By Don Bosco Malish
On this day ten years ago, this flag inspired and brought hope to many of its people. In this flag we take pride of being a sovereign nation.
Your red band reminded us of the price we paid with our blood to hoist you; your green strip tells us of the agricultural potential, natural wealth, land as well as progress.
Your two white bands tell us peace was attained after many years of liberation struggle.
This flag in your blue triangle, you remind us of the waters of the Nile River, which flows from the south to north of the entire country.
Yes, the yellow guiding star of Bethlehem remains a sign of hope and determination of your people. Today, we commemorate the 10th anniversary of our independence with you being the national flag.
What remains of you in most of our rural Bomas and Payams is pictured above.
Your tattered nature is representative of the state institutions that guide
the nation. The institutions have become incapable of delivering services to your people and you. Your people continue to drink unclean water from the habitat of the frogs, fish, algae and fungi.
Your people continue to compete with the reptiles, amphibians and algae for a drink. The children of your nation continue to learn under the trees. Their teachers are paid irregularly their meagre salary. The mothers of your nation continue to die as they produce children for your country due to poor health care. Their living children have been fed into the many wars in the country over the years by the leaders.
Our political leaders have reduced you to a symbol of contest in ethnic rivalry over your control. You have been used to wrap the caskets of the sons and daughters the nation lost to senseless violence and war.
Your leaders have sent your people to raise you in refugee camps, in foreign land as they navigate poverty and rely on foreign assistance.
The national army that is to protect you and your people, has become a predatory institution. Its eating the resources that were to renew your bright colours and defend the masses. Your country is looted rather than being rebuilt.
The leaders have become obstacles to democracy, economic development and human progress in the country.
Your liberators have become the torturers of your people.
They are still in power. They can make you anew or tear you further. They have promised to Keep peace many times, but backtracked. They cannot be trusted.
Their opponents are roaming the countryside, the ungoverned areas, exacting civilian death toll not seen since the liberation struggle.
The economy of your nation is in chaos, with spiralling inflation and a currency crisis. Hunger torments the civilians at will due to constant displacement and your people face severe levels of food shortages.
Notwithstanding the lost opportunities in the last decade, it is never too late for your leaders to refresh the peace process. It is the most viable framework for peace and inspiration for the country. With peace humanitarian assistance will be effective, peace creates conducive conditions for development activities.
Your guiding star today directed the president to promise again not to return the country to war.He invited all of us to work together to recover the lost decade and put the country back to the path of development in the new decade. In your guiding star we draw hope, inspiration and courage for the journey in the second decade of our independence. Many lives were lost to secure and defend you.
May your bright star, guide us implement the peace. Peace will help the economy recover, humanitarian assistance to reach the suffering people. Peace will help us choose our leaders as we navigate the second decade with you as our national flag.
