April 2010 elections in Southern Sudan a test of maturity

By Jacob K. Lupai

May 2, 2010 — Southern Sudan is a nation in waiting. However, its formal status as the newest independent nation on the political map of the world will be determined by the result of a referendum on 9 January 2011. In the referendum southerners will be asked to choose either the South to separate from the North to become an independent nation in its own right or to remain united with the North for a united Sudan.

It may be important to underline that the South would have voted for a united Sudan in the referendum but it has become abundantly clear that the North is not interested in a united Sudan that is secular and non-racial as a compromise with the South. The South does not want dogmatic Puritanism to be imposed on people what the holy even failed to achieve in their life time. The South option for a secular constitution that caters for all regardless of religion and race makes separation the preferred option to leave the North alone with all its religious bigotry and Arab racist overtones.

A united Sudan based on the perception of the predominant Arab Islamic North is in essence a divided Sudan. The North perception of a united Sudan is that of an Arab Islamic nation. It is here that no amount of rhetoric on equality in Sudan can convince the non-Arab Islamic southerners to vote for a united Sudan that will be nothing but discriminatory. Will any of the prominent houses in the North marry one of their daughters to a non-Arab Islamic southerner? It is only the opportunists that can convince themselves. Equality for a non Muslim in a united Sudan under Islamic Sharia as strongly advocated by all the prominent houses and political establishment in the North will always remain a dream extremely distant from reality. Only rigging in the referendum may create an artificial united Sudan which anyway will be on the verge of renewed hostilities. This must be taken seriously.

The April 2010 elections started with a massive confusion but ended peacefully. Many voters were stranded but perseverance paid off at the end. Eventually people were satisfied that they made history by voting in the April 2010 elections. Some did so for the first time in their lives. Although some intimidation was reported here and there in general the peaceful nature of the elections demonstrated that southerners have come of age. They demonstrated total maturity, something others try to down play to portray the South as incapable to govern itself or to manage its own affairs. This carefully stage-managed negative attitude towards the South is simply to sow a seed of lack of confidence in the South that is emerging as a vibrant independent nation with its people determined to succeed at any cost.

Elections started on 11 and ended on 15 April after a two days extension to ensure a high rate of voting for credible results. On 26 April the elections results were announced by the National Election Commission (NEC). At the national level Omar Hassan El Bashir was declared president-elect by 68 per cent of the votes and at the regional level Salva Kiir Mayardit was declared president-elect of the government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) by 93 per cent of the votes. The challenger for the presidency of the GOSS was Dr Lam Akol Ajawin. Many had predicted that Lam Akol would be a miserable failure in the April 2010 elections. However, Lam Akol’s ardent supporters had other ideas. In their minds defunct of analytical skills they boasted that Lam Akol would be the next president of the GOSS with a margin of landslide victory. Naively and only known for being boastful they cited the alleged corruption and incompetence of the GOSS under Salva Kiir Mayardit as the likely factors to swing the voters to Lam Akol. What the naive supporters of Lam Akol did not understand was that total freedom from Arab Islamic hegemony was the main concern of the electorate. The electorate must have perceived Lam Akol’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) as a junior partner of the National Congress Party (NCP), the artichect of the application of Islamic Sharia in Sudan which condemns southerners in the national capital to a life of misery. Lam Akol paid dearly for his perceived double dealing. However, Lam Akol is not a quitter but a fighter. People will not be surprised when Lam Akol returns as he did in rejoining the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) after having defected to the NCP.

The results of the elections seem to suggest that tribalism took the back seat while freedom the front one. It was obvious that Salva Kiir Mayardit was seen as a freedom fighter while Lam Akol might have been seen as a traitor. Putting up a brave face Lam Akol denounced the result of the election for the presidency of the GOSS but instead congratulated Omar Hassan El Basher on being president-elect of Sudan. One would have expected Lam Akol to concede defeat gracefully and as a sign of maturity he could have congratulated Salva Kiir Mayardit on being popularly elected as the president of the GOSS. Lam Akol even did not get one eighth of the votes cast. Getting a mere 7 per cent of the votes suggests that Lam Akol was rejected by the electorate. It is fair to say that Lam Akol should have blamed his dubious stand in relation to the freedom of the people of Southern Sudan. His naive supporters should better take note of this. It will take Lam Akol another five or so years to convince the electorate in the South of his credibility as truly a freedom fighter, development-oriented and faire-minded. For now Lam Akol is in political wilderness in the South.
Another test of maturity in the April 2010 elections was in electing the governor of Central Equatoria State (CES). There were five candidates for the governorship of CES. However, two emerged as strong contestants, the incumbent governor Major General Clement Wani Konga and an independent candidate Lt General Alfred Ladu Gore, formerly the GOSS presidential advisor on diplomacy. The results of the elections put Major General Clement Wani Konga as governor-elect of CES. This, however, left Lt General Alfred Ladu Gore fuming that victory was snatched from him unfairly. The problem is that many may not understand that with the results of the elections officially announced by the NEC few options may exist to overturn the results. One way forward is for people to accept the results in order to move on as a united front to address the most burning issues of the day such as the destiny of the South in 2011 and the eradication of poverty in CES in particular and in the South in general.

In thanksgiving prayers on the 1st May at his residence the governor-elect of CES extended a hand of peace and reconciliation to his opponents. He apologized if he had crossed others during the elections campaign. The governor-elect urged people to unite as the door to freedom has become closer than before in our history of struggle. He cautioned people against rumour mongering. For Lt General Alfred Ladu Gore his campaign slogan in the April 2010 elections was “Fundamental Change” and indeed the Church Leader officiating the thanksgiving prayers urged the governor-elect to embark on fundamental change. The Church Leader requested the governor-elect to rely on credible advisors, people who are not psycopants, lacking in self-esteem and are not attention seekers gossiping about others to win favours. The Church Leader added that the governor-elect would benefit by being a good listener. On his part the governor-elect showed a high degree of leadership and maturity by appealing to all the citizens of CES to join hands for the sake of CES. He said he did not have ill-feelings against Lt General Alfred Ladu Gore and offered an apology if he had uttered anything negative in the campaign rallies.

As the governor-elect has come that far in his apologies in public it is also in order for Lt General Alfred Ladu Gore to reciprocate to promote harmony for reconciliation to take place in the best interest of CES and the South at large. It is here that we may need the intervention of community leaders, elders and CES intelligentsia to defuse any potentially explosive situation that others may take advantage of. Central Equatoria State is unique in that the GOSS, the regional capital, the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly and foreign missions are all based here. As Central Equatoria State is unique it should be exemplary and should never be seen as consisting of people fighting over positions. It is not an over-exaggeration to assert that Equatorian civility is in abundance.

The overall assessment is that the April 2010 elections in Southern Sudan were carried out with a high degree of maturity. Although the results of the elections were received with some mixed feelings, the general mood of the people was good. Salva Kiir Mayardit overwhelming victory in the elections produced a celebratory mood throughout the South. In CES the message is clear. The next CES administration should be seen to be different from the previous one. Gossiping and self-centeredness should have no place in the new administration. The way forward is to be scientifically objective.

In conclusion with all that having been said I extend my congratulations to Omar Hassan El Bashir and Salva Kiir Mayardit on being presidents-elect of Sudan and of the GOSS respectively, to Major General Clement Wani Konga governor-elect of CES and to all successful candidates in the April 2010 elections. The next step is reconciliation with opponents for a united front against the common enemies, marginalization in all its forms and poverty which is the main cause of household food insecurity in Southern Sudan.

The author can be reached at [email protected]