South Sudan Unity State Governor lost SPLM elections

By James Gatdet Dak

May 4, 2008 (BENTIU) – Governor of Unity State, Taban Deng Gai has lost the SPLM state election for chairperson to his rival Dr. Joseph Minytuil Wiejang who overwhelmingly won the votes as the results were officially announced yesterday.

Dr. Wiejang is currently the Minister of Health in the Government of Southern Sudan.

The position for deputy-chairperson was won by Mr. Samuel Lony Geng while the position for Secretary is yet to be announced later today.

The elections were conducted under direct supervision of Dr. Theophillus Ochang Lotti, an Advisor to the President of the Government of Southern Sudan.

Present during the state congress formation were GOSS and SPLA senior officials and officers that hail from Unity state. These included Dr. Riek Machar Teny, Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Madam Angelina Teny, State Minister of Energy and Mining in the Government of National Unity, Lt. General Paulino Matip Nhial, SPLA Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Major General Peter Gatdet Yaka and a number Parliamentarians.

In another news development, Lt. Gen. Paulino Matip Nhial urged the Government of Southern Sudan leadership to remain calm and courageous following the tragic plane crash on Friday near Rumbek town that claimed the lives of Dr. Justin Yaac Arop, Presidential Advisor on Decentralization and Lt. Gen. Dominic Dim Deng, Minister for SPLA Affairs and 19 others.

Gen. Matip said the incident is a great lost and sadly reminds the people of Southern Sudan about the tragic plane crash that claimed the live of our late leader, Dr. John Garang de Mabior.

The SPLA Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Oyai Deng Ajak, explained to the press that contacts between the plane pilot and the aviation tower in Rumbek before the plane crashed indicate that the incident was caused by failure of the plane engines and that there were no human hands being it.

Gen. Oyai who was in Rumbek at the time of the plane crash and was waiting for the same plane to pick him to Juba, said the pilot had contacted the Rumbek tower saying one of the plane engines had stopped and requested for “emergency” landing at the Rumbek Airport. “After few minutes the pilot contacted the tower again saying the other engine had also stopped operating,” Oyai explained further, adding that the pilot then lost contact shortly after the second call.

He however added that a thorough investigation will be carried out into the company of the plane, the plane itself and the pilot or his experience.

(ST)