Western Equatoria State’s Legislative Assembly forms referendum task force

October 28, 2010 (YAMBIO) – Western Equatoria State Legislative Assembly (WESLA) in its second sitting on Tuesday 26th October 2010 formed a referendum task force charged with educating potential voters.

In January South Sudan will hold a referendum to determine whether it will remain part of a united Sudan or form a new nation.

Speaking to legislators, Bukulu Edward Mandeson, Western Equatoria’s speaker said that, “as days count down for the self determination exercise; WESLA has a great role to play in the sensitization of the communities in their respective geographical constituencies for the success of the referendum.”

He encouraged the honorable members “to take [the] lead in the awareness of the importance of the referendum.”

The south’s referendum was a key part of a 2005 peace agreement between the dominant parties of north and south Sudan.

It is widely expected that the autonomous region, which has rarely been at peace with the north since Sudan’s independence in 1956, will vote to become the world’s newest country.

The Deputy Speaker of the assembly, Stephen Kayanga was elected as the head of a “State Assembly Referendum Task Force,” responsible for educating voters about the plebiscite.

Four of the MPs on the task force are female.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune, the elected head of the state Assembly referendum task force, Stephen Kayanga said “this is the result of the one day workshop conducted by the GOSS (Government of southern Sudan) Minister of Parliamentary affairs, Michael Makue Lueth, on the referendum to MPs in WES (Western Equatoria state).”

Once campaigning begins he said “it will be high time for all the honorable members to visit their constituencies to enlighten the communities on the process of the referendum.”

The Chairperson of Referendum Commission subcommittee Yambio county Modi Enosa, told that assembly that she had visited Bangasu payam (ward) to form a subcommittee tasked with carrying referendum programs in the area.

She encouraged the elected members to be courageous in executing their work, and be active if summoned to run some activities as needed by the referendum committee.

Voter registration is scheduled to begin on November 14 and last until December 24.

Campaigning will begin on December 7, and the final voters’ list will be published on December 31.

On Wednesday the head of the head of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission said that conducting the referendum process in the time remaining would be a complete miracle.

Mohamed Ibrahim Khalil made the remarks following a meeting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum with the First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayadrit who is also the president of southern Sudan government.

(ST)