Turabi says opposition failed to overthrow Sudanese regime

November 24, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of the Popular Congress Party (PCP) Hassan al-Turabi has defended his party’s decision to engage in the government-led national dialogue process saying the opposition failed to overthrow the regime.

Turabi, who spoke at a symposium on the proposed constitutional amendments organized by the Sudanese Bar Association on Sunday, said since Sudan’s independence the successive governments being military or civilian since have not sought to accommodate peoples’ views in the various constitutions.

He stressed that dialogue is the only available option to resolve the country’s crises and avoid wars and divisions, saying his party was forced to engage in the dialogue and so did the government after it suffered from heavy pressures and crises.

The Islamist leader said the opposition was weakened and divided because they disagreed over drafting a temporary constitution, adding there is nothing left to unite the opposition parties except their hatred to the regime.

“The opposition does not have a target and even some [of the opposition parties] are calling for cleansing and physical liquidation [of government officials],” he said.

“We completely failed to overthrow the regime,” he added .

He pointed that the government was also weakened after the secession of South Sudan and aggravation of the crisis in Darfur. He said all budget money is being currently spent on the army and security apparatus.

“We did not want the country to be torn apart and faces the fate of Somalia and the regime also shared the same fears,” he explained.

Turabi further said he sensed a true desire from the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to engage in the dialogue, accusing western nations of hindering the national dialogue because they fear it would reunite the Islamists forces.

Since president Omer Hassan al-Bashir initiated the national dialogue earlier this year, Turabi has been a staunch supporter to the extent that he literally dropped his membership with opposition alliance National Consensus Forces (NCF).

In return, many of his former colleagues in opposition suspect that there is a deal under the table between the two given the regional wave targeting Islamists.

“The real objective of the national dialogue aims to unite the two Islamist parties,” said an opponent from the NCF which rejects to take part in the internal process.

Turabi said he couldn’t doubt intentions of the government behind the proposed amendments of the constitution in a manner to allow him to appoint state governors, pointing that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir said they were driven by the proliferation of tribalism and regionalism.

But he said the government could have resolved the issue without resorting to constitutional amendments.

Earlier this month, the Sudanese presidency deposited new amendments to the 2005 transitional constitution into the national legislative body, which allows the president to appoint and dismiss state governors.

Sudan Tribune recalls that this very issue was one of key points that led to the split between both Islamist parties in 1999 when Turabi insisted on electing state governors instead of appointing them by Bashir.

Turabi expected that the parliamentary subcommittee on constitutional amendments will approve the proposed presidential but would restrict the governors appointment to a maximum period of one year and stipulates that they do not necessarily belong to the NCP.

He said the president must underscore that the decision to appoint state governors is a temporary one and contingent upon the outcome of the national dialogue, stressing the success of the dialogue will lead to restoring unity with South Sudan once again.

The head of parliamentary subcommittee on constitutional amendments, Badria Suleiman who participated in the symposium, for her part, said the proposed amendments will include article 61 relating to impunity of the president’s decisions besides amending the police law to allow establishment of special police courts.

She acknowledged proliferation of tribalism and regionalism following the implantation of the decentralised governance, warning against danger of the practices which has been witnessed during the election of governors on the social fabric.

The leading figure at the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Ali Ahmed al-Sayed, scoffed at the reasons given by the government to justify the constitutional amendments, accusing the NCP of deepening corruption of the central government by extending powers of the president to appoint and dismiss state governors.

He considered that policies and practices of the NCP and its absolute control over power are the main reasons behind the proliferation of tribalism in the country.

(ST)