W. Equatoria governor says he is “free” after final referendum results

February 8, 2011 (YAMBIO) – The governor of Western Equatoria state Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro has said South Sudan’s vote for independence, announced on Monday, had made him a free citizen.

Bakosoro said that he is already “a free citizen of an independent Republic of South Sudan.”

He made the remarks as hundreds of Western Equatoria citizens gathered at the state house to witness the announcement of the results of the southern Sudan referendum on television as they were made in Khartoum.

A large celebration of the results is planned for February 14, when they were to be announced if there were any challenges to the results. As there were no challenges the final results were given a week earlier.

Addressing the gathering at the state house, Bakosoro said, “the 55 years of struggle has finally come to pass, and [we] shall never accept any slavery in South Sudan.”

Bakosoro stressed that there would be “no more second class citizens in South Sudan”, adding that “time has come for the southerners to unite and build the new born state.”

The governor said that nowhere in the South had people cooperated as much as the people of Western Equatoria state in the success of the referendum.

Bakosoro pointed out that every southerner has made history my voting for secession, likening the event to “the crossing of the River Jordan to the promised land.”

Sudan’s South most people practice Christianity or traditional African beliefs has fought various Khartoum governments in the mainly Islamic North for most of the countries independence.

The governor urged all citizens, “to take care of the state, to rethink and plan more for the development of Western Equatoria state.”

He called for cooperation between the executive and the legislature arms of government to avoid differences that will “create a situation where people will, diving [in for] themselves.”

Bakosoro said he deplored nepotism, tribalism and self interest.

He warned the state’s cabinet ministers to avoid taking the “lion share in the government but let them encourage equitable distribution of resources and positions to keep the state united.”

“We have been undermined all our life, but have just been relinquished from bondage, I personally will never accept to be a slave in my life, therefore no more return to war, dialogue must prevail and continue between southerners so that the international communities will not blame us southern Sudanese” added Bakosoro.

The governor also called upon his cabinet members to prioritize the communities first in delivering services to them and do the right things, take right decisions and give the right advice in order to build the new nation.

He stated that southerners had been successfully passed the tests of the last year’s elections and January’s referendum, which monitors described and fair and transparent.

“My Country is the Republic of South Sudan, the name Sudan belongs to us the blacks, we bear the name peacefully and joyfully as blacks.”

Bakosoro said Western Equatoria State (WES) will never be the same again, “where leaders come and leaders go without being remembered, hence I call upon all cabinet members to make WES excel, prosper and exceed in love and good faith as one state, one people and one nation.”

Meanwhile the deputy governor of the state, who was the state Task force chairperson, Sapana A. Abuyi hailed the struggle of the governor “for spearheading the referendum campaign in the state by lowering his dignity to that of a messenger to his people in the state.”

“The highest results scored was due to the fact that every citizen of the state voted with the full knowledge based on the information and civic education done by the leaders of the state,” he added.

Abuyi noted the challenges faced by Western Equatoria, which is plagued by an insurgency by Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the presence of the Ambororo tribe originate from West Africa. The Ambororo have been expelled from the state. Thousands of citizens of been displaced by conflict caused by the presence of the Ambororo and the LRA.

The Catholic bishop of Tambura and Yambio diocese Edwardo Hiiboro Kussala said, “I have acknowledged the efforts in this state more specially from the run up of the campaign.”

Hiiboro said he saw, and admired “the ways, styles, commitments and self giving from the leaders of the state from the governor to the least person and indeed everybody in the state did the same.”

He added that “all the activities reminded him that if people love life and have the value of life, they can do everything to succeed.”

The bishop encouraged all the leaders of the state to continue with the same spirit for the realization of the dreams of the people of Western Equatoria and entire south Sudan.

(ST)