SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
August 8, 2010 (JUBA/KHARTOUM) — The Secretary General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and minister of Peace and CPA Implementation in the government of South Sudan (GoSS), Pagan Amum, has refuted media reports attributed to him saying that the referendum for the South would be postponed for another six months until July 2011.
Amum allegedly made the remarks during his recent visit to Cairo at the invitation of the Egyptian government which hosted talks between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in control of North Sudan and the SPLM.
At a press statement in Juba International Airport on his way to Khartoum on Sunday, Amum said the report published by the newspapers was not true stressing that he is opposed to rescheduling the referendum describing the report as unfounded.
The SPLM official Amum said the two parties in Cairo agreed to hold the referendum in time by January 2011.
“Any attempt to delay the referendum would be considered as reneging on the CPA. If the referendum is not possible or obstructed, this will invoke other articles in the agreement [CPA], that’s why we said in the agreement that there are other mechanisms, one of them for example could be that the parliament of southern Sudan take over the process of organizing the referendum fully without the north if obstruction is coming from the north” said Amum at a press conference in Khartoum.
A senior GoSS official reached by Sudan Tribune affirmed Amum’s position saying that he has no knowledge of any agreement on postponing the referendum.
The referendum is part of the internationally sponsored 2005 peace agreement that ended more than 20 years of civil war between the north and the south, which left 2 million people dead and more than twice that number displaced.
Southerners have increasingly shown eagerness for the key vote to materialize and opt for independence as most observers anticipate to be the outcome. The NCP has been campaigning extensively over the last few months to convince Southerners to vote for unity by inaugurating developmental projects and also warning of the dangers of breaking up Sudan.
On Saturday, Tarek Osman Al-Tahir, a member of the referendum commission at the headquarters in Khartoum told reporters that some arrangements required in the conduct of referendum will have to be skipped if the vote was to be held as planned in January.
He said that the referendum law states that completion of voters’ registration and publication should be done in three months lead time.
“This is impossible with the time left at the moment. We have only two choices left: skip some of the procedures, which would be unacceptable because it could affect the endorsement of the referendum result or resort to the other choice of a limited delay to the referendum timetable to complete these procedures,” said Al-Tahir.
Infuriated by the remarks, Deng Achuil Wol, a senior official from the regional government of South Sudan currently visiting Khartoum, told Sudan Tribune that all these suggestions are political tactics meant to delay conduct of the referendum in favour of unity.
“There is no time left also for this cheap political propaganda. This is not the commission talking. This is NCP talking because they have seen southern Sudanese preparing overwhelmingly to vote against unity. They can conspire here and there but they will not succeed. Nobody in south Sudan is ready to buy this cheap political campaign. The referendum must be conducted on the 9th of January 2011 as stipulated in the agreement whether the SPLM or NCP likes it or not. This is not about them anymore but future of our region and generations to come,” said Mr. Wol.
Today, the deputy Chairperson of Southern Sudan referendum commission, Chan Rec Madut also downplayed chances for moving the referendum date.
In an interview with Sudan Tribune from Juba on Sunday, Madut said that there has been no official request from either of the two parties in this regard noting that preparations are continuing and that they are in the process of wrapping up a tour of Southern states.
“We are concluding visits to all states of southern Sudan and we are in daily contact with the head office on administrative issues” he added.
Madut said that all ten states of southern Sudan have been asked to nominate people they would like to be appointed as head of high executive committees required to be in the state as focal points.
“The states need to identify people they would like to be appointed as head of the executive committees at earliest date possible because we are competing with the time,” he said.
(ST)
Dinka Boy
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
Dear South Sudanese/SPLM/A,
Nobody will phospone the CPA,and if it happened then those sponsors are playing with gas flame. Pagan Amum is our leader whom we trust for decades during the war and he knows every single step about CPA and the SPLM/A manifest. Thanks for you hard work ever since.
According to Dinka traditions, when they planned for an attack, it’s often accompanied by organized war dances before the actual conflicts start. Now, the referendum that was promised in the CPA has no other alternative rather to make the final war dance if the NCP want it that way, or they allowed us to vote freely without their influence.
Frankly, NCP has complicated the issues of referendum, but we have no ears to listen to them at this critical time, never. Certainly, this has been very clear from the speeches of the second Vice-president of Sudan-Ali Taha and the Arab elites against the stake of South. The SPLM/A is not sleeping because our problem with the North has been identified by our late leader Dr.John Garang de Mabior. Now, it will be our turn to vote for secession and make this the final war dances that will be equal to the 21 years of war in the Sudan.
“I and those who join me in bush and fought for more than twenty years have brought to you this CPA in a golden plate. Our mission is accomplished. It’s now your turn, especially those who did not have a chance to experience bush life. When time comes to vote at referendum, it’s your golden choice to determine your fate. Would you like to vote to be second class citizens in your own country? It’s absolutely your choice” by Dr Garang “This peace is not for Dr John Garang, Taha, or president Omer El Bashir, this peace belongs to all of Sudanese, to its neighbors, to Africans, and to the world. Dr Garang”.
DASODIKO
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
Dear Readers
Most of you read the news story where the NCP owned newspapers Akhir Lahza said undisclosed offecial of SPLM/A; said that the referandum might be responded.
These are just expression of lost dreams from the side of Islamist after they realized that the wheel of seperation is moving very fastwhen they failed to give sense of belonging to the people of South Sudan and other marginalized areas. I also read story on the same day that Ghandur the NCP man shed fox tears before the journalists when he was speaking about the referandum.
I am waiting to see all North Arab to shed collective tears that will fill the River Nile when the rest of the marginalized areas reached the independent South Sudan in the near future times.
telfajbago
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
To delay it for what, so as to give NCP more time to instigate conflicts and arm more militias in the South? More than half century had not made this damned unity attractive between South and the north, what will six months do? Go a head comrade SG the people of south Sudan and the marginalized groups of Sudan are on your back.
unity state boy
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
Is not good to phosphone the referendum in sudaan ,just be strong for our right we southern .
You ours leader in south sudan you open your eyes for this referendum.we know that there are some people who did not want referendum,
I got some one is talking about Nasir ,my friend do not recallback those histories ,if you are go back for those thing you will not be in comfortable place that you are now .
Thank
by Amen in UK
unity state boy
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
To all Nuer you be patients this is your time your now almost left some months you have to achieve the goal as you know from the history the fool man will dea like not thing there will be no s.p.l.m we will form the reality goverment this SPM its for orphans dinkas they will beg you every soon in South Sudan as well as we know that they are beggers
NB for the case of referendum it is not a victim not thing like postphone for the chance those who will do it so let their family prepared theirs feniral befe they pass Ngundeng is available to kill the elephants those who move from house to housese
by
Amen
in UK
Haak
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
i think this brutal untrained journalist they need to be informed on media ethics, does it mean they can’t imagine how southern sudanese could react to any word intending to affect referendum? please local media guys allowed me to advise all of you on consequences of wrong if not miscommunication of any information to public, be inform that the live of citizens is in your hands, i trust and believe that Amum Pagan can’t say, only stupid journalist who want to take people to blood shed can post that to media, Amum we are 2gather.
thanks
Haakamadology!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ogopadj
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
If I were some of these dumb ass idiots, who comment of ST, I would go back to school and take ESL (English as a Second Language) class.
Edit your idiotic work before you post it here please. This is a public site!!! Geezzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!
American Missile.
SPLM moves quickly to dismiss referendum postponement reports
Dear People.
To those who wish to delay the Referendum, will face the music because they want to take us back to the old wounds which are almost to healed.
It is shame on them and they tell us to declared our indepedent which we shall not hesitate to do so.we have so many options, one we can declare our State immediately.we shall negotiates with them.”what goes around come around”.
Let you not panic before God,these are the challenges we usually talk about.
Freedom Activist
Majok Akotdit.