Amum admits “irregularities” in SPLM’s system of nominations
February 9, 2010 (JUBA) — The Secretary General of the ruling party in Southern Sudan has acknowledged what he called “irregularities” in the system used by his party during the nomination process of candidates for the upcoming April elections.
He said he discussed with a number of his party’s independent candidates the issue of such irregularities in an attempt to convince them to withdraw their independent candidatures. “We discussed irregularities on selection of nominees. We have shortcomings in the systems,” he admitted.
He however said the best way forward was not to come up with independent candidates, but to resolve such irregularities within the party system. “Choosing the best [candidate] can be done within the system and not by having independents. All those views were put into consideration,” he said.
He however did not elaborate on how possible the best candidate could be chosen as a compromise in such a situation.
Amum however pointed out that the party’s highest body, the Political Bureau, appealed to the independent candidates to reconsider their decision to contest as independents. “We call on them not to contest as independent candidates…so that the SPLM official candidates win seats. This is to avoid division of votes,” he explained.
He further added that the Political Bureau was “engaging both the independents and the official candidates to build up on the success of the SPLM.”
Earlier, the SPLM’s deputy chairman, Dr. Riek Machar, said the Political Bureau reached a consensus that only independent candidates contesting for governorship would be called for a meeting with the SPLM’s highest body to assure them that the party’s effort to win all the seats in various constituencies is harmonized.
He added that they would not be dismissed or asked to resign; saying dismissing them would be unwise and would result to SPLM losing many seats and even endanger the elections of SPLM’s presidential candidates for both Southern Sudan and Republic of Sudan.
Amum however said the independents should withdraw their decision to contest by 13th February or face final decision by the party’s Political Bureau.
In response, the Southern Sudan President’s advisor on Diplomatic Affairs and one of independent candidates contesting for governorship of Central Equatoria state, Alfred Ladu Gore, in a televised statement on Monday said he would not reconsider his intention to contest as independent candidate.
He argued that he was representing the voices of the people in his state who were let down by the SPLM’s undemocratic system of nominations.
Gore added that he would never intend to divide the SPLM, arguing that those whose actions may divide the SPLM are not the independent candidates, pointing his finger to the SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum whom he accused of aiming to destroy the party.
He was joined by Joseph Bakosoro, independent candidate for Western Equatoria and another official representing Maj. General George Athor from Jonglei State who all said they represented the position of all the independent candidates in the seven states.
Gore was quoted as saying that a meeting held last Friday shockingly revealed that the SPLM no longer exists in Upper Nile State because of mounting confusion and party differences.
“This certainly is gross failure on the part of the Secretary-General who is busy alienating the same party from the masses in Bahr el Ghazal and the Greater Equatoria, with the aim of destroying the party”, he said.
The President’s advisor called on Pagan Amum to resign from his post as Secretary General.
“In view of the Secretary-General’s erratic behavior, we need to ask a pertinent question as to why he is pre-occupied with petty trivial non-issues in showing himself off while in actual fact, does nothing in deepening the roots of the party all over South Sudan”, he added.
“From this perspective, we the independent candidates would want to question the ability of the Secretary-General to lead our party, which is rapidly losing membership, to resounding victory. For these fundamental reasons, we the independents think that the time is ripe for him to resign,” Gore added.
He revealed that during the Friday meeting with the SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit the SPLM leadership appealed to the independent candidates to reconsider their positions to stand as independent candidates.
The meeting was also informed about the nomination of unpopular candidates by the SPLM Political Bureau against the will of the people, unity of the party and the negative impression created by the Secretary-General against the independent candidates.
Northern Bahr el Ghazal State’s gubernatorial aspirant, General Dau Aturjong, reportedly also downplayed Amum’s ultimatum saying he would not withdraw his decision to contest.
General Dau’s position matches with position of Angelina Teny, the State Minister of Energy and Mining who reportedly said has no intention to drop out from contesting as an independent for governorship in Unity State.
Seven SPLM senior officials declared themselves as independent candidates for governorship in seven respective states out of ten Southern Sudan states.
The SPLM used a system of states’ Electoral Colleges that received names of nominees from the grassroots but the Political Bureau, according to independents, ended up nominating most candidates outside the grassroots’ nominees, accusing the party’s highest body of “undemocratic” and “unpopular” nomination process.
According to Gore, the SPLM Chairman remained non-committal on whether he would prevail upon the independent candidates to resign, saying it was a decision he was leaving upon the candidates to decide.
The conflicting statements from senior party officials about the fate of independent candidates seem to reveal that the opinion of the party’s Political Bureau members is divided over what to do.
The party also seems to have lost control over the other 340 of its independent candidates who contest for seats of various constituencies across the South and has only focused on those contesting for governorship.
(ST)