SPLM allows independent candidates to contest in elections

By James Gatdet Dak

February 4, 2010 (JUBA) – The Southern Sudan’s ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has resolved to allow its members to stand as independent candidates, reversing its earlier announced decision which initially prohibited members from running as independents in the upcoming April general elections.

The Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan and SPLM’s Deputy Chairperson, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, said the decision was reached by the party’s highest political organ, the Political Bureau, during its closed door meeting on Wednesday after considering a number of factors.

Earlier, the SPLM Secretary General, Pagan Amum, announced during the second session of the meeting this week that the party would not allow independent candidacy and would therefore discourage members who declared themselves as independent candidates to reconsider their decision.

The latest decision comes as a relief to supporters of the party’s independent candidates who described it as the people’s victory in the process of democratic transformation.

Dr. Machar said among the factors considered included maintaining unity of the party and its popularity among the people.

“They will be allowed to contest as independent candidates…they will not be dismissed or asked to resign,” he said.

He explained that a total of 347 SPLM officials across all the ten Southern Sudan states have already declared themselves as independent candidates for various constituencies including for governorship, adding that dismissing them from the party would be unwise and would result to the SPLM losing many seats.

Dr. Machar added that the number did not include independent candidates from other political parties.

He said the situation, if not handled wisely, might even endanger the expected victory in electing the party’s presidential candidates at both Southern Sudan and national levels.

He also revealed that the Political Bureau would soon call for a meeting in Juba with the party’s independent candidates who are going to contest for governorship against their nominated colleagues and other contestants from other political parties in order to assure them that the party’s effort to win all the seats in various constituencies is harmonized.

Independent candidates had earlier blamed the Political Bureau for inviting the situation, accusing the highest party body of running away from the process of democratic transformation by removing most of the candidates chosen by the people from various constituencies and replacing them with handpicked individuals who are unwanted and unpopular at the grassroots.

Eight senior officials of the party have already declared their independent candidacy for governorship in their seven respective states out of the ten Southern Sudan states.

Only the three states of Warrap, Lakes and Western Bahr el Ghazal have no independent candidates for governorship.

The independents generally defended their decision, arguing that it is in the interest of the people to defend the process of democratic transformation in the country and described the 27-member Political Bureau’s nominations as “undemocratic” and “unpopular.”

SPLM Political Bureau used the criterion that was mainly seeking party loyalists and long time serving comrades, but observers revealed that the opinion of the party’s highest body was initially divided over the issue.

Independent candidates generally dismissed the claim saying it is simply a mere excuse for violating the democratic process because, to them, a lot of independent candidates contributed more to the party’s success or served longer than many of the handpicked individuals.

“A democratic transformation process coupled with the pressing need to develop economically in a given country cannot be achieved by a ruling party using a nomination criterion which is mainly based on identifying loyalists and long serving officials. These people may not fit to bring the desired change whether politically or economically,” said one of the independent contestants who declined to be named.

“They should first be loyal to the people; to the interests of the people and their welfare. But what these long serving officials and self-declared loyalists have unfortunately done to the people for the last five years is not what conscious loyalists should have done,” he lamented.

“And besides, how do you measure loyalty in this current situation?” the official asked.

Some hardliner party officials in the Bureau had earlier threatened to sack members who would not back down from running as independents.

In response, supporters of the independent candidates warned that this decision may cost the party dearly by losing majority of its supporters during the elections.

But Peter Dut, a SPLM youth member, said the Political Bureau’s earlier decision to sack them was right because it should not have been the right time to implement true democracy in Southern Sudan.

“We have not yet got our independence in order to ask for change. These loyal and long serving members are the ones who fought the war and can fight it again tomorrow if it breaks out again,” he said.

Atong Emmanuel, a supporter of Major General George Athor who contests as an independent candidate for governorship in Jonglei state against the incumbent governor, Lt. Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk, said the independent candidates were availing themselves as alternative choices for the SPLM supporters who are discontented with the current officials and want change.

She warned that she would not vote for the current Political Bureau’s nominated SPLM candidate if her chosen independent candidate was not allowed to contest.

“The decision to allow independent candidates to freely contest is a people’s victory,” she said.
There were growing fears in the party’s leadership that the independent candidates who seemed to be more popular on the ground might win most of the SPLM constituencies in the April elections, prompting the Political Bureau’s earlier decision not to allow them to contest.

The decision angered some of the party’s independent candidates who reacted by expressing their intention to temporarily resign from the party if forced to do so in order to contest.

The Deputy Chairman of the SPLM in Lakes state, Isaac Kon Anok, has reportedly already resigned his position in order to contest as an independent candidate for the geographical constituency of Aweirial County, making him the first senior party official to have resigned in response to the earlier condition given.

Anok was also former minister of Parliamentary Affairs in Lakes state.

Another party official, Joseph Bakosoro, who recently declared his independent candidacy for the position of governor in Western Equatoria state, was also quoted as saying that he would temporarily resign from the party and contest as independent candidate if forced to resign by the Political Bureau.

He however further appealed to the SPLM leadership to respect the will of the people, adding that it is only the people of his state who could stop him from contesting.

The National Elections Commission (NEC) and its branch office in Juba have already published the names of those they have qualified to run for the elections including the names of independent candidates.

A period of one week is given for the Commission to receive any objection letters against the candidates and final lists of approved candidates will then be published.

GOVERNORS TO RESIGN FROM THEIR POSITIONS UPON DECLARATION

A member of the Southern Sudan High Elections Committee, Dr. Jabi Mualamu, said upon final declaration of candidates and beginning of elections campaigns, all the incumbent governors that are nominated to contest in the elections are required by law to step down from their positions.

Dr. Jabi explained that only caretakers or acting governors will take charge of the states concerned.

He said this will also apply to all the other incumbent officials who are constitutional post holders, civil servants, military personnel or judges who will contest in the April elections.

All the various levels of parliaments in the country will also be dissolved.

(ST)