My Expectations & Historic Vote for South Sudan Referendum. A right I have been searching for more than 27 years of my life

Expectations on My Historic Vote for South Sudan Referendum. A right I have been searching for more than 27 years of my life
Finally I had voted (to day on Jan 12, 2011 in Canberra Australia Centre) for My Freedom and Freedom of preceding generations of South Sudanese. A freedom I had been Searching for more than 27 years of my life as an 8th year old boy.
For the first time in my life from the time I was born till I came to Australia, never had I use my basic human rights in my life or did I dream that one day I will reached the day of South Sudan Referendum the 9th of January 2011. This day has given me an opportunity to exercise my basic human rights and chose my future as I follow the same suits of my father and my older brother who have sacrificed their lives with many other millions of South Sudanese during the civil war between the North and South Sudan. With sharp memories of not only carrying gun (AK47) at the age of 13-16 but being in frontline with lots of horrible things I was involved in a conflict zone, I thank my heroes like my father (Achouth Gor, Panchol Achouth Gor, Dr. John De Garang the SPLA/M and heroines who have sacrificed their lives to bring this freedom to me with millions of Southerners around the world including the preceding generations to come as long as the human kind exists on this planet.

I did not dream that I would get an opportunity to be part of the leadership (as an Assistant Manager of the Referendum Centre in Canberra-Australia) that managed the referendum centre. It was a great opportunity and joy to be able to make sure I acts impartially for the referendum process since the beginning of Voter Registration process in November 9, 2010 till January 16, 2011 after the conclusion of referendum voting. Having fought in the war and being required to act neutrally during the referendum registration and voting was so conflicting, challenging, and contradicts taks to my previous perception on how to achieve freedom of South Sudanese people and that is by war alone. I did not had a dream that my mother, brothers and my younger sister who is 19 year old (Akech Achouth Gor) will one day vote for their future as any other South Sudanese member who should decide their future by exercising their choice of freedom without caring guns.
To my supprise, I did not know that international community led by the US, UK, Australia, other European Nations and some of African countries will stand up to ensure that individual rights like mine and millions of Southerners are protected so that they can exercise their rights of democracy in order for them to leave in peace. Like any other Southern Sudanese person I do believed international community specially the US, UK, Australia and other members of international community deserve credit from people of South Sudan wherever we are in the world. I personally thanks the international community including the Australian government, the Australian public and all my Australian friends that have been supporting us in whichever way the suffering of southerners is heard and recognized by those who don’t know it by supporting us. As South Sudanese in Australia we owed the Australian government an enormous credit due to its efforts to ensure that this referendum is conducted peacefully and fairly as acknowledged by the international observers that "it is a fair and credible referendum that had met the international standard of conducting the referendums or elections in the world". This support gave me a real opportunity to be able to choose what I want freely without political influence or interference from any authority and i.e. my choice for independent South Sudan of Freedom, Equality and Progress for All is respected.

Years of living with Quilt & Shame due to My Sudanese Birth Nationality [or identity] associated with All Bad things of Sudanese by the world.

During the years I lived in three countries of Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya) as a refugee before coming to Australia I have been carrying with me feelings of quilt and shame due to how I felt all the time for being associated with the nationality of Sudanese a country known in the world with all bad things war, failed society, and people that cannot solved thier own problem in all aspects of life. This experience was so painful to me in Kenya were I have witnessed and tested the challenges of being a foreigner or a refugee in a foriegn country. I was treated with thousands of South Sudanese refugees in Northern Kenya in most cases by the Kenyan Police and their locals in an inhumane way as a foreigner wondering in a foreign land with out reason according to them. I remembered one incident where police beat us up because we could not give them money as they were asking for money from us and they said that 'Are you Christians? and we responded yes, Do you people reads your bible especially in' "Isaiah Chapter 18 where its prophesied that "God is going to punish people of Sudan (Cush)', you know what? we are the hands of God to punish you so that you will hear God's message". And the police officers beat people up with rungu (swahili word means stick). It is an experience that will never go away to the rest of my life. After this referendum I tried to reflect on those memories of my life and I felt bad but on the other hand this referendum will stop the war and it has relieved me from these feelings of quilt and shame of my identity (Sudanese) due to how it is associated with conflict and a failed society in the world. The same feeling has been happening also after coming to Australia, I continued to have the same feeling when asked 'where are you from orginally' by Australians and I said 'I come from Sudan, I found myself sometimes with reasons hide my origin (Sudanese) and I felt like I wish I was from another country that the people of Australia associates with good life of peace, good people, a country that is known because of good reputation and stability politically, economically and socially. I still struggle somtimes but I will try to think in a more positive South Sudan as a result of referendum. Now I can be a proud person from a background where life is going to be associated with people from other nations of the world that are in peace. A society where problems are settle diplomatically and peacefully,. I felt the good progress in terms of human life and my people from South sudan are re-joining the family of humankind through developments progress instead of being a burden to other countires through refugees, aid programs and many other humanitarian assistances. Now if am asked of my background then I can be proud of my background identified as Southerner from a society that is working hard to join the family of mankind in all aspects of life. It will take sometime for me to settle down with all that I had been carrying with me for more than 27 years in my life. This referendum has given me great opportunity for me to be able to re-adjust my life and identity (not to be associated with problem of Sudan) as a Southern Sudanese person.

Focus on My Homeland (South Sudan) that have costed much to me:

My next focus with the rest of Southerners back at home (The Republic of South Sudan)and in Diaspora is the expectation of development in term of good governance, establishment for the rule of law, Social justice for all and eradication of corruption (our next enemy of South Sudan). This enemy is now replacing the position of the North as it becomes an enemy number one for southerners than Arab. Development is the biggest challenge to the leadership of GoSS as well as to all people of South Sudan due to accumulated expectation for more than 50 years during the two civil wars. Southerners must be given real democracy not a perpetual democracy by leaders of South Sudan. Late Dr. Garang put this in his address in 1986 "[We need a real] democracy which embodies equality, freedom, economic and social justice and respects for [basic] human rights not as slogans but as concrete realities that have concrete content which we should promote, cherish and protect".

The Author [Nyok Achouth Gor] of this article can be reach on +61411813437, nyokachouth@gmail.com or nyok4zsudan@yahoo.com.au for any concern and clarification.