Lakes state governor denies youth are boycotting registration over disarmament dispute
By Manyang Mayom
November 22, 2010 (JUBA) – The Deputy Speaker of Southern Sudan legislative Assembly, Daniel Awet Akot, has said that some youth in the cattle camps in Lakes state have declined to register for the south’s self determination referendum alleging that they were harassed by soldiers during a disarmament exercise.
However, Governor of Lakes state Chol Tong Mayay denied that statement saying that nothing like that happened, only that distances were far from cattle keepers and now youth are turning in high numbers in the rural villages as well in the town. Lakes state has 215 referendum registration centers.
Thousands of people are turning up in Awerial county of Lakes state to register their name to vote in January coming referendum according to the governor.
Tong affirmed that “there are some places which are difficult to be access by members of referendum registration in Awerial county due to bad road infrastructure as well thirty become obstacle to commission members”.
Voter-registration for south Sudan’s plebiscite on whether to split from the rest of the country began November 15. A high turnout in the south has contrasted with a low turnout in the north.
Registration is due to end on December 1, leaving just of 6 weeks to finalize voter list before voting starts 9 January 2011.
The governor said that the area faces some challenges to allow everyone to vote.
“Security situation is good in Awerial county but distances had caused elderly people to walk three hours to two hours to reach registration centers – also youth from cattle camp have stop moving their cattle camp to far distances to register first – pregnant mothers and elderly people are willing to register but distances become condition that did not make their process of registration easy – sun is too much hot and malaria is likely threading their life and there are no drugs inside the county,” he said.
WRESTLING
Around a thousand people witnessed wrestling competition between Yirol East and Yirol West counties in Lakes state between pastoralist’s youth and students composed of tradesmen in Yirol West.
This is a first time the twin counties have wrestled each other the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, in which the referendum was agreed, due to inter-clan disputes over cattle raids.
John Manyang Maker, who attended the wrestling said that “here we are ok and registration is going on very fast and smoothly”.
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Akolde Nhiak Jinub
Lakes state governor denies youth are boycotting registration over disarmament dispute
I am pleased to see that our youths and entire communities of Lakes state are turning up for Referendum registration in large numbers these days.
I would encourage our people to register for the vote so that we can determine our fate — Independence of South Sudan from Arabs and Islamized system in Khartoum comes January 2011.
I am particularly happy in seeing our youths coming back to our ancestor’s way of living and relating in the sense that they have resumed wrestling as an interesting sporting in Greater Yirol.
Keep it up brothers in greater Yirol. I applaud this one time great sporting (wrestling) together as a communal activity without any quarrel with a brother rather than being engaged in destructive activities of cattle raiding, theft and its subsequences for the last five years.
Let’s all go to register for us to vote in the Referendum; our destiny of the final journey to freedom is enshrined therein.
May God bless our great nation in MAKING South Sudan. SPLM Oyeeee!SPLA Oyeee! South Sudan Independence Oyeee! Lakes state Oyeee! Rumbek Oyeee!
Akolde, Rumbek, South Sudan.
makuei
Lakes state governor denies youth are boycotting registration over disarmament dispute
Everyone, whether cattle keeping youth, women, girls, old mamas and Babas, are aware of what the all of them have gone through for the last 26 years. They can’t be told about it since they know it themselves. To refuse registration is like choosing to remain a slave.
Whereas it must be true, this was an opinion of a single cattle keeping youth who seems to recall the pain he had endured during the search for guns which they held illegally. It was not the entire body of youth who made such a statement. The report is simply taken out of context and the Governor is correct in saying that all the youth are currently actively getting registered. There should be no fuss about it.
Raphael Makuei