SPLM’s Amum accuses NCP of dragging its feet on South Sudan referendum
May 6, 2010 (JUBA) — The Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Pagan Amum, has accused the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir of showing reluctance on conducting the Southern Sudan referendum scheduled to take place early next year.
As part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 deal, Southern Sudan is scheduled to hold referendum on January 9, 2011 to determine whether to remain part of the united Sudan or choose their political destiny as new independent nation.
Representatives from both northern and southern ruling parties have already been identified to supervise and monitor arrangements related to the referendum process.
However, formation of the commission responsible for overseeing the referendum process, remains one of the contentious issues.
This slowness in establishing the commission raised concerns within SPLM which pointed fingers at NCP officials accusing them of tactically and deliberately delaying it in order to push back the referendum.
In remarks delivered to the press today in Juba, Amum, expressed his frustration that the elected Southern Sudan parliament may run the referendum process in the South if the NCP continues to hinder the establishment of referendum commission.
“If the National Congress party continues to employ delaying tactics to the conduct of the referendum as scheduled, the elected parliament in southern parliament may hold a referendum without the participation of the NCP,” Amum said.
The influential figure within the SPLM political structure further said that some members within the NCP executive organs leadership are hindering the commission’s formation. He is also reported to have ruled out any possibility of presidency coming out with a decision concerning its formation within coming days.
“The NCP is unwilling to hold the referendum as scheduled despite what its leader’s statements to the contrary,” Amum said confirming also that SPLM will participate in the upcoming central government.
Political consensuses have been reached between the two parties and that SPLM has agreed to participate in the upcoming government with a representation of 30 per cent, based on a political agreement with the NCP, he explained.
He further told reporters that the SPLM will actively participate in the governments of both Blue Nile and South Kordofan states to help the citizens of the two areas hold popular consultations.
Reacting to Amum’s statement, a senior member of the NCP, identified as Abdel Rahman Al Khalifa, reportedly told UN owned Radio Miraya FM that his party remains committed to holding southern referendum on time.
He is also reported to have stressed that the SPLM cannot take a unilateral decision to hold the referendum and described issuance of such statements as political intentions to blackmail the public and leadership of the two parties from giving attention that would help reach an understanding to settle issues pending discussions.
The SPLM SG also suggested that maintaining Sudan’s is contingent upon the NCP abandoning Islamic law.
“We cannot talk about unity in a system that works [based] on exclusion, inequality and unfair distribution of wealth revenue” he said.
The NCP has vehemently rejected any talk about scrapping the Islamic law at a meeting organized by Cairo late last year.
Amum also criticized remarks by Bashir in which he said that he will hand Sudan to future generations “in a united form”.
“Some think they inherited Sudan from their grandfathers but the fact is that the current Sudan was formed after the British”.
(ST)