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SPLM branch office in Warrap splits over calls to remove governor

22 November 2013
In News

November 21, 2013 (JUBA) – The leadership of South Sudan’s governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) branch office in Warrap state is sharply divided over a recent letter demanding removal of governor Nyandeng Malek Deliec.

Since her 2010 gubernatorial election as the SPLM candidate, Malek’s administration has been dogged by repeated allegations of taking arbitrary actions such as using government agents to harass critics, widespread of misappropriation of the public funds, lack of cooperation with the legislature, constitutional violations and lack of social and political competence to run state affairs.

The smoldering confrontation between her and the state parliament erupted into a full scale political confrontation when her hand-picked finance minister, Majok Bol Kur, was impeached in late 2010 by lawmakers over a failure to explain irregularities in the annual budget.

In 2011, 33 out of the 49 MPs at the Warrap state voted to remove her from the office after she was accused of negligence in regard to the death from hunger and diseases of more than 300 civilians in a rural part of the state.

The assembly argued that the food shortages and health issues could have been addressed had the governor and her cabinet been more proactive.

The attempt to oust Malek failed as not enough MPs voted for her removal.

Malek, in October this year, appointed and swore in a new cabinet without either the approval from the house or the SPLM secretariat in the state.

The failure to take new government to the parliament and the ruling party generated political protests from both institutions.

The SPLM secretariat reacted to her decision by calling for her immediate removal, while the parliament passed a resolution pointing out that failure to take the cabinet to the state assembly was “a violation of the state constitution”.

The governor, however, denies any violation arguing that she only made minor changes and therefore she did not have to get approval for her reshuffle.

She also questioned the SPLM secretariat’s claim that as governor, she needed to first consult them before making any changes to her cabinet.

But William Deng Nhial, an acting Secretary General of SPLM in the state, argues that the governor in her capacity as chairperson of the party in the state, is required to consult the secretariat. This, he said, was needed so that they can assess the governor’s plans and programs.

“The letter of withdrawal was written by the leadership of the state secretariat. It was not the work of an individual as it is being claimed. The secretariat sat down in a meeting and came out with the decision to withdraw confidence from the governor because she decided act contrary to the interest of the SPLM. Those claiming that it was not the official position of the SPLM are getting it wrong. Those talking like that are those who are in the cabinet”, Nhial told Sudan Tribune from Kuacjok, the capital of the state.

The official said he was reacting to a statement by Luka Lual Madhang, Warrap’s minister of youth and sports, who identified himself in the release as the acting secretary for information, culture and communication.

Madhang said that the decision to remove confidence in the governor was the work of an individual acting out of anger because he was not appointed in the new cabinet.

“This person has been in politics since 1975. He served with several governments in the then united Sudan. He also served in this state at various positions from 2008 until recently but has never complained whenever reshuffled is made. He was always one of the people to congratulate the governor by coming out to say that the decision of the governor was excellent. He has never asked the governor to take the cabinet to the SPLM. He only started asking the governor to take the cabinet to the SPLM for consultation when he found out that he had been left out of the cabinet”, Madhang told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.

Madhang said he and three others who hold key positions in the state secretariat were not informed of the decision, but were surprised when it became public in the media.

“I did not know. I was not informed. Also the SPLM Secretaries in all the six counties were not informed. It was just decision of an individual. It was only the work of the deputy chairperson. It is not the work of the secretariat. So it is official and therefore does not represent the view of the SPLM”, explained minister Madhang.

He added that the Secretary General of the SPLM in the state, Makuc Makuc, had only started complaining since he was removed from his position as a political advisor to the state governor.

Malek is the only female governor in South Sudan’s 10 states. The other nine states are run by male politicians, all from the ruling SPLM except Western Equatoria state, where Joseph Bakosoro won as an independent candidate. He, however, returned to the SPLM after winning the election.

South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir recently acknowledged that there has been political tension in states where the governor was not also held the position of state chairperson of the SPLM. He has pledged to resolve this before the next elections, which are scheduled for 2015.

(ST)