Youth, take over the leadership of this country

By Atok Dan Baguoot


Time has come for us to say goodbye and bye to old ways of doing things to express and exercise our choices in a fashion of queues and lines in determining our shaky and always gloomy futures as analysts put it. Time has come for us to put aside our broken of yesterdays and to begin a new dawn, full of hope, happiness and joy for us generation and posterity. “The torch has been passed to a generation tempered by wars, who bore the hardship of economic distress and political turmoil” US President Barack.



Time has come for us to put our names on white and black register book for the forth coming elections in which most of us are going to vote for the first time in their life. I who was born late 1970s is also on board with us. Register now and check that you have registered and confirm that your name is spelt clearly. Days are numbered.



The torch has been passed down to us the youth of Southern Sudan, three areas of Abyei, South Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains, and the entire marginalised who bore the brunt of civil wars, whose life shrunk beneath the feet of absolute destitute. Let us register to vote.



There are only few days that are left in this calendar year in which our country will try the long coveted and desired moment of democratic elections of choosing who to sit in our parliaments and other palaces, who to decide on our daily and future affairs. Our forefathers fought for it likewise we tested the same baptism of fire at our earlier ages.



Our time is ripe enough to spearhead the exercise. We had been robbed and denied of our chances: that series of generations passed without tested the taking over their rights. In fact, the secret behind a presidential term limit in modern leadership power transfer is to give each and every generation there chance. For the case of five years two terms defines exactly what a generation is and if the tenant goes beyond that very limit, then certain generation has been robbed or denied.



So many generations have been robbed of their chances for instance, President Bashir has snatched chance of one generation and that generation is ready to sneak away with chance of another generation and the game continues to generation and posterity. This defines series and generations of conflicts on the continent of Africa. Sudan is never exceptional.

In African context of leadership, elders do tell young people that your time will come and indeed when that time comes, you deserve it. In Dinka Society, midwives begin identifying a baby at birth of what talent that baby will grow to. Hunters, metal worker, medicines person, born leader and all sort of careers were identified in young and whenever they grow up, elders were able to know exactly who is to do what. This concept actually was automatic alternation of power transfer. Leadership was not robbed unlike the Whites written theory which says “Power is 20% given and 80% taken.



Youth, let us go for 80% slogan because our elders are never ready for that and the only way of penetrating through is by registering now and later on vote in our large numbers. In African Unchained, George Ayitteh says :cheetahs and hippos, that cheetahs are the young with fresh blood to move Africa ahead while hippos as the old one whose term limit has come to an end yet they still cling to power, fiercely defending their base if attack. He said let these hippos leave watering hole and retire to shade. Agile and dynamic minds are needed to move us ahead for the next miles before we also retire to others. It is a natural order of things. We do not want to cause chaos to others when time comes for them.



It is youth that am writing to so that they able to direct their energies to their rightful cause and cease from petty tribal and clan politics of patronage. Politics is never accomplished game; you do yours and leave the rest to others. It is never a privilege to us but duly inalienable rights. “There is nothing shameful in falling down as long you are willing to stand up each time you fall”. These elders will never and never relinquish power to us. Strive for change and strive for leadership that has oasis of hope.



Atok Dan is a journalist working with Southern Sudan Radio & TV; he is reached at atokfuture@gmail.com