Please Southern women, register and vote

By Isaiah Abraham

November 19, 2010 — The political future for the people of Southern Sudan will be determined in less than 52 days. The journey that started centuries ago is about to end in January 2011. The focus now is whether the people of the South can actually win this round of ‘war’ (voting) in an overwhelming and convincing passion. The task is entirely left to our people (Southerners) to prove to Khartoum in particular that the will of the people of Southern Sudan for freedom is much greater than the suffering and loss attached therein during the cause of the struggle. We had lived in political limbo for ages and the time for a Southerner to feel human has come. People have started to shed tears of joy during the registration exercise, what does this tells you about the whole caboodle?

The registration process to be precise is one last ‘hurdle’ the negotiations put on the road for our freedom. This should be exciting! Then there was Census and in April this year we did an election, two most challenges ‘hurdles’ during the interim period. Now the culmination is the voting earlier next year through a small card known as voting card. The card is attained through registration, and if you don’t have one, you illegible. I acquired one and will take care of it, now close to my heart in my jacket/coat wherever I go, how about you?

On Tuesday the 15/11/2010 therefore, the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission started to register the eligible people of the South for the crucial vote on January 9, 2011. Centers are designated in our Counties and Payams. Enough ground works have been made by concerned people. People were expected to come and register, and indeed the turned out as far as men is concerned has just been fantastic. But one big section of our society named as females/women aren’t registering in good numbers, why? 95% of registered candidates are men, especially the age bracket of 40 and above. Across referendum registration centers, you might find in a day 20 women turning up to register in each center, opposed to hundreds of men, what is wrong?

I hear women shouting loudly these days for representation in the government, but when it comes to such times as these, they want to play a second fiddle role, what do you think you are doing mothers/sisters? Look, there are worrying reports coming up against you when it comes to corruption. Reports suggest that women in our government are more corrupt than their male counterparts. 85% of cases of corruption at Anti-Corruption Unit in our government of Southern Sudan are reported to be the making of women, don’t you care that registration for the future direction of this land is much more important than your plaited beautiful hairs? When spent time in salons and not find time to queue to register. President Kiir and Guandit Dr. Machar, please, don’t make further appointment to women at top position! After all South Africa had sounded an alarm to other Africans about the need to go slow about appointing women in plumb jobs. They are subtly corrupt!

In Tongpiny in Juba on Tuesday, I saw a little young lady of 19 years standing alone, squeezed among 100 or so men; when I look closely, she seems to be from Madi tribe, where did the Dinka tall girls go, is the kitchen the best place to be? Why confine these Southerners to cooking and house chores at this onetime thing? I become petty yeah, but I know this isn’t a joke. If we want to be free, all of us, say leaders, should come out with their wives get register. Why leave her in the kitchen or in Australia? It is time to talk less and act louder. The voting registration in fact is so cheap and very straight forward. It takes little time for anyone to get clear, one hour at most. Please come out ladies and participate fully.

We shouldn’t forget why it is important to register and then vote. There are two technical problems or conditions associated with the referendum exercise. One of the conditions is the 60% registered voters required for the referendum vote to be declared valid. On the surface that looks as a simple rule, but the implication comes in when by design someone goes and registered imaginary Southerners. If he/she manages to register a million, our 1.5 million registered Southerners can’t help. Do you see a problem there? On the side of the NCP, everything is possible!!!

The second area of concern as to why our people should turn up in large numbers and register is the 51% threshold for simple majority. This is easy understood, but simple majority can be diluted by ‘foreign’ voters. Since voting boxes are to be opened in Khartoum and vote counting is done there, the possibility to deny Southerners 51% simple majority is highly likely. But if we turn up in large numbers, men and women alike, that vote will not be tempered with by a saboteur at the headquarters. 51% simple majority moreover is about those who registered, what if that scenario of registering fake Southerners apply in the simply majority? Registering of imaginary names counts as do their direction of vote.

But someone says it is not women alone, even youths aren’t registering. That is another concern. Majority of them (youth) are telling people different stories, one of which is that its better one stays away than register and never vote, hmmm!. Some of them again have enough time to register at their ‘convenience’ time before the registration date closes on the 4 December 2010. I don’t know what important activity one can do than to register your own life and death certificate. Young men, where do you want to be in January? Please, let’s be responsible before our martyrs!

Back to ladies; Mary Boyi, a promising artist has gone ahead of you to sing into your hearts for that need to register and vote. She records fabulous hits about this animal called referendum and this is not about singing but about the future of your children. You must not only register for the sake of participation, but make a meaningful participation by saying no to unity. Come out in large numbers, there is no time to waste. Let those who want to wait until the last day (4th of Dec) do so and not you. This should be a message to all. It’s not a duty of men to do it alone. It’s our collective responsibility to deliver the South to its Promised Land. You should have been ahead of us since there is no blood to spill to get registered.

Isaiah Abraham lives in Juba; he’s on [email protected]