Church advises Sudanese electorate to vote wisely

April 5, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Church leaders in the regional capital of Juba have advised the electorate to vote wisely in the upcoming elections saying elections are the only possible ways to bring democracy to the people and country.

The warning comes as general elections due for next week have dominated Easter sermons as Christians marked the resurrection of their dead saviour Jesus Christ in southern towns and rural areas in the region, south of Sudan’s national capital Khartoum.

Episcopal Church of Sudan Pastor William Mou Deng said in his sermon at Saint Joseph Cathedral in Juba that the public should elect leaders who can bring about development for the people. Pastor William himself had dropped out of the parliamentary race for Abiem East constituency in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, earlier in January 2010, in favor of Dr. Akoon Akech now running as independent candidate in the area against the official SPLM nominee.

“Electorates should not fool themselves to elect the same people with the same promises. They need to think twice and to vote wisely during voting day at the given polling station,” he said.

“If you are a potential voters and need to vote, do not allow yourselves to be lectured by individuals seeking your votes for their own interests. See yourselves from their electoral manifestos and see whether they have something convenient to you,” he said.

Pastor William, who was celebrating Easter Sunday Mass held at the Saint Joseph Church, said the public should be left to choose the kind of leader they want and should not be beguiled through bribes. He prayed for peace during the forthcoming general election, saying a good Christian leader would never resort to bribery to be elected into office. He identified such corruption as “against the ways of God.”

He urged political parties and the public to learn from neighboring countries, where elections degenerated into civic violence, leaving people dead and others maimed and homeless. “We should learn from others where elections resulted into conflicts — we don’t want to go down that road,” he stressed.

He also reminded worshipers of their salvation and forgiveness, so long as they pray hard to God and maintain good deeds urging Sudanese to maintain peace especially this month when they elect new leaders.

“We have a challenging moment where we have some leaders who are shamelessly gorging on the national cake at the expense of the poor in this region. These people are running these elections. Be careful, take your time, see their manifestos, reconcile them with their achievements, personal characters, loyalties to public and vote wisely, so we need voters to kick such people out of office and avoid electing their mercenaries,” he warned.

He also told worshippers to be ready to sacrifice their most beloved things to fully save God, emulating Jesus Christ and leaders of the first church. He said lack of sacrifice has made many people think of acquiring wealth so cheaply without sweating, hence committing a lot of sins in the process.

Earlier at Kator Cathedral in Juba, Archbishop Lukudu also warned against certain growing churches and prayer groups that promise problem-free life. He said that just as Jesus went through tribulations before crucifixion and eventually resurrection, human beings too must go through the same before reaching the good life promised by Jesus.

Generally, in South Sudan, reports and interviews conducted with senior members of the government indicate that Easter was celebrated peacefully yesterday, as thousands of people thronged churches in Juba and elsewhere across the region.

(ST)