NEC blamed in Sudan’s Lakes for ballot errors, delays
By Manyang Mayom
April 15, 2010 (RUMBEK) – The National Election Commission (NEC) was responsible for delays in delivering ballot papers to polling stations, delayed payment of poll workers, and errors in the printing of ballot papers, sources here said. Despite these difficulties, the voting process in Lakes has been going well.
Salva Kiir Mayardit’s trademark hat and beard were removed from his photo on ballots, making him hard to distinguish from his rival Lam Akol Awajin. The poor color separation of the photos gave illiterate voters some doubt. SPLM party agent Mathok Madol Mathok has taken the case to NEC saying that the picture of the presidential candidate was distorted by removing his hat and beard by NEC who organized printing of the photos on the ballot papers. He said that it is now hard for the majority of the uneducated population to know the picture of Salva. He explained that Salva Kiir is known to civilians by his beard and hat.
Mathok said some would-be voters returned home without voting due to the confusion: “we hold NEC responsible for having distorted our president’s photo,” he said.
He also said that the name of Abraham Makor Bol Kodi was distorted by NEC. The name that appeared on the ballot was Abraham Jaki Kodi. In Cuei-cok polling station, the United Democratic Salvation Front Main Stream (UDSF/MS) symbol of a cow was missing in the ballot papers. This led one party supporter to slap the face of the state election high commissioner at his office in Rumbek. The angry supporter was by Southern Sudan police services.
The NEC announced that counting of ballots will begin Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.
DELAYED ARRIVAL OF BALLOT PAPERS
Various polling centers ran out of ballot papers in Yirol West county of Lakes state on April 12; two polling stations ran out ballot papers for the executive and geographic constituencies rush to nearby polling stations for the papers while they waited for more papers from the headquarters in Rumbek.
Polling went relatively well at centers in Yirol East County despite general difficulties related to the lack of civic voter education. Even so, two polling center including Arup Nyiel and Agapran did not receive election materials by Tuesday afternoon at least.
Another two polling stations in Rumbek Central County did not receive their ballots papers since the beginning. The two polling stations centers are Gemtel and airport.
LOW TURNOUT
Polling officers also said that many voters are still in the cattle camps and the message of the two days extension has not reached them, adding that the turn out was good on the first day but many people whose names were missing on lists remained discouraged after running from station to station checking for their name to vote but never managing to find their names on the list of any nearby polling station.
Cueibet County police commissioner Lt-Col, Isaac Mayuom Gop also said that youth are facing long distances from polling stations centers. He said that this is what is keeping them away and not the fear of being arrested by the army if they come to town. He said that there are no army soldiers present in Cueibet town at the moment. Women and elderly people were they majority who were casting ballots in Cueibet town on the first three days until youth finally showed up on the fourth day in small numbers.
According to a member of SPLM contesting for a seat in the Lakes state assembly, Jok Ayom Majak, those youth took part in bloody clashes last month with army soldiers but their party agents are talking to youth in the distant cattle camp to persuade them to come to cast their votes.
However, generally Lakes state has faced the problem that various polling centers are far away from each other. So when voters find that their names are missing on the list at one center they have to go a long way to check at another center, and this is discouraging. Cattle keepers staying at the far distances are not well informed. Meanwhile pregnant mothers and elderly people could not manage to cover long distances on foot.
‘WE NEED TO EAT IN ORDER TO WORK’
The staff at polling stations in Yirol East County and Yirol West county of Lakes state have bemoaned the lack of food, saying that the money allotted to them for feeding by NEC has already run out. Various polling centers visit by our correspondent in both twin counties of Yirol West and Yirol East says, several polling station officers said unless the question of feeding is addressed by NEC, work will not continue as normal. Mr. Emmanuel Mading Lual of Atiapa Constituency said “only Jesus was able to stay for a long time without eating,” explaining that Jesus managed to stay for 40 days in the wilderness with no food. “The money given to us by NEC are over and now we are suffering with staying without food or water provided to us.”
The polling officers also cited the lack of voter education saying only a few people are aware of what to do, including the identification of party symbols. International election observes are not seen in Yirol counties, or international media. Yirol East County has 69,466 registered voters, the highest in Lakes state while Yirol West registered 59,123 voters.
HARRASMENT AND ARRESTS IN RUMBEK EAST AND WULU COUNTIES
Wulu County and Rumbek East County of Lakes state witnessed harassment and arrests of people being carried out by military elements. The chairman of National Congress party (NCP) was arrested in Rumbek East with his driver. Additionally, two staff of a polling station of Pacong are behind bars. Moses Mading Majak, head of Pacong polling station with his staff are in police custody for unknown reasons, said Radio Rumbek FM-98.
In Wulu County, John Anyuon Abdual, a member of NCP contesting for parliament seat was also arrested by military personnel as well an independent candidate Moses Ater Manyiel who was detained for four hours and later on set free, said an NCP party official.
“The one man contesting with me sold me out to SPLA soldiers – I and NCP candidate Mr. Anyuon Manyang Abdalla, we were captured and later on I was released and the NCP member remains in jail – I was captured for no reason and later on after hours, I was released.”
Moses Manyiel affirmed on Tuesday that soldiers were involved in casting their votes in Wulu town polling station. “Is this true Deng Manyon will win this election in this way? If I win this election, I will do all necessary to SPLM, I will rejoin the SPLM if I win election. I am an original member of SPLM/A and I feel a lot of harassment at the moment since I decide to contest as an independent candidate… I am still standing with SPLA/M and I need peace and that is why I chosen my symbol as chicken but since I was arrested, there are signals of disagreement and I want all those differences to be given quick solution.”
However, the voting of SPLA soldiers was denied by a Wulu town polling center officer, saying that there are no soldiers who were allowed to cast their ballots other than those registered here in Wulu center as citizens.
The commissioner of Wulu County confirmed the arrest of an independent candidate in Wulu and he said that he had directed the SPLA area commander to release the independent candidate but he decline to talk about an NCP member who was arrested together with an independent candidate at the same time.
Meanwhile, Wulu County Commissioner Simon Waiwai Ali has a provisional order suspending all kinds of local alcoholic drink. The Wulu Commissioner noted that he had suspended the drinking of alcohol in order for the election to go on fairly without confusion from alcohol dealers. The order will expire after the election results are announced by NEC.
MORE ALLEGATIONS AND SPLM DENIAL
SPLM State Secretary Samuel Mathiang Keer affirmed that the army has not arrested anybody in this election. “Nowadays, we are under electoral law until the election finishes.” He added, “we don’t need violence in this election, we just need fair and free election and SPLM has confidence to win this election in high average.”
Mathew Mayor Ayuong, an NCP campaign manager, reported that since his arrival in Rumbek, his party members are reporting a lot of irregularities being carried out by SPLA forces.
Mathew Mayor affirmed that “in Rumbek East County, the campaign manager was arrested, Mr. Kuetweng Makuei and our car supporting work of election team was caught by SPLA soldiers and all were detain in Adual county headquarters, one of our staff was travelling was capture in Akot and all money sum 35,800 Sudanese pounds were confiscated including our car and now all those properties are in hand of SPLA custody. We have presented our case to NEC as well our office in Khartoum and we hope our properties will be brought back”.
Mayor noted saying that those monies confiscated had been earmarked for campaign work in Greater Yirol plus Awerial county. Upon release of leader Kutwong Makuei with his driver today, the money was nowhere to be seem.
“There is no fair election going on,” he said. “The SPLA are capturing our cars randomly and if you ask them, the answer you get that they are marking disarmament. We need independent observers to look into those irregularities.”
Rumbek East County Commissioner David Marial Gumke denied the allegations of the NCP campaign manger saying that “all those reports of arrest are not reported to me in my office – but I wonder when I hear news from NCP speaking on media about arrests — instead the NCP could come to my office to verify with us whether their members are arrested in my county, but they just rush to media.”
STATE-OWNED RADIO FM-98 BIASED
The Radio Director says that they have given more time for music instead of news because they are under heavy pressure from the state government. In this week, Johnson Lago Machot, a Radio Rumbek FM-98 studio technician was arrested by state security allegedly for having sold audio of the presidential candidates to the NCP campaign manager. Lago denied having sold the audio of a campaign speech of Salva Kiir to the NCP campaign manager.
Furthermore, on Thursday, Sudan Radio Services’ Victor Luaganya was arrested by state security when he was found taking pictures in the market. The SRS correspondent has an National Elections Commission accreditation card but state security seemed not to care for such a card.
CHURCHMEN CALL ELECTION ‘MEANINGFUL’
Two indigenous Catholic priests have said that the ongoing elections are preparing the way for the referendum of Southern Sudan. Fr. Benjamin Madol and Fr. Andrea Osman are Sudanese Catholic priests belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek (DOR) and took part in the ongoing process of choosing political leaders for Sudan.
The two clergymen said Thursday that election is a meaningful pointer towards the much anticipated referendum. Fr. Benjamin, a military chaplain based in Juba, said he is most certain of the independence of Southern Sudan at the referendum. Fr. Andrea Osman, Vicar General of Rumbek Diocese, acknowledged the role of the media in bringing about awareness to voters. He however remarked that the election process itself was characterized with many logistical challenges, highlighting illiteracy among most of the voters and describing them as “confused.”
Fr. Andrea appealed to the politicians and their supporters to accept the results, adding that if one does not go through now, there will be another chance in future. Fr. Benjamin looks upon the elected leaders to bring about the rule of law and resolve the problem of insecurity.
(ST)