A conditional hope!

Finally presidents Bashir and Kiir have admitted in their last speeches at the National Assembly this week that the secession of the South has left an indelible mark on the national economy and an impact that cannot be ignored, although this fact was being disowned in the last two years and statements by officials of the Government of Sudan were always pointing out the contrary at a time when these officials have sought to assuage public fears by downplaying the impact of split of the South on the economy.

There is now, at least, a little highly conditional hope for addressing the current political, social and economic situation.

Although it is a bit late, the first step to take for resolving a problem is to acknowledge the presence of that problem. So, this step is not as bad as it looks; it has to be followed by other important steps.

It would be prudent if the government commits itself to the political line that leads to a breakthrough at the internal and external political levels by providing the necessary compromises because it is the most important stage that has to be the first step to enable resolution of such complex issues. The next step, then,  has to be revising the policy of economic liberalization and its outcome and its impact on the current economic situation.

Even the United States did not find it embarrassing to admit its economic crisis and is doing its best to work out solutions for the crisis before it escalates.  It will not be cause for shame or embarassment to revise the outcome of the economic liberalization policy which is considered by most experts as the root cause of the current economic crisis.

Meanwhile the Foreign Ministry should continue its efforts to persuading western powers , particularly the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway to help the country to surmount the current economic situation by providing assistance in the area of forgiving external debts in order to maintain economic stability and make up for the loss of oil revenues.

Last but not least, internal reforms should also be introduced through developing the agriculture and mining sectors in order to achieve economic stability and sustainable development.

Prepare for the worst but hope for the best!