Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
By James Gatdet Dak
September 3, 2009 (JUBA) – The leader of a major historical political party in Sudan has warned against any attempts to sabotage the right of self-determination for the people of Southern Sudan.
The former Prime Minister of Sudan, whose government was overthrown in a bloodless coup by the incumbent President Omer Al-Bashir in 1989, said he had come to Juba on the invitation of the SPLM leadership to convene a consultative meeting.
Al-Mahdi who came aboard the same chartered flight from Khartoum together with the SPLM Deputy Chairperson, Dr. Riek Machar, also expressed optimism that the two parties would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the Juba meeting.
In his response to a question seeking his position on the recent statements by some senior officials of the NCP that said separation of the South would be made difficult to achieve by law, Al-Mahdi said his organization would work against any attempts to make self-determination difficult to achieve.
“It is going to be counter-productive in the national interest if we [political parties] play politics with self-determination. We [UMMA party] don’t want to play politics with self-determination,” he said.
“We want self-determination to be a straight forward voluntary decision by the people, or brothers and sisters in the South. And therefore we will work and stand against any attempts to play politics with self-determination,” he vowed.
Al-Mahdi added that the meeting would examine the New Sudan vision to see what it is and to forge a common way forward in case the South votes for independence.
“We are going to discuss what this New Sudan means,” he said.
He also vowed that his party is for voluntary unity or separation of Sudan and would make separation easier if that is what the South wants.
“In our discussion with the leadership of the SPLM, we have suggested ways and means of making self-determination easier, simpler and more straight forward,” he added.
He also expressed the need to discuss establishment of future special relationships between the two would-be separate independent neighboring countries in case the South will vote for secession in January 2011.
“We are going to discuss the terms of co-existence if our brothers and sisters in the South opt for independence,” he further added.
Almahdi, who has come to Juba for the first time since the signing of the CPA, said he did not come to the South at this stage to seek for political alliance with the ruling party in the region. He however quickly added that “everything is possible” and such alliance would be discussed at a later date as the elections approach.
Several political parties in the country are expected to meet in Juba next week to try to come closer for a common national agenda ahead of the upcoming general elections and referendum.
Al-Mahdi, who leads his party’s delegation for a four-day meeting, said the bilateral meeting with the SPLM leadership is neither aimed at polarizing the expected political gathering nor excluding some other political forces.
The people of Southern Sudan and Abyei are scheduled to conduct their respective referenda in January 2011 in accordance with the 2005’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the Interim Constitution of Sudan.
The South shall vote to either confirm the unity of Sudan under the current CPA arrangements or create an independent sovereign country.
Abyei shall vote to either join Southern Sudan or remain in the North.
(ST)
Kim Deng
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Folks,
Who is going to discuss the damn “New Sudan” at this time after Mr. Garang went to hell along with it? To discuss that poor vision with someone like Dr. Riak Machar is not only an insult to his intelligence, but waste of time and energy at the same time.
It would be much more better to waste time with someone like Mr. Salva, Deng Alor, Nyandeng, Nhial Deng, and may be Mr Pagan Amum who still believes in that blind vision.
malek, 'odili the great'
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Al mahdi is tipical arab in his nature,he said that because the man is in southern soil but let wait for the meeting to end in juba and he would be back to khortum in which iam sure his speech will reverse.
I as true southerner warns those who are “beating the drum of uniting sudan and forcing south to votes for unity” to stop and venture or divert this topic of the week in to another news rather for southern sudan.
let al mahdi carry on with his activities in khortum not in south because southern sudan could not be the field where every dog should come and have some savage say, he and others supporting the unity govt better go to darfur and have a word of unity not war always and ensure them that sudan govt will stop killing of darfur resident.
Abu shery Nyang
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Sadiq, thank you for nothing , I don’t believe you, but God almighty will give us our rights without your help. YOU SABOTAGED IT BEFORE, I THINK YOU FORGOT YOUR PAST HISTORY.
William Okuch
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
“We want self-determination to be a straight forward voluntary decision by the people, or brothers and sisters in the South. And therefore we will work and stand against any attempts to play politics with self-determination,” he vowed.
“We are going to discuss what this New Sudan means,” he said.
Saddik al Mahdi must remember that Sudanese high ranking officers had signed a MOU during his leadership asking him to sign a peace deal with SPLM/A. But he had refused to consider the MOU becuase he did not want to see Southerners getting their rights as his great grand father known as big slave trader did. Agian when SPLM signed Cockdem peace deal with Al abdarman al Margani the former president of Sudan and current leader of union party, Saddik Al Mahdi had peacefully handed over the power to al Bashier to confuse invalidate the peace deal signed by Margani and SPLM.
Later, Saddik al Mahdi had joined SPLM/A and again he betryed SPLM/A and reconciled with NCP.
Today, we heard the same Saddik saying no one is allowed to play with Southern right of self-determination simply because he want to confuse SPLM and GOSS to slope into difference with NCP so that the remainding two years for refrendum with past while both SPLM and NCP are in conflict as election was twice extedned.
Today we heard al Margani saying in Egypt that Sudan must not be divide and no any piece of Sudan land could be allowed to break away saying that their ancestors left them struggly and united land which must be continued by their children.
You know what struggled and united land means? It means their fathers have forcefully united Sudan and they, children must keep their works.
Now, SPLM and GOS are inviting such liars and treasonous opposition to what is so called Juba conference leaving its legal partners NCP and other Southern parties.
To remind ourselves about the obligations of the CPA that abide SPLM/NCP to work hand in hand, there are legal commissions formed equally from both SPLM/NCP to follow up implementation the CPA. Every step or move happens leaglly and constitutionally as stipulated in the CPA.
But SPLM now due to its lack of cadres, its built enmity to tiself that made it to work with parties that have no legal provisions to work with. So on which base will decisions reached between the treasonous northern opposition and SPLM carry out? Are both SPLM and opposition creating the NEW CPA and Saddik al Mahdi said they are going to review the meaning the NEW SUDAN?
With incompentent and blind leaders of Juba, the CPA will be treated as 1972 Addis Ababa agreement and that why all southerners with exception to the blind supporters of SPLM are calling for regime change in Juba.
Bol Akur
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Al-Mahdi,
It is awesome for being open in the face of self-determination which has been sabotaged many times including yourself back in the days. Self-determination is at risk at this time. But our concern is this, we believe you are using this moment to capitalized your issue because like Southern Sudanese, you have been a victim and sidelined for so long from participating in the GONU. Yes, we know you had formed a traditional alliance with John Garang but it was not materialized what so. So we believe you are using this opportunity to blindfold Southern Sudanese again as if you supporting selt-determination and that is not true quite frankly. Therefore, I wanted to advice South Sudan leaders to be vigilent and never be fool by Al-Mahdi once again.
thieleling
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Kim,
The dead-end vision, New Sudan was completely gone once & for all when Dr. Riek & Garang RECONCILED their ideological stances, and Garang agreed to Self-Determination in 2002 Nairobi Merger. Case closed!! the rest was politics.
South Sudanese have to be Careful though with Sadiq Al-Mahdi’s cunning & tricky flattering south sudanese. Arabs are always tricky……look at the Eqyptians, even European are getting on board against Self- Determination on Eqyptians influence. Sadiq may have an hidden agenda. This is the same Sadiq we fought. He couldn’t change over night.
Sudan will never be a united country. if the Arabs violate & trash the CPA, there are enough too sophisticated & too educated South Sudanese youths who are powerfully knowledgeable about the next war with them in Sudan. It will always be unfinished business untill independence.
As for our ‘Jaang’ brothers, let the brightest among them know they don’t have power to tell the Greater NAATH & other south sudanese what to do in South Sudan. And I have this to say to some of intellectually disabled among them:
some of our Dinkas brothers put their emotions ahead of facts. The fact is Dr. Riek is doing a national work, the Referendum Law for the whole South sudan. Why do some of our Dinka brothers short-change the truth?
This Dinkas-bashing of Dr.Riek based on his tribal background simply regurgitated the propagnda of favor, the detriment of the honest fact that Dr. Riek is the man of the hour negotiating the Referendum Law on behalf of all south sudanese.
Dr. Riek appealed for years in SPLM/A for more fairness, balanced, objective-collective leadership but no one listened. The Dinka dictatorship under Garang continued. Then the 1991 split happened and Garang woke up. So Dr. Riek & Garang agreed to transcend their ideological lines and thus, Garang agreed to Self-Determination. Dr. Riek is exactly doing what Garang agreed to when he changed to support Self-Determination after the split.
Some of the Dinkas are making the 1991 correction personal. it is not a new problem. He surely was accused of treachery and worse. But it is Dr. Riek, not Dinkas who upholds the Nuer & South Sudanese finest traditions, DEMOCRACY!!
Dr. Riek tells the truth without regard to personal consequences. He is fearless and vitally important southerner who committed to Self-Determination for South Sudanese comes what may! He did what many in SPLM/A only pretend to do: He challenged Garang right on at day-time. Some of our Dinkas Brothers seem not to get it. Does this really need a national catastrophe of magnitude in South Sudan for them to get it? Maybe!!
The south sudanese are ready to tell our Dinkas brothers that the whole south sudan realized how clever and pervasive they were at pushing Dinkas hidden agendas at the expense of other south sudanese. The old argument of recycling criticism of 1991 split within the SPLM/A got really old. It is not a crucial issue anymore. The basis for the correction of 1991 split was a ideological stance. This is why we are negotiating the Referendum Law today.
Anyone who dares point out that the Dinkas bias or tyranny is real and is hurting south sudan progress is leveled traitor. This point is now demonstrated even more by current Dinkas corruption & tyranny in South Sudan. Where is the progress? South Sudanese have enough of Dinka thievery, corruption, cheatings, choas & ugly political games that ruins south sudanese image world wide.
South sudanese know the Dinka leadership got them into this mess, and that the Dinkas greed destroyed the entire south sudan image in front of the whole world. Yes, Dr. Riek exposed the bottomless Dinkas intellectual corruption within SPLM/A in 1991. So what?
The contrioversial result of the current Dinkas mess may have to be a national castatrophe in south sudan even if the entire south sudan have to be destroyed. Our Dinkas brothers’ messes & greeds become so unbearable. How sad for the beautiful nation of South Sudan.
paul majok
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
He is trying to preside South Sudan and he has been silenced with his during the bloody civil war. At these point everyone else is coming out with their idological believes of telling the late stories of deterring independent. They will never be persuasive, they dig borrows during the summer time to prevent heat and when it is winter they became aware of a smell of fresh air…..(SS)what’s next? they comeout,favouring from and gets advantage additionally it is what they are (I means; Unity influence)tryin do. Why is it first timeever in Juba?
Africano
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Dinka master Al-Madi is coming to Juba to meet the Dinka government to convince them to go for seperation since Dinka are unionist. Dinka know how Al-Madi killed them in Bor. Now they have to listen to their master whether they like it or not.
Time1
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
if all northerners were thinking in this way Sudan problem would have been over since long time,but the big head naive thinking that most have now will soon give them big regrets.
newsudan is difficult to achieve now but its possible even though we do not have enough time but it is better be late than never, good try from Al-Mahdi your kind efforts will be noticed and pay off in the future, at least you spoke with wisdom, impartiality and mind of a leading politician not like that EU diplomat solana who is kissing Arab a$$.omar bashir is a war criminal and has to go to ICC to face justice.
Lok T Simon
Al-Mahdi warns against sabotage on South Sudan self-determination
Dearest Southers,
Be keen enough to differentiate the term listening and hearing fron big owl politican Sadiq Al-Mahdi who is just coming to Juba the capital southern sudan with chameleon stylish. If you have short sight to see, then please you try to put on your proper spectacle glasses and listen carefully and see him with proper version.Dot down his points and comparae those points with NCP points. UMMA Party is Arab traditional islamic fundamental in Sudan since and I think each and every one of us knows the politican game of this party right from the beginning of sudan Historically and upto date and so let’s be keen enough this time to differentiate carefully and learn the meaning of these terms.
All a long we have been hearing political games over our prospective in sudan and that was why the reason we have been miserable and suffered alot on our rights in Sudan if the land wasn’t ours. so, dear southern Sudanese let’s adjust ourselves and leave hearing and stick on listening now.
This time, we are for listening not hearing. Listening will confirm and reform us into resolution and prospective right from now onwards.
Sadiq Al-Mahdi just come to southern Sudan capital Juba almost 5 years after “CPA” why? find out the reason. UMMA party isn’t stronger now than it was in last centuries and now they are seeking political attraction and persuasion thinking that we are stil blind like those centuries that we have been hearing and noded our heads to them. Now, the channce is urs to differentiate those terms of listening and hearing closely.
Political definition of those terms listening and hearing are:
1-Hearing in politic means mindless made by somebody who will be still the same person faces the victim at the end of political events.
2- listening in political means attention in each and every sngle point whether the point is small or big and after the political events, then he /she who made attentive of those political events will put precise precaution on those political events.
Long live southern Sudan.
Thanks.
Lok T. Simon.