Sudan SPLM silver jubilee celebration slightly postponed: Official
By Isaac Vuni
The Secretary General of Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) Pagan Amum announced today that the celebrations of SPLM/A silver jubilee were postponed from 16th to 20th.
Addressing the SPLM second national convention gathering today Amum said the delay was in order to give ample opportunity for the 1520 delegates to deliberate on issues concerning the party.
The SPLM Secretary General said that the outstanding issues included filling various vacant party positions as declared by Chairman Salva Kiir during the official opening of the convention yesterday.
Amum also reiterated the SPLM readiness to contest in the 2009 national election saying that it is important that delegates elect competent the right individuals so that they, along with other five millions registered voters “will stir SPLM party into victory”.
The SPLM official said that as the party is transforming itself into a vibrant popular national political body, it is necessary to dissolve the interim offices in order to pave way for true and fair democratic election.
Kiir advised those individuals wishing to contest must also be ready to accept the outcome.
“If am voted out from office, I will concede defeat and I also expect others to do the same without creating division among southern Sudanese” he said.
The SPLM Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and Mr. Nhial Deng have both decided to run against Kiir.
However there is some heavy lobbying behind the scene to persuade them to drop their candidacy in favor of Kiir who is the only survivor of the original founding members of SPLM/A and a “unifying person across the nation” according some of those lobbyists.
James Wani has expressed interest for the post of the Vice Chairman of the party who will automatically become the VP of the government of southern Sudan (GoSS).
However a source from inside the secretariat stated that consideration is being made to amend the SPLM constitution to create three position of Deputy Chairman instead of one.
Taban Deng Gai, governor of Unity state who lost state congress elections is running for the position of the SPLM Secretary General along with Dr. Amon Mom Wantok and elections are expected to be conducted tomorrow.
The former Sudanese Vice President and an Anyanya leader, Gen Joseph Lagu advised the SPLM to be united in order to complete its mission of creating the new Sudan.
Speaking to SPLM delegates at the convention, Lagu urged the SPLM “to continue with the spirit of the new Sudan base on justice, equality, freedom and democracy”. General Lagu disclosed that Anyanya fighters from 1955 to 1972 were fighting for total separation of south Sudan from the north.
Nevertheless, he confessed that SPLM has a longer vision of creating the new Sudan because the whole Sudanese are marginalized and being exploited by elites who are based in Khartoum. Lagu said he fully embraced SPLM policy of new Sudan as an ideal mechanism for uniting a broad section of Sudanese.
Another veteran Southern politician who was also the first President of High Executive Council for South Sudan after signing of Addis Ababa accord in Mach 1972, Justice Abel Alier called on SPLM to “be prepared to test their popularity in the coming elections through outstanding principles and objectives for governing the whole country”.
Alier also urged the SPLM leadership to be united, and to keep their partnership with NCP while bringing others on board under the slogan “no for war yes for new Sudan”.
Delegations from other countries were also present at the convention.
The representative of Eritrea People for Democracy, Mr. Yamani Gabriel expressed their party’s solidarity with the people of southern Sudan, particularly SPLM as a national party that will remain firm in ensuring that provisions of the CPA are implemented as agreed.
The representative of African National Congress (ANC) Collin Sabani advised SPLM not to take the coming election for granted but to start voters’ education in order to get a promising result in the election.
Sabani hailed the SPLM program for empowerment of women as one of the greatest achievements of a liberation movement “that is now transforming itself into vibrant national political party on the basis of democracy in Africa today”.
He said ANC decided to grant 50% of positions to women at all levels of government. He reiterated ANC bilateral agreement signed with SPLM last year and that they will work together with leadership of the SPLM as African partners.
“We will help you build democracy in Sudan because SPLM has proven itself as the strongest movement with clear vision in Africa and the world at large” Sabani said.
The former US special envoy for Sudan at the state department Mr. Roger Winter stated that the American people care much about Sudan, Darfurian and the implementation of the CPA as mechanism for upholding durable and lasting peace in the Sudan.
Winter conveyed greetings from President Bush to Sudanese people.
The US former official noted that SPLM vision of new Sudan is one of hope for all Sudanese who need liberation as demonstrated by the representation from cross section of the Sudan “which indicates that SPLM is a national party for all Sudanese”.
“Do not nourish disunity, otherwise is likely to kill the vision of the Sudan” he said.
Mr. Hansen Johnson former Norwegian People Aid (NPA) representative to Sudan said that his government and the people are still mindful and committed to caring about Sudan and future of its young generation and children.
“NPA is also looking forward for lasting solution for the people of Darfur” he said.
(ST)
Ngongdit
Sudan SPLM silver jubilee celebration slightly postponed: Official
The history of libration movements shows that ORGANISATION is indispensible. some may say unity is more important than oraganisation but unity presupposes organisation. there must be organisation to unify the country…one person cannot do it, a few leaders cannot do it, but when masses and the leaders share common ideals and purposes, they can come together in an organisation, regardless of tribal and other differences, to fight for a cause. Let’s join hands together and support an organisation like SPLM which fought for the right cause of the people. leaders may come and go; they may rise and fall; but the people live on forever, and they can only be joined together by an organisation that is active and virile and doing the things for which it was established.
Long Live SPLM!!!
Ngong [email protected]
God Bless you all!!!
James James
Sudan SPLM silver jubilee celebration slightly postponed: Official
Hi Southerners:
I am really proud for Mr. Kiir regarding to his comment loaded with great willingness to step down went he is going voted out. This is good sign of the leader who want to direct people to the democracy.
In other hand, I would have earnestly asked Mr. Kiir and the South Sudan MPS to encourage Kiir to accept Dr. Riek Machar as his vice president. Riek is well educated, well experient and well attach to the world. Otherwise Dr.Riek will have full right to contest for the SPLM/A chairmanship. Somebody like James Wani Agga is not suitable for vice presidency at the moment, Wani Agga is known as very weak commander back in the days in the extend that, he can not even able to confront road block attenders to open him the way.That is true story I don’t hate Wani Agga, but his weakness plus little education made him very incompetent.
The decision to elect Taban Deng as general secretary is very absurd, Taban has just been removed from the position of governoship because of his known rampant corruption story and nepotism followed by tribalism. His own Nuer don’t like to see him. Is south Sudan general secretary position a dumpster where rejected leaders have to be stuffed? I think no. Taban need to stay away from that position.
For peace SPLM/A need to bring all those able guys like Deng Nhial and Dr. Lam back to work, by doing so I think SPLM/A will come back to its required feet.
I hope everybody see things the way I do.
God bless.
Gatwech
Salva Kiir fears to lose in elections
Dear Compatriots,
What a shame on the incompetent Salva Kiir. Why back down on his bold decision which he proudly announced on the day of the opening of the SPLM National Convention that every position is open for elections including his Chair.
Now some people from Warrap and Abyei are lobbying so that the Constitution which allows for elections be amended to forbid this to happen in order to save Kiir’s position. What undemocratic process is this?
Kiir and his supporters have just realized in the last 24 hours that they are going to lose the elections definitely. Now they want to rig the process and make it half-democratic.
Their cry, begging Dr. Riek Machar and Nhial Deng not to contest for Kiir’s position will not work this TIME!
I said this ‘time’ because he rejected the idea in the first place. Greater Upper Nile community suggested to him that the three leaders: Kiir, Riek and Wani should join as a team to collectively defend their current respective positions by mobilizing all their supporters to elect Salva for Chairperson, Riek for Deputy and Wani for the third position. This was also suggested by General Paulino Matip to Salva Kiir.
Mr. Salva proudly refused this thinking that those who suggested the idea were desperate and feared elections. He thought he got the opportunity to remove Dr. Riek Machar.
Dr. Riek Machar intelligently decided to accept what Kiir wanted and declared his candidacy for Chairperson. When it came to mobilization of supporters, Kiir has now realized that Dr. Riek will definitely win the elections. Instead, Kiir has now mobilized his supporters to lobby people to amend the Constitution to save him from being kicked out. Today, 1520 delegates are deliberating on the Constitution. We will see whether Kiir will be allowed to scape the elections as he begs people that this would save ‘unity’ of the SPLM. Why would he think that his defeat would create disunity?
Too late, incompetent Kiir. You are not capable to face Beshir on the CPA because you are giving in every time in the Presidency. Who knows, you may even agree with Beshir to rig referendum to fail. This is why Khartoum-NCP sponsored news papers are calling you unionist and easy person to deal with. Face democracy!
Gatwech
Foxy
Sudan SPLM silver jubilee celebration slightly postponed: Official
Dear Comrades
It is really a right time to express our feelings and concern to our people. In regards to SPLM/A second national convention, let us stand up for our rights and support a right person who will not and have not betrayed Southerners. I agree that a person with little education can be a leader if the people sarounding him are educated, united and transparent, example to this is Omar Al Beshir. In South Sudan, Tribalism and nepotism is playing a major role to some of our leaders, I believe we have people who are fit to this position of Chairmanship but are not given oportunity to contest. Comrades, really we must be very careful because Omar Al Bashir and his Arabs counterparts are supporting a weak person to be a leader of South Sudan.