SANU leader gets support amid criticism over unity remarks

July 30, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – An opposition party leader in Southern Sudan has urged the people of the region to vote for unity of Sudan.

Toby Madut Parek, leader of the Sudan African National Union (SANU) urged Southern Sudanese citizens to vote for a united Sudan in the upcoming referendum process in order to avoid Southern Sudan divided to smaller and weaker states.

Madut who gets support from traditional leaders in Khartoum, though he is the second political figure to battle it out with criticism against remarks favoring unity from southern based politicians.

Former Sudanese foreign affairs minister, Lam Akol Ajawin, is alleged to have appeared the first southern political figure to issue strong warning against secession from the north, warning that the new state would adopt Somalia style.

He reportedly called on political parties and marginalized people of Sudan who would not like Southern Sudan fragmented into pieces to work for unity and diversity of the country. He further accused some of religious leaders of having taken sides instead of neutral positions.

While some people took his remark as an expression of dissatisfaction with performance of the SPLM led regional government of southern Sudan, others viewed it as betrayal stance, hence accusing him of allegedly having been bought by the ruling National Congress Party to come out openly in support of unity.

Aguer Kuel, from Juba, however told Sudan Tribune that although Dr. Toby sounded surely worried about a possible fragmentation of Southern Sudan into ungovernable units should it be allowed to secede from the north, he would prefer giving ordinary people an opportunity to decide for themselves best choice between the two options.

“Politicians have spoken a lot and it is the time they should allow ordinary people to try their best instead of uttering confusing statements,” he said.

Echoing the call for unity, Chief Deng Anei, at Hai Yousif in Khartoum urged Southern Sudanese potential voters in his area to turn up in big numbers during registration process to vote for unity of the country and ignore the people that campaign against it.

He said the two parties to the CPA were the first to agree on giving unity first priority which means they are simply telling people to vote for united Sudan.

“They discussed and agreed to bury division and political hatred in Sudan by proposing unity. If we need peace, unity, and stability for prosperity, then all citizens are expected to abide by their agreement in order to preserve peace and stability,” he added.

Anei accused southern politicians of allegedly possessing so many colors to campaign against unity and blamed them for allegedly surrendering future of Southern Sudan to outsiders who act against the will of the people they claim to represent.

“Our leaders say one thing in Khartoum and another in the south. Their voices are never the same. You can hear them talk about unity here and talk secretly about separation in the south. They are never open,” he said.

Engineer William Othwon, also raised similar concerns about what he termed as the anti-unity group. “Unity means development. We cannot achieve our goals such as having better roads, schools, water, hospitals, and donors’ support without peace and stability in the country,” he said.

“It is a pity that those campaigning against unity are not giving convincing reasons, instead they are misleading people,” he pointed out, praising the northern dominant party, the National Congress Party (NCP) for the admirable economic and political achievements.

The government [national government] is determined to ensure that all towns in Southern Sudan including small villages have social services including electricity in order to reduce poverty and create employment in the region. This is why the government opened Maridi reservoir and Mangala river port. It is the shift of developmental projects to the south,” he explained.

(ST)