SSDF leading member says opposed to joining the SPLM

Jan 22, 2007 (NAIROBI) — A member of the Southern Sudan Democratic Forum in Canada says the party will not join the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Reacting to Joseph Lagu’s recent statement to Sudan Radio Service (SRS) that all political parties including the Southern Sudan Democratic Forum should join the SPLM, Canada’s SSDF Chairman Gordon Buay said Joseph Lagu has no “constitutional powers to dissolve the party.”

Buay said the SSDF is planning to hold a national convention to elect its presidential candidate and prepare for upcoming general elections in Sudan.

“We are going to have a convention very soon and in that convention, we are going to elect a new leader or we are going to confirm the leader who already exists depending on what members will decide. If the
members decide on a new leadership okay then it is up to them because this is democracy, if they decide that Dr. Martin Elia would continue then he is going to contest as a president in the upcoming elections.” Buay said

Joseph Lagu had described the SPLM as the “only political party that
represents aspirations of southern Sudanese” when he was interviewed by
Sudan Radio Service in Khartoum last year.

Meanwhile, Gordon Buay has accused the SPLM of promoting corruption in
the Government of Southern Sudan. He told Sudan Radio Service in a
telephone interview that the Government of Southern Sudan has failed to
crackdown on corrupt individuals within the government.

He singled out the Ministry of Constitutional Development and Legal
Affairs as the most corrupt ministry, and said the President of the
Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, should suspend officials in that
ministry as he has suspended officials from the Ministry of Finance on
corruption allegations.

“What we are saying is that we are campaigning against
corruption. There is already looting in Juba. The money of southern Sudan
is being looted by the SPLM party and we have a constitutional duty to
condemn that. Also, the President of southern Sudan suspended top five
officials from the Ministry of Finance and I think four of them have already
been dismissed and I think the Minister of Finance Arthur Akuein should also
be dismissed.” he said.

Buay did not offer specific allegations of corruption in the Ministry of
Legal Affairs.

(SRS)