South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
By James Gatdet Dak
September 17, 2009 (JUBA) – A senior official of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has said Southern Sudanese residing in the national capital, Khartoum, will be allowed to vote in the upcoming 2011 referendum.
South Sudan is scheduled to exercise its right of self-determination in 2011 as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005 stipulates. However, both sides are deadlocked over the referendum law that would set the modalities and logistics required to conduct the referendum.
Both sides disagree over the percentage of votes required to call the referendum a pro-independence, the population of Southerners allowed to participate and the post-independence arrangements including the share of national debt to be carried over by the South.
On who can take part in the referendum, the NCP insists that all the southerners inside and outside southern Sudan should be allowed to participate in the self determination exercise, but the SPLM wants only southern Sudan residents to cast their vote during the referendum.
Michael Makuei Lueth, minister for Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development in the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and legal advisor to the SPLM Executive Political Committee said his party has agreed to allow residents of Khartoum who are the people of Southern Sudan to cast their votes.
Makuei further explained that such a compromise is attached to the condition that the Khartoum exercise will be monitored jointly by the United Nations (UN), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) and Southern Sudanese associations in the national capital.
He re-affirmed the SPLM’s position that Southern Sudanese in other northern states will not be allowed to vote.
Makuei further added that there is still a huge gap of differences between the two parties on other contentious issues among which included the percentages required to confirm unity of the country or declare independence for the South.
He said a meeting would take place on Thursday evening between the Vice President of the Republic Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and the Government of Southern Sudan’s Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, to try to narrow the gap.
However, the SPLM Deputy Secretary General for Northern Sector, Yasir Arman, is reported to have said that all Southern Sudanese residing in all states of northern Sudan will be allowed to vote without any exception.
The two parties have been locked in hot debates over formulation of the referendum law that would pave the way for the people of Southern Sudan to vote to either confirm the current unity of Sudan or create an independent country in January 2011.
(ST)
Moses Kur Akech
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
Don’t forget the vanue for counting and storage of the votes has to be Juba for the sake of safety of the votes.
I am very certain that NCP will outwit SPLM to allow Khartoum as the vanue for storage and counting of votes. If SPLM accepts Khartoum as the vanue, there is no doubt that it will be a great victory to regime which hasn’t got any allegy to rigging votes to secure its interest of unity for South resources. Most acceptably, Juba is a safe place to store and count votes under North, South and International observers.
Kim Deng
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
Mr. Yasser,
You’re damn wrong, sir. Only those Southern Sudanese in Khartoum will be allowed to cast their as it was agreed upon by the parties. You’re caught in the middle of nowhere since the man who betrayed no only the arabized Nubian, but Nuba Mnts and Blue Nile with his poor Vision of so called “New Sudan” was gone to hell along with it.
You better zip your mouth or quit the GoSS before it is too late for you, sir.
oshay
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
If they vote for unity they’re welcome in the North if they vote for independence pack your bags and get the hell out of Khartoum! it’s crowded as it is!
thieleling
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
This is rigging of the Referendum!!
The Devil will be in the details. The Referendum is hijacked by people like Yasser Arman. Now the SPLM’s Jallaba has shown his true color.
“However, the SPLM Deputy Secretary General for Northern Sector, Yasir Arman, is reported to have said that all Southern Sudanese residing in all states of northern Sudan will be allowed to vote without any exception”.
Mr. Arman, what criterions are going to be used for all the Southern Sudanese who live in northern states, including Khartoum? Who are Southern Sudanese who are living in Port Sudan & the rest? This is a fast & surefire to kill the Referendum.
Now this is done, the NCP will not agree to let all other South Sudanese in diaspora vote in referendum. The SPLM missed the golden opportunity to unite southern sudanese & declare Independence. Instead, SPLM is fighting against itself. What a shame!!
Dengtaath
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
New Sudan, Yes we can….
What is it? Is it a sign of favoring unity or what? Are Southern people residing in the North favor unity when they waved that banner?
Let the people understand that any thing regarding unity is a full sign of return to war.If SPLM will let it happen then another movement will fight for South. New Sudan is not attractive at this stage, separation is much more option to achieve a full peace in Sudan.
Mabior Ayuen Dengajok
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
This sort of move made by the SPLM political bureau is totally wrong; I strongly condemn it and Iam against this kind of procedure which gives National Congress Party big time to let’s non-Southerners votes during referendum in the name of South where they are not citizens of South, having said that, SPLM may have witness many misconducts carried out by NCP, first let reminds ourselves about census results.
Where NCP very sincere on population census result? No!!!
So if NCP can not respect simplest thing like Population census, so please don’t expect any positive out come in counting that shall be carrying out by the 2011, they are not going to let South wins, they will possibly rigged referendum results.
Today NCP party leaders will all calls it “a victory achievement” and it’s actually a winsloses model, they have won and SPLM lost in such a case.
SPLM should have stick with their policy of only allowing those who reside within South to vote for referendum voting, not outside South, should have been a win full victory to all of us and today it’s regret plus worries that accompanied such outcome in Khartoum meetings.
South you will be continuously get fooled by fools
Gatwech
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
Dear readers,
I do share with you the concerns you have raised about the need to count the votes in Juba. However, this will not be an easy fight to secure it. The seat of our (South Sudan) referendum commission was already sold to Khartoum by the CPA of 9th January 2005 with the blessing of our late hero Dr. John Garang de Mabior.
By the virtue of Khartoum being the headquarters of referendum commission, the NCP will insist that the counting will take place there. I hope you remember the census counting saga? Despite having the census branch in Juba, the counting finalized in Khartoum. And the result was, well, every body knew it.
Now, having said that, it important for Dr. Riek Machar’s committee to maneuver for a rescue plan. Yes, demanding a branch office in Juba is one of those rescue plans. If the NCP would agree to the counting to take place in Juba would really be very big achievement. Any how, if a branch office is opened in Juba, the office would do preliminary counting of the votes in the South before submitting the number to the Khartoum office for future reference in case of differences.
Another dangerous thing now surfacing is the likely split of interest internally in the SPLM. Dr. Machar’s committee should not only concentrate on the external NCP, but internal unionists like Yasser Arman who come up with different statements. It looks like we have entered a critical stage where both unionists and separatists within the SPLM show their true colours. This is dangerous because it will sabotage the very supposedly unified effort of the SPLM to face the NCP.
I pray that others like Malik Agar will not pop up with yet another interpretation of the self-determination with its alien wording “inter alia” to mean any other third option in the referendum.
If Khartoum residents who are “the people of Southern Sudan” are compromised to vote, let the mechanisms be put in place to ensure that there will be no rigging. Good enough that NCP said the population of southerners in the whole of northern Sudan is only half million (500,000). Out of the total number may be Khartoum would have only 300,000 of them. This is not a big threat to the 8 million southerners of which more than 90% have already voiced their intent to vote for separation. But who knows, Khartoum may surprise us in 2011 that the population of Southerners in Khartoum has reached 4 million.
All in all, let NCP not forget that failure to come up with a fairer referendum law, the South will be forced to declare independence unilaterally by January 2011. And in this case the SPLM should not compromise more on this. They must stick to the demand of 51% simple majority vote to declare the South as independent. My immediate concern is the internal split between unionists and separatists in the team negotiating for the referendum.
Mzee
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
there is no doubt NCP is still playing it deceptive tactic to overshadow the SPLM right of self-determination in the up coming referendum. they just give softheart on the minors issues and leave behind all central issues which favour the referendum.
it matter less who will vote and who not vote but what modalities and strategies to be use to vote, i didn’t heard about it and that is what jellabas are hoping to rig votes.
However, Mr machar and his offical need to be firm not to be alternated by those hypocrites.they remain with no options but to play zigzag movements.
NO way we are for seperation not unity
SPLM/A Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Southern Sudan Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Angelo Achuil
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
“Southerners in North (Khartoum) allowed to vote!” I am very, very disappointed with SPLM for allowing this. first all, Southern Sudan do not have the capacity and intelligence, gadgets to effectively conduct and monitor all the votes within the South, let alone monitoring all Khartoum manipulative activities. SPLM should NOT then be suprised later if the referendum votes shows that those in Khartoum are 50% or more than those in the South – therefore perveting Southerners’ interests. Khartoum won’t care about being transparent or honest about who is a “real southerner.” Anybody in Khartoum can claim to be a Southerner and who control that? I feel so bad that just wherever there is the key problem in CPA, SPLM compromises!
If we are deadlocked, we are deadlocked! It is more dangerous to fail in votes later than declaring UDI. SPLM, play your cards well or you will lose many of your allies at the end when you try to deny repute the votes outcome.
Nelson Turdit
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
the hope for referendum is buried by the SPLM delegation team who allowed Southerners base in Khartoum to caste their vote in the referendum is a way that NCP will be rigging results and win the referendum. this work of SPLM without consultation from other groups concern to encourage them how to avoid any danger ahead of referendum will bring consequences.
sorry to our SPLM leaders!!! you want to lead Southerners down on such technical issues.
SPLM must revise that decison properly
jalabi
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
What a crazy people!! how comes you deny Junobeen (southerns) who live at every corner in the the north (east, middle, north and west) from exercising their rights and not allowing them to vote in such crucial referendum?????!!!!
They are not northerns and as soon as the south separate north will deport all of them to south immediately.
I never agreed with Mr. Yasir Arman in my entire life, but now I agreed with him, all southerns in north should vote.
It’s not a seceret, I’m telling you now, all the southerns in the north will vote in this referendum and we will bribe them to vote for unity, we prepared huge money to bribe them, this money is the south oil money that we steal from south everyday, we fool SPLM because it’s disabled movement, we won’t pay any thing from our pockets to bribe them, we will bribe them by the south oil money and never feel surprise when the outcomes result favor the unity in 2011!!
Jalabi (Abo Jalabia)
P Thon Aleu
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
I don’t see any different in allowing Southerners in Khartoum to vote and denying those outside the capital! This is the same like allowing all southerners there to do so. The SPLM should not keep southerners mind in darkness when the NCP is already ‘walking on them.’
How can you differential a Khartoum resident with other northerners? All junubii there will certainly participate in the referendum if this is how the SPLM is benting.
Philip.
Critic_Ngueny
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
My appreciation goes to Yasir Arman,Makuei Lueth and Riak Machar and whoever with them over there.A journey of thousand miles start with a step please.You have hit the nail on Bashir’s head and the rests of the Arab’s World.You have taught them a lesson and we are ready to teach them once more and for ever and ever.Money minded will be blaming you for what you are doing now but never ever attempt to listen to their nonsenses.Therefore,being a leader of the people you have to face many criticisms from your subjects and outsiders.Remember my dear citizens of Southern Sudan,it was stated clearly by the late Dr.John Garang de Mabior that, “if you want to be a second class citizens then vote for unity.” What does it means to you?
We must vote for Separation otherwise chance knocks once.
Critic_Ngueny from Bor town
Gatwech
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
Southerners,
Because of that contradicting statement by the unionist Yasser Arman, I could now recalled a statement last week by a senior NCP leader, Almahdi Qotbi who vowed that the NCP would infiltrate SPLM and defeat separatists in the SPLM.
This is exactly what is taking place. Those of Yassir Arman plus his colleagues in Juba who make daily phone calls to Khartoum promising to get rid of separatists in the SPLM are the cause of stumbling blocks in discussions of the referendum law. A split has already happened within the SPLM between unionists and separatists.
I would suggest to the SPLM leaders who are separatists and majority within the party, and who are also backed by over 90% of Southerners to defeat these minority so-called unionists. The majority SPLM separatist leaders should extend their quest for a consensus with the other political parties in the South to forge a unified front against the NCP’s sponsored unionists.
Let this minority unionists defect and form their own party if they wish. It should be shown to them that they are just wasting their time with the NCP’s policy to divide the South.
Dinka Boy
South Sudanese in Khartoum will vote in referendum – SPLM
Allowing South Sudanese residing in khartoum to vote become a huge problem in the South. I could not understand why GOSS allowed that.
We all know that they will vote for unity/ Bashier because they want to protect their residency.
The government of Southern Sudan need to examine that particular case of allowing them because khartoumers are already assimilated by Arabs.
See the guy with post sign, he agree for unity and that is their believe in the North.
Stopp them from votting because they are Arab trailors.