General Aturjong heeds calls seeking his return to SPLM after elections

June 21, 2010 (JUBA) – A former independent candidate, who contested for gubernatorial position in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state during the April elections, has expressed his willingness to return to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

General Dau Aturjong Nyuol, who went to the poll independently after failing to secure approval of his candidature by the party’s Political Bureau, the highest political organ in the SPLM hierarchy, accepted calls on him to return to the Southern Sudan’s ruling party.

This came following a meeting last week between him and the Southern Sudan President, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, who reiterated his call on him to forgive and return to the party.

Calling for burial and forgiveness of the past, the SPLM chairman Salva Kiir, in the meeting he had with General Dau and Sultan Abdalbagi Ayii Akol, among other leading political leaders from Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, said the South had a lot of issues to resolve as people with one identity.

“We have a lot to resolve together with one identity as South Sudanese people in order to create conducive political ground for conduct of the referendum and other post referendum arrangements,” he told Dau.

“I would prefer that you come to Juba to once again meet and discuss with you some other issues and how to forge new understanding,” Kiir said, adding that elections are now over.

In response to this repeated presidential call on him, Dau over the weekend in Khartoum held a series of meetings and telephone conferences with prominent members of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state, both inside and outside the country to deliberate over his political decision.

Dr. Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol told Sudan Tribune that the meetings and telephone conferences they have held over the past weeks were all organized to respond to persistent calls to forget and forgive all what have been created by elections for the sake of peace and stability in the South.

“We have had a lot of political meetings with senior members of the SPLM who have shown interest in reconciliations,” he added.

This started with Dr. Majak D’ Agok, Deng Alor Kuol, Lual Deng Kuel, just to name but a few, all on behalf of the President Salva Kiir Mayardit with single and repeated message calling on us to forget and forgive differences created by elections,” said Dr. Dhieu. He revealed that they have accepted these calls and ready to work for reconciliation and promotion of peace for successful conduct of referendum.

“We have accepted these calls and have now started working for possible ways to forget and reconcile for successful conduct of the upcoming referendum,” he said.

On his part, General Dau said he did not go away from the SPLM and so he is not returning from anywhere. “People should not think that I am returning from anywhere. I did not go anywhere. I only contested elections independently in response to the call made by our people because the system did not allow two candidates to contest for the same position,” he explained.

He said he did not give an official resignation to the SPLM though he resigned from the position he held as army General as required by the 2008 electoral law. “I only resigned from the position I held in the army because it was a requirement by elections commission but not my membership in the SPLM,” he said.

Dau further reaffirmed his loyalty and respect to the people of Southern Sudan and northern Bahr el Ghazal state in particular. “I reaffirm my loyalty to the people of Southern Sudan at large and people of Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in particular. This is why I have accepted their calls because leaders are part of people. There are no leaders without people and there are no people without leaders,” he pointed out.

“When I went to the poll independently, I did not do so because I wanted to be governor but I was responding to calls made by majority and that was why I went,” he continued.

Asked whether he held any personal grudges with the incumbent governor Paul Malong Awan Anei, who defeated him during the elections, he denied holding any personal grudges with the governor.

“I do not remember instances I have differed with him over an issue to create personal grudges. We just conducted elections because we were official candidates responding to different calls. He was the official nominee of the SPLM and I was the official nominee of the local people who wanted to be empowered by electing leaders of their choice,” he said, declining to comment further.

(ST)