The change within

Ali Kashif argues that for change to be widespread, one must start with the self.

Nile Street, Khartoum (Photo by Sabah El Basha)

To attempt to reform Sudan, rid it of tyranny and help it reclaim its rightful place in the world is to take on a mission that requires of civilians to become no less than warriors, challenging more than 20 years of rule.

Mankind has been blessed with free will, but cursed with human nature. When these two traits are at an imbalance, the result is a fear of change. What is meant here is not necessarily a change of government; it is the inner change of each and every individual working to bring about social, political, and economic reform. In simple words, the change must first come from within us in order for it to reflect on Sudan. The Holy Quran states, “Indeed, God will never change a condition of a nation until they change themselves” (13:13).

With the drastic changes that have swept the Middle East, politics in today’s world has become more science than theory. Political change therefore cannot rely on rhetoric alone, but requires bold, resilient and shrewd action. In the same way that physicists monitor cause and effect, or medical students perform autopsies to better understand the human body, today’s politics should be based on observation; the future is best shaped when we are guided by our past, and are inspired by our ever-changing present.

When observing Sudan’s politics, one cannot help but notice how the country has been rattled, shaken and destroyed by political parties, each taking its turn over the years to prove the accuracy of their political theory, all the while stripping the country of its wealth and its people of their decency and basic rights. The responsibility for the current state of affairs in Sudan cannot be placed solely on the NCP; it is the outcome of years of petty strife between political leaders, each enslaving our minds with their rhetoric from generation to generation since Sudan’s independence. These leaders have succeeded in attaining and maintaining power, but they are miles away from accomplishing the goal we strive for as a nation.

It is clear now that in order to achieve real change, we must rid the movement of non-achieving and out-dated political leaders. We must break free from the fear to change our way of thinking; with our individualism, we can achieve what all those before us have failed to accomplish. Our selflessness and collective action will be enough to reform corrupt military, political, economic and religious institutions.