Group demands democratic reform of SPLM Youth League

March 23, 2012 (JUBA) — A youth group, claiming to be adequately represented at all levels, have requested the top leadership of South Sudan’s ruling party – the SPLM – to restructure its youth league as part of the party’s overall party restructuring process earmarked to take place over the coming months.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Agel Ring Machar, the group’s chairperson said they remain concerned about the “undemocratic means and unfortunate procedures” by which the current SPLM Youth League (SPLM-YL) leadership was allegedly imposed on the members.

Article 11.50 of the SPLM Youth League Constitution 2007, only mandates three years of service, implying that the term of the current National Executive Committee (NEC) expired in 2010.

A month ago the concerned group for restructuring the SPLM Youth League said they had served Pagan Amum, the party’s Secretary General with a petition but got no response. The strongly-worded petition, a copy of which Sudan Tribune obtained, was also copied to Salva Kiir South Sudan’s President and head of armed forces who is also the SPLM chairman and other senior party leader.

“We would like to put the party leadership and SPLM youth at large on notice that we will continue to use all legal mean[s] necessary in order to arrive at a transformed and fully functioning SPLM Youth League that is capable of mobilising masses behind SPLM vision and mission,” Machar told journalists in Juba, the South Sudan capital on Thursday.

The chairperson of the concerned group appealed to youth all over South Sudan to rally behind their call, saying for them to work together to ensure the party properly functions in accordance with the constitutional mandates of office bearers.

The youth in South Sudan account for nearly 70 percent of the population, according to the country’s 2008 housing and population census.

The group, also demand urgent dissolution of the current NEC of the SPLM Youth League and the immediate formation of an interim committee to re-organise the SPLM Youth League from the grass roots. The also want a national convention of the SPLM Youth League to held soon.

David Amor Majur, a member of the party’s National Liberation Council (NLC) said the petition submitted by the concerned group demanding re-structuring of the SPLM Youth League should not be viewed as a power struggle within the party, but rather a process of correcting what was not deemed right.

In February, the SPLM political bureau, the party’s highest decision making body, resolved to re-organise the party structure and develop new strategic goals in the wake of the country’s post-session era.

The plan, according to the party’s secretary general is reportedly part of the party’s move to devise a road map, develop plans and programmes that will reportedly encompass all party supporters from the grassroots up.

The NLC, the second highest decision making body within the party is due to meet on March 26 as part of the planned restructuring process within the party.

(ST)