Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
April 12, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) condemned the decision by Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) to suspend elections in the South.
“The decision by the SPLM is not supported by any justifications or facts whether they be security or political” said Kamal Obeid the Information Secretariat official at the NCP.
“All the reasons mentioned in the SPLM’s statement were discussed in previous meetings but the option of delaying census was never discussed” he added.
The former Southern rebels made a surprise decision today to exclude the South from the census process until the end of the year.
“It was postponed,” South Sudanese Information Minister Gabriel Changson Chang told Reuters from Juba. “There is a sizeable number of southern Sudanese in northern Sudan and if they are not transported to the south before the census it will affect the wealth sharing.”
Questions on ethnicity and religion were not included in the census questionnaire, contrary to the southern government’s wishes Chang said.
The SPLM also said that border demarcation process is not complete which prevents the south from adding people which will impact power sharing formula. Moreover the southern group said the war in Darfur will impede the conduct of census and as such will only be partial.
But the head of the Central Bureau of Statistics Yasin al-Hajj Abdine said in statement to Sudan news agency (SUNA) that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) does not stipulate the return of displaced people for census to take place.
He told SUNA that the SPLM agreed to the census questionnaire which excluded questions on ethnicity and religion, through a letter by South Sudan’s Minister for Presidential Affairs Luka Biong dated November 5, 2007.
Abdine also said that it was “impossible” for all displaced Southerners to return before the end of the year and to include them in the census because of the rainy season. He stressed that the census will not change anything with regards to the border issue or confers right on any side.
The NCP said in the statement they “regret the decision especially when money from Sudanese people money has been spent on a constitutional issue agreed upon by all sides”.
“All reports from the South confirmed that preparations for census were complete. This is not a surprising decision if you look at the prior positions by the SPLM towards the CPA” Obeid said.
The NCP official called on SPLM to “reverse its decision” before adding that they “see no reason for the census delay and hope that this cause elections to be held on time”.
The SPLM signed a peace deal in January 2005 with the government of the National Congress Party in January 2005 ending two decades of civil war in Southern Sudan. The peace deal made the SPLM, the ruling party in the south and the NCP the ruling party in the north.
In 2011, southerners will be asked to vote in a referendum on whether they want to be independent or remain part of Sudan. A census is supposed to prelude the elections but has stalled because of cash shortage and disagreement over the process.
(ST)
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
South lack responsible leader who can agree and be reasonable other than relaying to the idea of SLM,we knew both side are struggling for their freedom from NCP both in political process there is no need to copy and engaged in opinions.
Abdine has no respond to those Southerner who are in north infact we knew that their population will not contribute to border issue but still we need them to be counted on their real side,dont oppose any idea on SPLA its our policy with our people keep distance from such attempt.Mr Kiir you have to be fresh and confident because rain has nothing to stop the people from north to be transfer back,its you to imagine logical and come up with fresh idea about how and when will those people see their home in South.
Your action will bring positive future otherwise your selling your properties plus votes.Kiir becarefull with those tricks played by NCP they will confused you obvious and logically
Deng
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Thank you SPLM.
This is the kind of leadership that Southerners would like to see thier representative exercise. The issue of census is giving southerners a lot of anxiety both in Sudan and overseas. Give yourself time to solve the outsanding issues before considering the census.Your decision to suspend the census is going to help the south in the long run. Thank you again for such great decision to supend the census. God bless
Toposa Boy southerner
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Thanks god there is still a lot of my people who are very intelligence indeed
First border second southerners from north back to south last census
Full stop
johk james
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Thousand Bravos to the leadership of SPLM!!
I am much pleased with such a significant dicision taken by SPLM (sons & daughters of the land-Sudan) to suspend population census in Sudan.
Sincerely speaking, census at this time worth that act becuase of arrogant behavior portrayed by NCP in implementation of CPA.
Surely “one can’t climb a ladder while pocketing his hands.”
Keep the hope of marginalized glowingfor ever and ever!!
Long live the freedom fighters!!
Backward never forward ever!
Baalens
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Thank you SPLM for taking the right decision at the right time…NCP is yet preaching and does its devilish attitudes of being deceitful every single time, not knowing that South Sudan has gone a “BIG MILE” of change from Arabization to Pan African…brought by South to South Dialogue…past are already headed to crash, but South present and future at moment is revolutionizing for better modernity of the South, not to continue meddling for mere war of religion. Please Ncp try to think wise enough in areas of taking decision. Learn from other world to always be positive and constructive…look at “Morgran project” were you put in 4 Biln US$, if you can do the same in the South, I think it will show that you are doing the reality, but now that look a curse to you, and note that south would definately be prosperous in not quite a long period for the God love us and given everything to taste your greediness, which will leads you to extreme poverty if you don’t change those all ill intentions you’re driving to devastate the South. Please let NCP a lone and do our own best to achieve the target goal we are destined for. Splm oyee! Splm oyee! New Sudan Oyee!
Otherwise, thank to the President of GOSS,VP,SSLA and to all patriotic members who love and now fighting for everlasting peace in the South and Sudan at large. Let us sleep with one eye, for the foe plan day and night…and us eyeing on hard current day and night…let change from that, all are our, let secure them first. Otherwise, thanks.
ochan stephen
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Bravo! bravo! SPLM, this is the south part of the coin and the northenr part should stop hurling nonesense to the GOSS.
They must come to thier consicentious that elections can’t proceed without southerners siblings in the vicinity, much as they pretend to be fair the whole world is never supporting them as they are ever contrary. Go ahead SPLM.
Daak Adut
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Bravo Bravo, SPLM, your turn up is soundful reasoning to the people of Southern Sudan. We are more confidnet that the SPLM is the brilliant party that sheded blood in liberation for two decades of civil war and now damaging thier brain in urging with Matamar watani (NCP).
Mind that, all southerners are rallying behind SPLM and unbais Government of Kiir.
thanks for that and holdon rejecting and favuorable grounds by those Jallabas (ARABS).
John Lemi Stephen
Sudan ruling party slams decision by SPLM to suspend census
Khartoum has always wanted to bully every body by imposing laws and policies which destroys the African identity and culture in Sudan. Imagine when one is filling forms for military or police cadates you will get a ‘tribe’ inserted to it. Infact filling any form in Sudan since the colonial era includes ones tribe, the district and province you come from. This has been used to knock out those from the marginalised communities in any intake. Now that the right time has come so that we determined who are the Africans and the Arabs, muslims and none muslims Christians and none Christians; the cunning ruling party and some of those who sold themselves to the arabs begin to create nonsense. The SPLM has every right to suspend the head counting in the south. No, NCP fanatics should be allowed to impose their segragative politics again in the south and the other maginalised communities as such.The whole of south Sudan are Aficans, western Sudan have over 80 tribes and three major ones the Fur, Nuba and Zaghawa are also purely Africans with some arab communities who migrated from the west Africa; go to eastern Sudan and you will find that the Beja and the Fuj communities are Africans there is a mixture of arabs and African in central Sudan and in the north are some mixture also of arabs and African tribes including the Nubian communities. Those who are purely Arab are less than 5% in Sudan. So Sudan in the first place will no more be call an Arab world country. That was an ugly trict to satisfy the Egyptians in the 60s when they claim Sudan to be an Arab world country. The Africans are numerious now and will never be dieceived by the Arabs again. Why should they fear now to include the tribe and religion which they used to sing so loud daily for ages? What is happening today that make them think they will succeed to bully and dodge the right course of events? What so ever the case it is too late for the arabs. Their days are numbered and their cunning politics are coming to an end.
Bravo SPLM stand firm the whole Sudan is behind you.