SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
By Ngor Arol Garang
November 14, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Southern Sudanese residing in the neighboring country of Uganda are being advised by the regions ruling party not to register to vote in the regions referendum on independence due to take place in January.
Moses Larco Duku Lomayat, an information officer in the office president of South Sudan, in an email message seen by Sudan Tribune, said that he had travelled to northern Uganda to tell southern Sudanese living there not to register amid fears of pro-unity vote rigging.
He accused officials from north Sudan of issuing national identification cards and other documents required for voter registration to people who were not Southern Sudanese.
If over 40% of registered voters do not turn out when polling begins on January 9 then the result will be declared invalid under the referendum laws passed by the Sudanese parliament.
Voter registration is due to begin on Monday 15 November.
Lomayat said that the northern officials were hoping to register people who would then not cast a vote, increasing the likelihood that the threshold of 60% participation by registered voters required by referendum law would not be met.
In the email Lomayat said:
I had an urgent Mission Trip to Northern Uganda this morning. I left Nairobi very early this morning to Kampala and proceeded to Northern Uganda and back to Kampala few minutes ago. The Mission was to asses and to enlighten our people NOT TO REGISTER. The idea was overwhelmingly accepted by all South Sudanese.
Lomayat wrote that the decision to boycot registration in Uganda by southerners living there was appreciated:
Our entire people of South Sudan who are in Uganda have decided to boycott the Referendum Registration Process; in which they have made a right decision at the right time which is much accepted and appreciated by many people in South Sudan. Once again; their decision is very much appreciated by the all our people across the globe, especially those in Juba.
The Sudanese government in Khartoum is campaigning for a vote against separation, whereas the southern government in Juba led by the former rebels the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) is largely seen as in favor of separation.
Acuil Malith Banggol, SPLM Secretary, for Popular and Syndicated Organizations in southern Sudan in another email seen by Sudan Tribune, on Sunday suggested that south Sudanese in the Diaspora should not register.
He said that if they register but it later proves difficult to vote they could play a part ‘against meeting the 60% threshold’ needed for a legitimate result.
Instead of registering he advised southern Sudanese ‘to mobilize the communities and governments hosting you to timely recognize the results.’
The boycott responding to fears of pro-unity vote rigging coincided with press statement by Mohamed Ibrahim Khalil, chairperson of the referendum commission that voter registration in Egypt, United States and Australia will be delayed due to the number of complaints received by southern Sudanese living abroad.
The head of the body charged with responsibility of organizing conduct of the exercise also added that in Northern states, prospective voters might have to move to areas with high number of south Sudanese for registration. However, he affirmed that preparations for registration in the south had been completed.
Most voting will take place in the south but southerners living in the north of the country and those living outside Sudan will also be able to vote. Polling centers will be set up depending on whether enough people register to take part in the referendum.
The vote is the culmination of a 2005 peace deal between north and south that ended over two decades of civil war that resulted in the death of two million people according the UN.
Senior members of the government of south Sudan have called for the creation of more registration and polling centers in Sudan and abroad.
With preparations for the referendum way behind schedule, many of the Southern Sudanese, both inside the country have increasingly expressed concerns over the process.
(ST)
AUGUSTINO DENG
SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
The message appeared above of boycotting voter registration in Uganda by the SPLM is something that I really appreciate. First of all, to vote is not the key fundemental to solve our issue which commence in 1983 until this current time. I don’t think at all whether voting will do anything to us we Southern Sudanese people. I heard a lot of Southern Sudanese people are feeling more delighted when hearing the vote to be done in January 2011.
Dear fellow brothers and sisters, this vote is just a blind fooling vote regardless whether it was been signed during the CPA or not. Can anyone of you believe that if Southerners vote and passed the vote for instance, do you think that the Arabs or the Khartoum Government will acknowledge this vote? So, the same thing again if the Khartoum Government passed the vote, then SPLM will not tolerate it as a righteous vote demand. So, both SPLM and NCP are all still standing in the radical line of war which incase if any one of these two parties passsed the vote, then the other party will not missed to carry the war.
So, in this point, there is nothing more substantial that I can see when people cast their vote into the box of their prospective candidate either Salva Kiir Miyardit or Omar Hussein Beshir. The only big mistakes that I saw the SPLM have committed is the rejection of an arrestment of Omar Hussein Beshir and leaving the young people of Southern Sudanese people who are in Khartoum from not being trained how to operate guns and how to fight the enemies. I know that some people said we can not go to the war again, but we need peace. By the way, how can you need peace and the person whom you wanted to do peace together with him is not interested in peace? Peace, as a word, come when there is a war and war end when there is a peace. Therefore, peace is like a brother and sister. If Arabs from Khartoum Government don’t wanted the peace, then there is no way in which the SPLM/SPLA can do their own peace. The only option is to go to war and I agree with that.
If the Southern Sudanese people think that there is a peace, then why the Government of Khartoum attacked the people in Meluth County, Abyei, Ruweng Biemnom, Panaruu and bombarded the civilians in Aweil assuming that they are looking for Darfurian people in the region of Northern Bhar-el-ghazel? Why they don’t bombed Khartoum? Are the people of Darfurian not dwelling in Khartoum? There is no peace at all and whoever think that there is a peace he is hoping nothing. My advise to all Southern Sudanese young men is that, if you are not trained as a military, then I need you to get trained as soon as possible so that you can know how to operate guns and know how to tackle your enemies’s tactics. “Where there is war, where there is a respect always”.
By Augustino Deng. Jech la mer from Tharpam.
okucu pa lotinokwan
SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
Why the close neighbour like Uganda,some of them are still for unity with the Arab.
that means the supporter of Joseph Kony are very many on the ground in northern Uganda since Kony is getting his support from Khartoun.
Therefore the government of South sudan should be more careful in handling this case otherwise many will come to Juba.
OKUCU PA LOTINOKWAN
Antipas Gorom
SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
It really true that if one is a “tourist in brain she/he is an asset” this can be attested by voiciferous Diaspora group, especially the elite whose their horizons are disilluted.among all the agents of UN, IOM WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LAST TO get any mandate in Sudan’s referendum.
1- their work is resettlement of the asylum seekers and refugee not driving them back home forcefully’ i mean forced decision by Khartoum and being implemented by IOM.
2- if at all they are in charge of refugees,do the know how many Urban refugees who have never been regisered by UNHCR, the would-be agent? this shows IOM is driving on a wrong gear.
3- if at all Sudan knew that we were going to vote, why were we not counted during census? this would have been the base line to project the number and the likely voting age! but is was not done.
4-During the April elections, we did not vote for the south- sudan elections, both presdentials and parliamentaries at all levels. this means that the south sudanese should not vote in the referendum.
5- If IOM is doing this process because of its status as a neutral partner, does it know that South Sudan have autonomy to an extent of having Liaison offices. do IOM expect our government officials to register and vote in refugees’ centers as IOMand Khartoum assumed? this rediculous,Diplomats are states agents who can be respected and they can make decision on behave of their home Government. this what the should. Rferendum is not elections and complicated, the 60% can be attained even if you allow me to register and vote! this can be called 100% of the registerd voter! this is it true with Diaspora, the can abstain and allow south to register and vote and they will make it. elites always play brain game let’s do it.
With Such few points, i sugest that South Sudanese in Diaspora and parts of Africa should not register not only Egypt but 8 countries designated for the plebiscite.Let;s abstain from this trick and lets advice IOM to know its own jurisdiction and maintains neutrality though we are interdependent. IOM should not sit on the right of movement of south-sudanese who are seeking asylum! now processes of resettlement has been very slow especially south sudanese since 2005. this is what might had been in the nutshell.
The writer is a Sudanese graduate at Makerere Universty Uganda, Politcal science.
this letter is objective as seen in the five points above.
makuei
SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
Guys in the diaspora, chill out. Take everything cool and don’t feel bad for not participating in a national exercise. Sudan Embassies existing in the respective countries where you are now are being inhabitted by Arabs. They won’t allow you exercise your right in a free, fair and exciting atmosphere.
I urge you to trust we the people on the ground. We’ll do it to your expectation and satisfaction. Our Country is almost born.
Raphael Makuei
Abraham Majur Lam
SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
Uganda Referendum Boycott has nothing to do with SPLM as the reports but it was a decision my Southern Sudan Coordination Committee on Referendum. It is made up by Community leaders all 10 states of Southern Sudan. Who is interesting accusing SPLM and who it upon himself from SPLM member does at his/her own will.
LOJUBA
SPLM tell Southern Sudanese in Uganda to boycott voter registration
THIS is a right IDEA, am now in KENYA, BUT AM MAKING MY WAY TO JUBA TO REGISTER THERE NOT HERE, I HAVE BEEN TELLING SOUTHERS WHO ARE HERE BETTER TO GO BACK IF THEY HAVE MEANS, I BELIEVE ANY THING MIGHT HAPPEN OUT SIDE SOUTH SUDAN.
LONG LIVE OUR SEPARATION LONG LIVE SOUTH SUDAN
LONG LIVE OUR UNITY
LONG LIVE SPLA/SPLM