Dr. John Garang University orders students elections to resume

June 11, 2012 (BOR) – Vice Chancellor (VC) of Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, Professor Aggrey Ayuen Majok, has ordered the resumption of student union elections.

The decisions to dissolve the students’ interim government and cancellation of electoral processes were taken by the Dean of Students, Assistant Professor, Majok Kelei, on Tuesday June 5.

Kelei actions were widely criticised by University senators in their siting on Wednesday June 6, describing it as barbaric autocratic, redundant and baseless discussions.

The University committee headed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Melha Biel Rout formed on Wednesday June 6 was charged with the responsibility of investigating the closure of the Union and elections and to report the possible solutions to the Vice Chancellor on Friday last week.

On Friday, June 8, the committee reported their findings to the Vice Chancellor with suggestions of allowing students to exercise their constitutional rights of electing their leaders.

On Monday June 11, Prof. Ayuen wrote to the students’ body informing them to resume their elections on Wednesday 13 as normal.

Prof. Ayuen described the dean’s decision as “redundant” in his letter displayed on the students’ notice board on Monday.

Last week, the students accused the dean of forcing them to allow unregistered students to vote and to remove the head of electoral commission from his position.

The students’ electoral laws only allow students whose names appear in the students’ Union list after paying the membership fee, from which the electoral commission extract voters list from.

The students parliament is the sole body that is elected by the members of the electoral commission before it was dissolved.

(ST)