Sudanese youth activists form shadow cabinet

December 24, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – A shadow government consisting of seven ministers has been announced in Khartoum on Tuesday with the aim of putting pressure on the regime and changing the rules of the political game in the country.

The idea, which was introduced by the political activist, Wail Omer Abdin, aims to remove sectarian and totalitarian leaders from the political scene and replacing them by competent leaders in all domains.

Abdin said that the shadow cabinet seeks to open up a new horizon for the political action, pointing that his initiative was driven by the failure of the opposition political parties to develop a convincing alternative to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

He described the Sudanese political parties as “clinically dead”, saying that they are no longer able to produce ideas and accommodates competent and young leaders.

Abdin pointed that the shadow government targets youth groups which became desperate of the political forces in the government and the opposition alike. He added they also aim to reach the Sudanese in the diaspora and the experienced and competent individuals in order to offer creative alternatives.

“The shadow government offers the political alternative and enables political parties to overcome their inefficiency and weakness”, he said.

Abdin accused all political forces of failing to address people’s concerns and aspirations, pointing that the shadow cabinet doesn’t only seek to topple the regime but to fundamentally change the rules of the political game in Sudan.

“All political forces have failed miserably and the shadow government intends to change the political base which produced this failure”, he said.

He pointed that the formation of the shadow cabinet would facilitate the process of monitoring performance of the government institutions, saying that each ministry in the shadow government will monitor its corresponding ministry and evaluates its policies, programs, and decisions.

The shadow government consisted of seven ministries including social welfare, education, health, civil service and administrative reform, youth and sports, peace, and investment besides the governor of Khartoum state.

Abdin further said that the preparatory committee delayed appointing ministers of finance, agriculture, foreign affairs, and the prime minister for further consultations, adding that states governors will be appointed in the coming period.

He pointed that the shadow government would communicate through the social media and said that its ministers will present their program to the cabinet within one month, stressing that a popular parliament would vote on the programs electronically.

Observers in Khartoum agree that youth groups were the driving force for popular protests against the austerity measures implemented by the government in the past two years.

(ST)