Gedaref governor dissolves cabinet, warns central government
May 3, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) dispatched a delegation to Gedaref state to meet governor Karamallah Abbas in order to avert a crisis caused by his decision to dissolve the state cabinet.
Sources told Sudan Tribune that Abdel-Rasool refused to meet Abbas prompting the latter to force his way into the minister’s office. The two men entered into a sharp argument.
The controversial Gedaref governor stepped up his complaints in recent months that the central government refuses to release funds outstanding to his state since 2006. In April, he threatened to resign if his demands are not met.
Upon his return from Khartoum, Abbas immediately headed to the local radio station and announced his decision to disband his government and called his ministers for an emergency meeting.
He described the Sudanese state as being racist, regional and tribal adding that it eroded the religion and Islamic Shar’ia aspects.
The governor lashed out at the finance minister saying the latter has more powers than the presidency. He warned that that the central government is now on the verge of collapse because it now became a one-man show.
Abbas said that he is only asking for what is rightly due to his state since six years ago which the federal government has been dragging its feet in paying.
Addressing his supporters later, Abbas warned the presidency that “you are responsible for all of us and god will question you on the sick and poor people in Gedaref and kala-azar patients”.
“Isn’t it time for the finance minister to leave?” Abbas posed the question to president Omer Hassan al-Bashir.
“Do you want us to rebel….if you want us to we are capable of doing it and I can lead Gedaref and its people,” he said.
Abbas stressed that he will not resign so that the corrupt people don’t achieve their goals and underscored that Bashir cannot sack him since he is an elected official.
The NCP held an emergency meeting headed by Vice President Al-Haj Adam Youssef to discuss the situation after which they criticized Abbas for his decision to dissolve his cabinet describing it as unjustified because it was done prior to meeting with the local government components.
The NCP spokesman Badr al-Deen Ibrahim said that a delegation is headed for a meeting with Abbas after which it will file a report that will be discussed in an another meeting.
He denied that Abbas’s dispute with the finance minister caused his decision and vowed that the NCP will review the move from legal aspects. Any decision on his fate will be taken through the state’s legislative assembly.
The state’s assembly can remove Abbas if they vote for that by a two-thirds majority. In the alternative Bashir can declare emergency in Gedaref state which will constitutionally allow him to fire Abbas.
The Sudanese president has blasted Abbas last February for making complaints in the media rather than through the formal channels.
(ST)