1500 delegates to attend Sudan’s SPLM Convention in May 2008
By Isaac Vuni
February 25th 2008 (JUBA) — The SPLM Second Convention will take place from 10th to 16th May this year and 1500 delegates from the 25 states of Sudan plus 500 national and international observers will attend in a venue yet to be named, Ann Itto, SPLM Deputy Secretary General of southern sector has said.
During the week long meeting, delegates will review SPLM political and organizational achievements and improvement among others followed by election of officials to various structures of the party because a democratized SPLM would be very strong nation wide. So, “If we want change, we must include everybody in the process”, Itto said.
SPLM is a very young political party, barely three years but because its twenty one years of struggle to free the oppressed and marginalized Sudanese” which culminated into signing the CPA in January 2005, SPLM was invited to participate in Pan African Women organization conference held Johannesburg South Africa from 13th to 17th February this month.
She said SPLM competency was vividly seen in the conference when she positively articulated position of southern Sudanese women’s contribution in the cause of 21 years liberation struggle. Pan African Women organization was founded in 1962 by liberation movement that was by then struggling to free Africa from foreign colonization.
SPLM Deputy Secretary General appeal to government of southern Sudan and the designated agencies handling repatriation to urgently come to the aid of returnees in Eastern Equatoria state particularly Nimule corridor and Magwi who lack the necessary basic needs and school for their children, 200 pupils are in one class room while others majority are studying under trees without teachers.
“This is a nation concern and the people are in need of your urgent support”, Itto pleaded.
Responding to question that how could SPLM proceed with organization of the second convention when Southern Sudan is in active war with Khartoum in Abyei and in Darfur;
She emphasized that the on going war in Darfur and row over Abyei should not in any way stop Southern Sudanese from thinking about their future destiny, organizing themselves politically, looking at policies and improving on them besides managing and governing themselves.
“Of cause to be handling a strong SPLM means dealing with security issues which SPLM has entrusted in the hand of SPLA who are now in total control of the situation in Abyei areas,” declared SPLM Deputy Secretary General, Southern sector.
She went on saying that SPLM as the youngest political party in the Sudan offered to shared its experience and wisdom in bring the warring Dafurian together and hence recorded a tremendous success by bring over twenty Darfurian factional groups to Juba unification conference that ended by narrowing the wide gap into three major groups now championing the cause of Darfurian people with the Khartoum government was indeed a great contribution.
Asked whether SPLM as a governing party is not being driven by the government of southern Sudan, she stated that SPLM is counting on the majority right of seventy percent stipulated in the CPA agreements to drive the governing processes in Southern Sudan like any other leading political party in the Sudan.
SPLM Deputy Secretary General said the highest authority of SPLM is the Convention which convenes every five years and in the absence of the convention, the Interim national council takes charge of the party and it meets every two to three months to direct party affairs. Meanwhile the Interim political Bureau which also meets every two months to review progress of the party. However, Itto ruled out any fears of lack of transparency and fairness in organizing the forthcoming convention for 1500 delegates.
She reiterated that SPLM is ready and willing to work together with other political party because that SPLM has nothing to hide like other political parties which operate in clandestinely manner in the Sudan. Adding that SPLM is a decentralized party that operates from Boma to top level and it empowered all levels to carry with fairness political work within their respective localities.
“The SPLM you are seeing today is there to provide leadership to the Sudanese people and to effect development at all levels by attracting investors in the country particularly southern Sudan which is lagging far behind”.
Responding to question on rampant corruption in the government of Southern Sudan, she admitted that there are corruption like in any other part of the world but GoSS did it best by not counseling rather working very hard to minimized corruption because it’s very difficult to eradicate corruption worldwide.
In a separate development, the mediators of peace talks between the government of Ugandan and the Lord’s Resistance Army/ Movement have today afternoon completed the final draft for comprehensive peace agreement scheduled to be signed on 6th March this year in Juba the capital of Southern Sudan, bringing to an end 21 years of LRA insurgency in northern and northeastern Uganda with spill over to neighbouring Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.
(ST)