Lakes state: Voter cards were not sold says Wulu county referendum official
By Manyang Mayom
January 11, 2011 (WULU) – A referendum official in Wulu County of Lakes state has said that the 909 voting cards confiscated by security officers had been under his custody, adding that the man arrested has nothing to do with these cards and should not be associated with them.
Security services confiscated 909 cards belonging to referendum voters on Wednesday night at a house in Wulu County. Isaac Akot Dubo, the Wulu County chairman of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic change (SPLM-DC) was arrested in association with the cards.
Sudan’s south is holding a referendum do decide whether it should secede from the north as aprt of a 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the former southern rebels – then Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Sudan’s ruling NCP.
Before last year’s April elections a faction of the SPLM led by veteran politician Lam Akol led a breakaway group SPLM-Democratic Change in order to fight for seats against the SPLM the south governing party.
Akol, the chairman of SPLM-DC, said that party had told their supporters to register for the referendum and vote for their own choice. SPLM-DC deny they had anything to do with the captured voting cards.
“We have nothing to do with referendum voter cards at this moment because we are not holding [an] election. We are holding [a] referendum, which is the part of South Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement implementation.”
In an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune on Monday in his home village of Guba located in the western part of Wulu county, Isaac Deech Yaka Mading who heads Guba Polling Centre in Wullu County, explained why the cards had been in his house.
He said that the 909 cards were in his custody with the consent of three local chiefs for security purposes.
Deech further explained that, Isaac Akot Dubo, the Wulu County chairman of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic change (SPLM-DC), the man arrested in connection with the cards was his brother’s friend who happened to have spent a night at his house. He said he had been surprised to here the allegations from the Lakes state governor that the arrested man had paid money to some voters in exchange of their voters’ cards.
The polling center head said that the confiscation of the cards had contributed to a low voter turnout at his polling centre. The issue is contentious as a 60% turnout of registered voters is needed for the southern independence vote to be valid under referendum law.
Deech further explained that the decision to collect the cards from voters was prompted by the general insecurity in the area and what he described as the carelessness and vulnerability of the people, adding that the three local chiefs considered his house to be safer than their own and that they had trusted him to look after the polling cards.
He challenged the claim that he had broken referendum law by collecting cards from voters saying that considering the situation on the ground, as he and the three local chiefs perceived it, they decided it was best to supersede the law.
Deech criticized the security officers, who confiscated the voting cards, for not consulting him as the owner of the house and as a referendum officer in relation to the cards. He said that his house had been unfairly raided and personal valuables including money had been impounded by government security officers.
He also decried the publication of the raid by the media both nationally and internationally, saying that the information published was false and had tarnished the image of Wulu County. He appealed to the Government of Lakes State to return the cards to enable voters to take part in the referendum. Voting is running from January 9-15, with the result expected to be announced mid February.
Guba polling centre of Wullu County has 1,598 registered voters. Of that number 909 will not be able to vote until the cards are returned Deech said.
There were less than 50 voters on the first day of polling on Sunday. By the time Sudan Tribune left the center on Monday, only 65 voters had cast their ballots.
(ST)
Bol Deng
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
The first introductory Paragraph alone has demonstrated the that the referendum plus SPLM-DC official must held accountable this kind of crime.
Why do security confisticate those cards if they were not sold out?
Why are we so foolish like this to do the job of Jallaba always.
omoni Atari
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
Generally, whole article does not making senses,
mr. reporter, dont give public incomplete information,is it lack of knowledge or what?
junub
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
To me, the SPLA security personnels should have to deal with this man calls Deech and his brother as well. Because merely it doesn’t make any sense at all for him to use his house as a storing place for the voting cards.
Deech’s statement is nothing but a mere cover up to the plot he, his brother, and the friend of brother had planned to bought the voting cards from the people and to let the SPLM-DC chair in Wulu to run north with them.
Those three chiefs, plus he Deech and his brother should be let to pay big price on the plot they make leave alone the shame he is talking about had been brought up the Wulu county.
Those who sole their voting cards in Wulu should have known that without their voting all, still we will secede south from north. I’m feeling someone is going to pay big price after referendum if not really now.
Deng E. Manyuon
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
The intention to keep registeration cards in a secure place was in a good faith. However, the method and approach used to fix the issue of insecurity and vunlerability was very terrible and reckless. 3 chiefs intention to collect cards from their people makes sense. All of us know the vulnerability of Wulu people. Above all, the insecurity in that area is an issue. But keeping them with the Referendum official in Wulu was a grave violation to the Referendum Act. Why not keep them with either banks, churches, commissioner office or chief place?
Please return these cards to their owners inorder to enable them cast their votes. They might be innocent at the end!
Deng
Aleu
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
Manyang Mayom.
I think this is really enough evident and I don’t think anyone have to argue in this fact. I wish if the Southern Sudan was not a lawless unborn young nation then, these people should have to face approximately of 15 years or more in jail, because buying vote cards is part of criminal behavior that, against the law for the nation and also against individual rights in the nation.
If these people are not satisfied yet on Northern Sudan domination then, they should take his own vote and cast it for unity instead of throwing away the 909 votes rights for Southern Sudanese that, are needed to be count at this important time in the Sudan’s history. Any way let everyone keep eyes on those people but overall thanks the Lake State residents for good observation.
Tambura
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
Why making small problem big? They can just return the cards to the owners so they can vote finish.
Deng William Makur Deng
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
Media officials should not behave that way, should you report what is not righ, no. now you have disgraced the man and had been in custody which is not good then.
junub
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
I thought everyone was told by referendum staffs that this registration card should not be given to anyone else nor to let someone keep it for you because you never know he or she might got lost during the time you want to go and vote.
I think governor Chol Tong have let the security keep the record of the name of those who sold their cards, and give back cards to this traitors at the polling center to cast their ballots whether for separation or unity than not to vote and then to deal with these traitor people latter on.
makuei
No voter cards selling in Rumbek, denies referendum official
Oops, what a twist. The reporter was the one who rushed to Sudan Tribune reporting the cards’ purchase saga. Now, in the second paragraph of this news report, he uses the word ‘claim’ to point finger at the Governor of Lakes State as the person who was accusing the SPLM-DC of buying cards from Wulu population.
Some style up necessary here.
Facts Check
Lakes state: Voter cards were not sold says Wulu county referendum official
I read the following article the other day on Fachodo.org about the cards by SPLMDC member. I am not for political assisination of characters as a principle and that is why I gave the story no good foundation when I read it last time:
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The lies about cards buying in the lakes state PDF Print
Written/Submitted by Dr. peter adwok otto
Sunday, 09 January 2011 00:00
We issued earlier today a press release refuting the allegations peddled out in the media by the authorities in the Lakes State about an alleged buying of registration cards by an SPLM-DC member. This evening, the same authorities appeared on the SSTV repeating the same baseless allegations dragging in the good name of SPLM-DC.
We had earlier advised those authorities that if the allegations were true, they should follow the legal procedures against the accused as an individual, i.e., carry out the necessary investigations until the facts are established. Then, and only then, would a statement on the case be released.
By insisting on using the media and continuing to drag the name of SPLM-DC into this soddy lie, these authorities have left us with no choice but to respond.
In the first place, our member, Isaac Akot Dobo, the Chairman of SPLM-DC in the Lakes State, was arrested by the Commissioner of Wulu County in the house of a relative of his who was the Chief registration officer in one of the registration centres in the county.
He and not Akot was the one who owned the registration cards. To keep them in his house is illegal and we have sensitive information as to why he was keeping such cards in his house and our sources suggest that they were being kept with the knowledge of the Commissioner.
Cde Isaac was arrested by the Special Branch and not the Police in that house and dragged into custody together with the cards. Then followed the wild allegations that he was caught with 909 registration cards that he bought from the citizens!!! Some obvious simple questions impose themselves: How many people complained or were caught selling their registration cards to him?
Can such a huge number of cards be bought in two days in a small place like Wulu? Since the names and thumb prints of the persons concerned are shown on the cards, why aren’t they arrested and displayed in public? More fundamentally, for what purpose would Cde Isaac Akot buy the cards? The authorities claimed that he and SPLM-DC wanted to disrupt the referendum. But, how?
This disruption could happen in one of two ways. If the idea was to deny those people from voting, then this must be the height of ignorance, for even if one does not carry a registration card he/she could still vote, provided he/she could produce an identification or be identified; conditions which were needed to issue the card in the first place. The registration card simplifies the procedures but is not a necessary condition for voting.
If the act was to vote on behalf of the persons concerned, how would that be done in view of the strict observation and the indelible ink? So, in either case, it would have been a futile exercise not worth the money, effort and time put on it.
The truth of the matter is that the whole story is a fabrication intended to settle personal scores and smear the good name of the SPLM-DC by those who joined the separation camp at the eleventh hour. It is an open secret that the Commissioner of Wulu County holds a personal grudge against Cde Isaac Akot since the latter joined SPLM-DC and worked hard for it in the last general elections.
This unfolding theatrical behavior is part of this personal vendetta. But, they picked up the wrong case at the wrong time. The wrong case, because it is the leadership of SPLM-DC that put self-determination back into the political map of Sudan at a time when some quarters were priding themselves of having shot the first SPLA bullet against the separatists!
If those quarters have become converts to separatism, then they should be humble enough to respect those they found in that field. To allege that SPLM-DC could spoil the referendum is not only preposterous but is like a loving mother strangling her child.
The message of SPLM-DC in this referendum is crystal clear all over the South. Why would this tiny Wulu be an exception? It is the wrong time to manufacture such lies, because we thought the South-South reconciliation last October has opened up a new page of cooperation between the SPLM and SPLM-DC that left behind the bitter past.
It appears the authorities in Lakes State still labour under that past. This cheap propaganda will not help. Our concrete information is that Cde Isaac Akot Dobo is being held incommunicado and subjected to severe torture. We demand that he be handed over to the police, investigated and either brought to a public trial or be set free.
The authorities in Lakes State should stop forthwith trial through the media so that justice may take its course. The people whose registration cards are alleged to have been bought must also be investigated as it is also an offence to sell these cards. You should stop abusing the intelligence of the people of South Sudan.
The Information Department SPLM-DC.
mack waweru
Lakes state: Voter cards were not sold says Wulu county referendum official
What counts is not what the media or press men report,but police investigations. Thus, internet pundits of ST should realize that media and press have no friends and enemies and as such, it is absurd to lash out at Mr.Mayang Mayom.
It was a contravention of the SRRC Act to collect FRR cards from voters for storage. Whoever was in the house is a culprit of any suspicision, whether the accused DC man and the owner of the house until the conclusion of the investigation clearly declares what the reason was.
Mack Awer
Mading
Lakes state: Voter cards were not sold says Wulu county referendum official
The people accountable here are the Wulu county commissioner, the Lakes State governor and their stupid money minded journalist (Manyang Mayom) who spoiled the name of our state thinking they are spoiling the name of SPLM-DC. This SPLM-DC guy in police custody must bring the three cocks to justice if at all justice is still alive in Lakes State.
The chief was trying to avoid cards of his subjects getting lost before they cast them into the separation box. And these who are against our independence amalgamated everything.
Gideon Chilur (Wulu county commissioner) has spoiled the image of Wulu county by accepting that the cards were bought actually.
Poor and unprofessional money minded Manyang later came in and traced out that during April elections, Wulu county citizens voted in two independent candidates and this led to Wulu county being not given any ministerial position.
All these are making evidence that Wulu county is an enemy of peace in the south, hence all the time they will fall a victim of all circumstances.
Malou Luiny Joseph
Lakes state: Voter cards were not sold says Wulu county referendum official
I think everybody involved in this case has done his best except the journalist who immediately took action and rushed to the media as many put it. The security did their best to make sure that the refendum goes well and that nobody takes away cards belonging to voters. It was now their work to look into the matter and see to it that the accussed is detained and further investigation goes on uninterrupted. secondly if they (Journalists)neeeded to publicise this thing, then they should have done it after some time after finding out the truth.
The step taken by the local chiefs wasn’t carrying any fault because the they are also who have been doing their best to gaurd and make sure the referendum goes on well and they had to take the cards to a safer place which they presumed to be their houses which are very safe. This would have been found out to be a lie if the security officers had gone to the houses of the other chiefs and found that there were no cards hidden there as the decision has been said to have come from the chiefs who said their houses were safer places to store the cards.
People should after finding that the cards were collected, go the the individuals whose cards were collected and carry out an intensive check and investigation on the issue before the media graps the information as a news. Maybe, if this was a plan to sell, then the various people without the cards would have given different information regarding the collection of the cards from the citizens.
It is now not justified that the cards in Wulu were collected by the chiefs or the SPLMDC guy as a matter of reducing the turn out.
So please Rumbek dominant media GUY ! give as accurate information and also gaurd the name of our state. This you can do through your good work in reporting accurate information. Avoid using people who are unprofessionals in the media to relay you information because they do not know what kind of information is supposed to go out.They give you raw information only to find favors and appreciation. We should also be patriotic and display good image of our state to the outside world.