S. Sudan youth association accuses SPLM SG of failing the party
May 16, 2013 (JUBA) – A national association for youth in South Sudan has accused the ruling party’s secretary general, Pagan Amum of allegedly failing the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the country.
SSYPA is connected to 40 other youth groups that are associated with the SPLM across the country.
The youth leader directly referred to the recent SPLM joint reports from the party secretariats in the ten states of the country, in which the final report suggested that the party had “lost direction and vision”.
He alleged that the party through Amum’s failed management and supervision of its secretariats has let down the youth in the country.
Amum, who has been heading the general secretariat for over ten years, has been directly responsible for ensuring that the party’s policies are implemented by the political cadres through the states secretariats among its members at the grassroots.
The youth also appealed to the top leadership of the party to remain united and rise above violent politics and divisions, urging them to conduct with civility and in democratic processes any internal party changes.
South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir has been the chairman of the ruling party for the last eight years since the demise of its founder, John Garang de Mabior in 2005.
Kiir has two deputies in the party that include the vice president, Riek Machar and the speaker of the national legislative assembly, James Wani Igga.
The two deputies, however, do not have any specialised party’s institutional functions to exercise and only act in the event of a temporary delegation or assignment by the chairman.
All the SPLM states’ secretariats report to the secretary general who in turn reports to the party chairman.
Amum in the recent leadership consultative meetings by members of the political bureau however criticised his chairman, Salva Kiir, for failing the party and called for Kiir to be replaced by him.
(ST)