“My Referendum for Freedom” conference in the making
By Julius N. Uma
July 22, 2010 (JUBA) – A two-day conference to increase awareness of the January 2011 referendum on southern independence is being considered a coalition of youth and civil society organizations.
An umbrella entity, My Referendum for Freedom (MRF), which was initiated in Australia nearly a year ago is planning to hold the event at the Beijing Hotel in Juba on 28 and 29 July.
The MRF group, which mainly targets community-based organizations and youth groups, is operational in all the 10 states of southern Sudan.
“Our aim is to ensure that the referendum message is fully understood by the entire population. As such, we want to reach as many people as possible, including those at grass roots levels,” MRF Campaign Manager Kur K. Ayuen, told Sudan Tribune.
The organisers said that the theme, “Your Vote, Your Future,” was chosen to differentiate the referendum from April’s presidential, regional and local elections.
“People need to differentiate between an election and this forthcoming referendum. Whatever this generation will decide during the referendum will determine the fate of the future generations,” Ayuen said.
The elections and the forthcoming elections were agreed to as part of a peace deal, known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), in 2005 between the SPLM who now govern southern Sudan and the ruling National Congress Party.
According to the organizers, discussion will focus on the provisions, achievements and challenges of the CPA, the Referendum Act as well as a comparative analysis of the five years since the CPA and the 22 years of conflict that preceded it.
MRF, is working in collaboration with Femininity Empowerment Foundation for Sudan (FEFS); a non-profit making NGO and South Sudan Artists Association (SSAA), who are planning a one-day procession in memory of southern Sudanese who died during the conflict.
The march is planned for July 30 from Nyakuron Cultural Center to the memorial ground of the late John Garang, who led the SPLM during the north-south civil war but died in a helicopter crash in 2005, one month after becoming the Vice President of Sudan and First Vice President of Sudan as part of the peace deal.
“As organizers for this event, we strongly feel the struggle for referendum was a long term one. In this case, it is important to acknowledge and recognize efforts of our fallen leaders,” Nyathon James Hoth, MRF Executive Director told Sudan Tribune.
Preparations for southern Sudan’s long-awaited referendum have gathered pace over the past few months, with a series of events taking place in the semi-autonomous region.
Recently, civil society activists formed a referendum taskforce, which is demanding the establishment of an independent referendum commission.
(ST)