South Sudan is rejecting ‘inclusive’ referendum bill
By Philip Thon Aleu
December 28, 2009 (BOR) – South Sudan minister of legal affairs and constitutional development says the SPLM will not accept a referendum bill that allows all Sudanese to decide southerners’ fate.
In 2011, a referendum will be held in South Sudan according to the 2005 peace accord that ended 2 decades of civil war between the former rebel SPLM, which now rules the semi-autonomous region, and Khartoum’s National Congress Party.
However, a law which will guide the process of referendum is not enacted after SPLM disputed a modified referendum bill on Tuesday December 22 after the NCP legislators dropped some articles agreed previously by the two parties.
The approved bill cancelled an article stipulating that southerners who reside after 1956 outside the region will have to register and vote only in South Sudan. The referendum also allows other Sudanese who are staying in the south since January 1, 1956, according to legal sources. A northerner, however, have to be screened and recommended by local chiefs about his residence in the south.
Briefing protestors in Bor on Monday, Minister Makuei Lueth warned that the CPA will be critically tested if the referendum bill is signed into law by President Omar Bashir in the form, then that will allow all Sudanese to decide southerners’ destiny. Mr. Lueth said if all southerners outside the south will participant in referendum, “this means all Sudanese are going to participant. This is inclusive and will not give correct results [of referendum.”
The protest, ongoing in all southern towns on Monday, December 28, 2009 also demands that popular consultations in Nuba Mountains and referendum in Abyei should be made fairly.
The demonstrators also had banners with writing “Peace in Darfur is a necessity before 2010 elections.” Some banners also say “partnership between NCP and SPLM
lies in the implementation of CPA.”
This display indicates public frustration over repeated delays in implementing the CPA. For example, referendum bill was expected in 2008. North—South border demarcation was due in the first six months of CPA but all in vain.
According to Makuei, Monday peaceful matching organized by SPLM and other political parties is also meant to inform the NCP that the National Security bill is oppressive. He says giving security agents powers to arrest rather only collecting information is against basis human rights.
(ST)