America’s SPLM chapters denounce ‘disenfranchisement’ during voter drive
November 23, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – Leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement chapters in the United States of America (SPLM-USA) released a petition today voicing discontent with voter registration operations in the USA.
Many diaspora members have been expecting to exercise their right to vote in the elections scheduled for April 2010. But in the entire United States of America, home to a diaspora of tens of thousands of Sudanese, there are only three voter registration centers.
The voter registration period is scheduled to close December 7.
SPLM-USA’s petition is addressed to the National Election Commission based in Khartoum and Juba. In it, the diaspora leaders took issue with the strict documentation requirements of a Sudanese passport, national identification card, and birth certificate. Many Sudanese living in the United States do not possess all these documents.
The petition argues that the documentation requirements are “a slap in the face for the marginalized masses of the Sudan, most of whom were born either in refugee camps or villages, where such required documents are naturally rare, because birth certificates are normally issued by hospitals and related modern facilities, these are rarely available for persons born in villages…”
The three registration centers in the United States are: New York, Oakland in California, and Washington, D.C.
Marol Deng, SPLM-Alaska chapter chairperson, said “In Alaska, I, along with few members of my cabinet may be able to get tickets to go to one of the registration centers, but there is no way we will be able to transport over 3,000 Sudanese from Alaska… in order to register.”
The SPLM-USA leadership deliberated for five hours over the elections process, concluding that it “unequivocally rejects the process.” The leadership requests that registration be extended to January 30, 2010.
The full petition may be viewed in the “Press Releases” section of Sudan Tribune website.
(ST)