time and time again to overtake the idea that Gok can stand alone, which is reprehensible in character, not to mention a dead-end process. In fact, amidst the crisis that is currently facing all of us in the region, it is morally wrong to try to divide us even more. In all honesty, I would have thought that this is the perfect time to call for more unity, but unfortunately, such beliefs do not seem to fit the character of Mr. Mareet’s administration. Instead, all of this mayhem has created mind-numbing controversy and irrationally reduced our hard-earned respect.
There still hasn’t been a consensus on what could allow us to remain united with others regions within Bor. A lot of people have been quiet because of the complexities associated with Gok standing alone; so far, no one has spearheaded the agenda that reflects the individualistic mindset and put the wellbeing of community as a whole before the ambitions of the radical group. We must place the blame on those who have failed to understand why Gok has initiated the idea of reorganizing itself. I would like to point out that there isn’t a short cut to this Mr. Mareet. Personally, I believe that reorganizing Gok will streamline local problems and address them in timely fashion, but not the security aspect of it period. These two benefits will come about with appropriate coordination and execution.
For those who didn’t know, the initial restructuring of Gok was meant to enhance its productivity, closely monitor local issues, and deal with problems head on as they occurred. The change was intended to reduce or prevent sluggishness, at the time when our people needed urgent help. It is really the best way to closely monitor Gok’s performance and micromanage communities within Gok. In such urgent, troubled times, I originally became one of many vocal supporters of Alier’s leadership at the very beginning and his ideas to restructure Gok. I have no personal problem with Alier — in fact I respect his insightfulness — however, he based a lot of his decisions on the recommendations of the coalition of radicals, who very disappointingly misled Alier and the community at large. These very groups have tried to persuade Gok to withdraw from Greater Bor after their unsuccessful negotiations to secure top positions from the leadership of Greater Bor; their attempts did not work because their ideas were not welcome and were not in the best interest of the community they were meant to serve. Now, Alier has betrayed us. In lieu of unity, he has disowned Bor in a baseless division. He is currently, though indirectly, carrying out an agendum that was once shattered by the then unorganized Gok — a Gok run by self-nominated individuals who spoke for the will of the community.
Regrettably, things have lately taken a turn for the worse. The language used in conversation about Gok is misrepresenting the community’s core values, as Bor is gradually abandoned by certain individuals. The misinterpretation of Alier’s reorganization does not only distort our collective identity, but it hampers our common interest dealing with persistent crisis and other social issues. This decision of division was not formatted as a pragmatic approach, nor was it applied as such, because it was not well-received by a number of the subordinate members. Instead of striving for oneness, the leadership has only succeeded in further dividing an already affected community. Those who are using unpleasant influential unknown titles to step over the line have manufactured a lot of their own problems, since the input of the coalition of radicals has swayed their opinions on other regions within Bor, too.
During a recent teleconference among the leadership and the members, those who wanted to clear things up were suddenly viewed as the enemy of Gok. It was a catastrophic sign for the future of the Gok. For instance, Matheu Char raised his concern about whether it was authentic or right to isolate Gok, when on the same day, the Greater Bor was holding its annual meeting. They knew that Greater Bor has a set schedule, and always convenes at the end of August through the beginning of September. And yet Gok decide the fate of one region of Bor continued anyway.
This was not the first time the issue of Gok has posed a threat to unity within Bor at large. Alier was once elected at a meeting that was scheduled after Bor County had already scheduled its meetings on the same day. We can see the kind of unity that Alier Mareet has promoted. You can be the judge for yourself, but to me, Alier’s actions do not signify a willingness to bring people together.
Back at the teleconference, one man took up the argument against Mr. Char’s position (in favor of the unity of Bor); he aggressively urged Char to withdraw from the meeting. While others mumbled their words of support for Char, that one man yelled violently. Looking back, I don’t think the man even realized how he embarrassed Alier’s administration. Imagine a conference called to reassess people’s feelings regarding the meeting in South Dakota. If the hosts of the conference dismissed someone who called himself a community leader because that person happened to strongly voice the opinion of the majority, there would be a total uproar. The lack of accommodation in the Alier’s administration in what was perceived to be an open dialogue brought them shame. The humiliation of Char has triggered something that has been building up over time. At that teleconference, members of this community were deprived of their privileges to participate in the conversations that were meant to represent them and to ultimately decide their fate.
Honestly speaking, ever since, the trend of support for Alier has gone down due to the frustration caused by Gok’s administration and its coalition of radicals. Those people who are beneath Alier have prompted considerable resentment, and this resentment has urged me to ask question: Where is Alier Mareet taking us? It is a folly to believe that the division of Bor would take us anywhere. We are all aware that the deepest significance in our lives rests not only in our families, but also in our dear community. I have watched as Bor has withstood numerous challenges before and after the civil war, but division have never prevailed. Within that period, there were differences, but those differences have only now revealed communities in a state of despair.
Radicals are preaching values meant only to identify them as radicals, with no regard to the community as a whole. They have been talking so much about imbalances and doubts in unity. Many of us though have not visibly seen or defined lines in between Gok and Athooc and even to some degree within various units of Bor as a whole. I am voicing my concerns at this moment because of the stance of our leaders in the United States about Gok. They have taken unreasonable steps to distance themselves from this issue. For many of us here in the U.S. who have been rejecting the isolation of Gok in favor of its reorganization — which was meant to uplift the community to tackle and take ownership of local issues — have become dismayed with current direction. But somehow, our voices have only boosted a lack of solidarity that might affect the relationship that exists within our communities. In reality, Alier’s administration has initiated division as a contrivance to run our communities independently. This wasn’t the case when the idea of reorganizing or restructuring was initiated. Sincerely speaking, the relationship between the people and the leadership will not thrive if Gok must represent its own interests without being able to consider other branches within Bor. The widening disintegration has gradually become acceptable because the leaders are the driving factors misleading the community.
Division does not carries real meaning in today’s society, therefore, we must remind Alier Mareet’s administration and those who carry such messages of dominating pattern and disunion to know the vital role of unity in Bor County and at the Greater Bor level. We must take a stand against them and do what is best for all of Bor and its people.
Denggak Kur/Raan-mangar. The author of this article can be reached at pananyangajak@gmail.com