Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Thinking of Something or Sombody Democratic

John A. Akec

Anything needs exercising or else it may die. A young child needs to be taught to walk in order to grow. Hands needs exercising to gain manual dexterity. Faith needs to be exercised by praying, preaching, practicing its teaching, and overcoming our besetting sins on a day to day basis through our faith.

South Sudan needs to practice its nascent democracy by people coming out and expressing our opinion on anything that may affect our lives, and by leaders being responsive to people's needs and demands. A wise leader should fear his people opinion like hell itself. Any "bravery" by leaders to yield to their people's yearnings and demands is not "bravery" at all. That is fool's bravery. Because when people's anger pours out nothing will stand on its way. Not the thick and impervious walls of powers. Not the iron gates. Not bullet proof windows. Not tanks and armoury. It is like a hurricane that blows everything away in its path.

A young and wounded democracy like ours is like a broken hip. Once treated, needs exercising and stretching. At first it hurts. And when the patient gets bolder, he or she tries to stretch the legs further to exercise the hip muscles or put more weight on it. They grow in confidence. They get back on their feet sooner than later.

I beileve democracy at first hurts. It is like a new cloth we shy to dress. So we must continue to stretch or wear it until we get used to it and are comfortable in it. If not, intolerance will muchroom in its place. Intolerance begets dictactorship. And dictatorship will grill us in its mighty teeth until we scream.

Who want to invest in nursing a monster that will feed first on the hands that fed it? Silence is the food that feeds dictactorship while harming democracy.

Furthermore, democracy before anything else, improves the quality of decisions being made by government by laying every decision bare and disecting it. It allows the government to know the minds of its people and take their opinions into account.

Let us go "democratic" . Leaders and people alike.