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Sudan Tribune

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170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal

By Ngor Arol Garang

January 12, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Just a day following an announcement made by Northern Bahr el Ghazal State SPLM Electoral College naming 73 candidates for various parliamentary seats, a group of 170 other aspiring candidates rejected the decision, accusing incumbent governor Paul Malong Awan Anei of having controlled the selection process to his likings.

The 170 aspiring candidates in Aweil, Juba and Khartoum are seeking to run on the SPLM ticket. The group questioned the integrity of the electoral committee pointing fingers at some members within it for having selected family members and relatives while disregarding all required standard criteria for selection.

In the release, obtained by Sudan Tribune, the 170 candidates collectively charged the incumbent governor and Electoral College with eight errors or transgressions in the selection process. The letter was addressed to President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who wears another hat as chairman of the party.

“We utterly reject the selection process and the names selected by the College, which contradicted the guidelines of selection issued by the Political Bureau in December 2009,” the release argued.

It further stated that the State Electoral College was formed to the liking of the governor, insofar as it included some of his bodyguards, security agents, advisers and members of his inner circle. They also accused the governor and nominations committee of having hidden the addendum issued by the party on 31 Dec. 2009 till it was made public on last the day for submission of applications.

It went on to mention that the committee violated SPLM Candidate Selection Guidelines 2009, Section 7 in announcing their perceived eligible candidates. For example instead of announcing two candidates per geographical consistency they presented only one candidate.

They quoted the State Electoral College demand that required an aspiring candidate to appear physically in front of them for collection and submission of his/her application. In violation of this, at the announcement of the results it appeared that some candidates were selected without being physically present in Aweil town during the whole processes of selection.

Good examples are the cases of Hon. William Ajal Deng currently in Khartoum but who was selected because his serves as deputy governor to the incumbent governor. Another example was the selection of Mrs. Ajok Wol, wife to the incumbent governor, as a candidate for the National Assembly, despite reportedly being absent during the whole processes.

With regard to this principle of being present for the nominee application, the party had allowed only exemptions for members of the National Assembly because they did not have a chance to go to their constituencies owing to parliamentary debates on referendum bills and other debates during the selection processes.

Aspiring SPLM candidates also reported having learned that some prominent members of the party were denied rights to compete in the gubernatorial contest because the Electoral College is said to have received directives from Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Chairperson of the Party, not to allow them contest the chair.

They also said some selected candidates on the released nomination lists do not satisfy the literacy criterion provided by the National Elections Commission selection guidelines hence fear chances of becoming venerable to challenges by other parties’ candidates. The group further argued that several candidates were excluded from the selection because of their perceived support to the governor’s main adversary in these coming elections. Others were said to be victims of personal grudges with the governor.

The governor, they said, has persistently demonstrated “ill intentions” against some sitting members at South Sudan Legislative Assembly, the National Assembly and in Aweil. This prompted their exclusion from a fair and just competition for their former seats.

With regard honesty of the committee, the group were convinced that the governor and his electoral college were not neutral in the manner because several members of the committee, such as Mr. Manut Yel Lual, brought in his wife Angelina Adut Mel to replace a sitting SSLA member, Mrs. Abour Gordon Nhial on the women’s ticket.

The aspiring members from NBGS expressed readiness to contest the forthcoming general elections in the constituencies either as members of the SPLM or independent candidates. “We believe that this is the greatest and fairest approach to winning the constituencies in favor of the SPLM,” they stated.

The letter was copied to the Chairman of the Election Committee, James Wani Igga; Secretary General of the SPLM Pagan Amum; Deputy Secretary General for Southern Sector, Dr. Anne Itto; members of the SPLM Political Bureau; the Governor and NBGS Electoral College.

(ST)

36 Comments

  • Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
    Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    One of biggest issue that people must not stuck their nose in basket of tribalism. This is another motivation of corruption. Those who select their family memebers must be removed with their relatives out and far from GOSS services, please let make South a place far from tribal image. Self motivation is one thing that holds us back from every inch of better improvement. I pity GOSS must act accordingly with this corrupt people.

    New Year Message

    Time for tribalism has gone, 2010 is not a time to generalise tribe or community instead of one person. It is time to focus on the real issue far from tribal criticism, political party criticism, leaders criticism, and very far from abuses or insults. We should also debate far from abuses of any single commenter on ST forum, to myself I want to be a man of tolerance, peace, responsbility, respect, forgiveness, love, unity and courage . It is time to get serious and work for the betterment of my nation South Sudan (New name).

    I didn’t change myself because of pressure or whatsoever, it could be my 2010 resolution. For now lets start new year with fresh mind and positive ideas that will improvement the managment of South Sudan, childish comments must be ignored. Some individual comment aggressively when they are defeated in debate, this spirit must be abandon. We are here to play a game ie you get defeated or you defeat others defends on the article and the extend of your debate, but don’t insult people. This is my new year message to ST viewers, contributors, pseuds, readers and editor.

    Reply
  • thieleling
    thieleling

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    Dear Readers,

    Malong Awan Anei needs to understand that this is a civilian rule not a military rule. There is no question Malong was our hero during the bush. But his war credentials do not include being a dictator. This is being undemocratic and that is not acceptable.

    This SPLM selection system will be the source of political squabbles throughout the region. Everything is poorly organized to invite chaos and violence. The 25 state electoral college is an un-elected body. Political Bureau is an un-elected body. This is not good for democracy, even for the so-called SPLM rudimentary democracy.

    It would be nice to let the candidates go head to head in party primaries and win their nomination democratically. Very simple!! The very people in Political Bureau will be selecting themselves at the end of the day. What a democracy!!

    Reply
  • Acid
    Acid

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    The whole thing is failure and awful any form. I would encourage all them to run as independent because Aweil’s poor-majority deserve better than what the so-called Electoral College offer. Please run as independent to beat hell out of those corruped-minds!

    Reply
  • James John
    James John

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    This issue I was talking about yesterday, what if people pick another party be’s I know lot of people doesn’t like this Dinka culture Party which is SPLA/M. We should not stuck in one thing be’s election is just in the corner.

    Lot of people always have issue with this Party.

    Reply
  • Dinka Boy
    Dinka Boy

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    Please people of NBG, I really need agreat leader who can stop aggression from internal and external, and the one who is not the agent of NCP.
    Thanks

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    Dear readers,

    Well, SPLM through this unfair selection process is shooting itself in the foot. This bias, unfair and dictatorial selection process brings in only unpopular party nominees leaving the popular party members out. This will force these popular party members to contest as independent candidates and will win the elections. And if the SPLM believes in rigging the elections, then this will bring post elections violence. And SPLM should not forget that NCP is also there as the chief architect in rigging elections.

    SPLM will surely lose so many constituencies because majority of voters, though SPLM members, will be forced by the situation to vote for other parties personalities (challengers) if the SPLM doesn’t provide them with the choice of personalities they want. Simply the elections will be about personalities not about which party to win.

    Salva Kiir should also stay away from imposing his colleagues. Directing the so-called Electoral College to exclude others in the process as reported in the article is pure dictatorship.

    Reply
  • black-hope
    black-hope

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    It is time for us to unite so that we achieve our common gold which is self determinaton. Didn’t get bogged down in kind of isolated approcah of what u should not do. To Governor of Aweil in particular as avictim of this discussion board and other follows Governors like Kuol Manyang Juuk,You have to stop cheating if you were doing that.You must stop lying to public and stealing public fund if you were doing that. you have to respect people either being poor or rich b’se in Southern Sudan people are not divided into classics which is in Europe and America though some of you seem to be superior.We need to be free from any kind of discrimination which we shed blood.My question why are there millions of peoples being poor in Southern Sudan while we have oil? Who is owning that oil? How will we achieve that oil with this corruption going on with in these few days? to avoid that you have to stick to love b,se love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems.To all contributers of these website who are victim of this corruption today, lates aim higher to achieve our freedom so that we fight this corruption when we are free from Arab thank may God be with peoples of Southern Sudan.

    Reply
  • Time1
    Time1

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    Mr Paul malong performed well last year and made his state very peaceful, but he now has to also open up the political space, selection of candidate should be a transparent process so people can know who was selected and how before being submitted tot he political headquaters in Juba. secret selection is not good for Northern bahr ghazal and undermines democracy in that state, NBG state should work toward a more free tolerant society and more transparent in its activities, this is the only way they can mantain their position in south sudan.

    Reply
  • Time Peter
    Time Peter

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    Things needs to be done decently,what has happen now is not actually somethings good to be hear by our brother North,if will hear it they will love at us that we are not responsible to manage our state affairs

    Time peter

    Reply
  • M.Cool.J
    M.Cool.J

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    It is all silly indeed selecting family members as candidates.Do they really know the fate of south sudan or they are just for money?

    Anyway, thank to the 170 aspiring candidates who are collectively seeing injustice and are ready to correct it.What is happening in Unity State is the same as what is happening there and these two incubent governors are very good in that game.How can we get rid of them?

    Reply
  • Fuck Jonkoz
    Fuck Jonkoz

    170 SPLM candidates reject party nominations for N. Bahr el Ghazal
    THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT ANYWAY ‘HSEE’TUM AM ABEETUM’ YA KILAAB’ OF SOUTHERN SUDAN the more you remove them, the more I will annoy you.

    If this website is a ‘Jonkoz’ thing, then you should have told us long ago. You keep on removing my comments. You really resemble uncivilized thugs from [email protected]

    Reply
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