Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
By Ngor Arol Garang
April 1, 2010 (RENK) – Frustrated and irritated by the withdrawal of the SPLM candidate for Sudan President, southern voters in the town of Renk county, Upper Nile stat voiced out their concern publicly that they either destroy their voting slips or change their minds to vote.
The pull out of Arman, who was seen as the main threat to the incumbent President Omer Al-Bashir, raised dismay and disarray among his supporters in the country particularly in southern Sudan.
“Some of us have never voted and had hoped to exercise our right to vote in favor of candidates of our choice in the upcoming elections but it is unfortunate that candidate of our choice has unilaterally decided to pull out of the race.”
Although we were aware of challenges and differences between Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the National Congress Party (NCP), we did not expect taking of such decision to happen.
“It was shocking when I heard and read Arman decision to withdraw from the race,” said Deng Kuur. He added this decision has left many potential voters in Renk wavering and will lead to majority taking painful options which would include destroying or avoid voting.
In a heated discussion during an ordinary meeting held in the regional capital of Juba, by top members of the SPLM yesterday on Wednesday, a decision to consider allowing withdrawal of its presidential candidate in the upcoming elections was reached, citing situation in Darfur and pre-election irregularities.
SPLM’s vice chairman, Dr. Riek Machar among other leading members in a press conference held in Juba announced partial withdrawal of the SPLM allegedly in response to a call made by SPLM sections in Darfur and would remain to contest in the eleven northern states and south Sudan.
However, intellectuals and ordinary citizens from the south disputed the boycott describing it as a “disgusting mistake” ever made by the SPLM.
William Biith Deng, a southern Sudanese student at the university of Bahr el Gazal, says SPLM concerns are legitimate but these should have been dealt with earlier as they were aware of them.
“Were where they all these times, why didn’t they raise these issues and why did they keep quiet while knowing that electoral processes were being rigged,” he said.
“I would wish to see everyone participating in these elections regardless of these concerns because there is no such thing as perfect election. There was also no such thing as perfect census,” Biith said.
(ST)
Dinka Boy
Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
SPLM made a wrong decide when the try to full out from the race at this very short tim. This decision is condemnable at all because it is the violation of CPA. SPLM must encourage Yasir Arman to run for the elction so that we can go to referndum.
SPLM must watch out from this political agenda. If Salva kiir and PB a greed with this withdrwal from upcoming election,then they are less of political good. Please SPLM leades must be aware that CPA has been amended and there should be no such move of violation. I disagree with SPLM for withdrawing their candidate for just apredicts.
murlescrewed
Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
PATRIOTS,
I have to say that I have NEVER MISSED OUR DEAR DOCTOR THAN I HAVE THIS TIME!! The dysfunctional so-called SPLM leadership full of TRAITORS will have the tough job of explaining in SIMPLE terms how they reached this BIZARRE and puzzling decision. It would have been better to let NCP still PEOPLE’S votes in the DAYLIGHT and in FRONT of the whole WORLD than RUN like a bunch of COWARDS.
THE TIME has come for the current SPLM leadership under TRAITORS and people of QUESTIONABLE allegiances to be OVERTHROWN and REPLACED with REAL and TRUE SPLM for RED ARMY GENERATION. These guys would have made a better decision than the corrupt eaters in JUBA.
I SWEAR someone will have to take one for the team and it is going to be ME!!
James John
Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
My people last time i told you that Kiir doesn’t kno anything but some people started to open their mouth to talk….aleast I kno someone out there that kno too kirr is just worm.
People should Vote again SPLM or Kiir. There are alot of people that went to school in south Sudan and better than Kiir……why waist time for him????
James John
Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
My dear Southern Don’t vote for Kiir, what a Lair Dinka???????????????????????????????????
Dinka Boy
Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
Jack Chuol,
I am very very frustrated about the withdrawal of SPLM candidate(Yasir Arman). It’s adangerous step that SPLM need to revise before tention arise. Salva Kiir must know very well that if postpone this election, then he is going to be responsing for those dead, disable,and orpan due to North-South war.
I am ready to fight Arab in 2011,but SPLM must know that our hopping for just 2011 will not be the solution,and that will not provide what we need 80%. SPLM should and immediately allow our hero Yasir Arman to participate in April election.
If we don,t participate this time,then 2011 will be push and that is a fact. Hopping for just 2011 without further anaysis is stupid decision for SPLM politicians. Sorry!
Gatwech
Upper Nile voters say would destroy voting slips over Arman withdrawal
Southerners,
Those southerners who cry for the hyena (communist unionist) Yasser Arman simply do not know what their priority is in struggle for over 50 years. What we want is independence not cheap elections that can destroy the referendum.
Elections to Bashir is about life and death as referendum is about life and death for southerners.
Give Caeser what belongs to Caeser and God what belongs to God. That is NCP for re-election and SPLM for referendum of the South.
The SPLM strategy to withdraw Yasser Arman was one of the best to salvage the CPA and defuse the building up of tensions between SPLM and NCP.
Bashir needs re-election for the next seven months to referendum as the father of the CPA and he desperately also needs it in order to use it against the ICC.
Denying him re-election would make him go mad and destroy the referendum in the middle of the river. Let the strategists in the SPLM row the boat to the shore and see what Bashir will say in December, not now in April, when referendum is still eight months away.
Let us deal with the devil we know and also known by the whole world. He signed the CPA and should continue to be responsible for the conduct of referendum. It should be hijacked by traditional hyenas like Sadiq Al-Mahdi or unionist Yasser Arman.
And by the way, Yasser Arman was convinced that he would NEVER win the elections even if he participated. So why continue to waste resources with useless campaigns?