Sudan’s NCP, RNM trade accusations over political infiltration

April 12, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The deputy chairman of the Reform Now Party (RNP), Hassan Rizq, has vehemently attacked the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) for accusing him of seeking to infiltrate political parties when he was a member of the ruling party.

Last week, Rizq accused the NCP of working to divide political parties following the differences which emerged between RNP leader, Ghazi Salah al-Din, and his deputy Mohamed Bashir Suleiman.

The pro-government Sudan Media Centre (SMC) on Saturday quoted the political secretary of the NCP, Mustafa Osman Ismail, as saying “if the NCP had sought to infiltrate political parties, then it must have learnt this practice from Rizq who worked for the Islamic Movement (IM) and the government for 25 years”.

Rizq said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune that NCP’s efforts and attempts to divide and infiltrate political parties through its security organs are known to everybody and don not need a proof.

“I have never worked in an official or popular security apparatus in my life, nor had I cooperated with any of them, therefore, Mustafa should look for those [within the NCP and IM] who were responsible for infiltrating political parties,” he said.

Rizq added that infiltration of political parties is usually carried out by the security organs with the knowledge of the political bodies, saying he has never been political secretary or head of the political sector of the NCP.

He said he had served the Sudanese regime for 25 years and was a member of the IM for 50 years, saying that Mustafa and the others are well aware of his principled stances in the cabinet besides the Shura (consultative) council, leadership office and general secretariat of the IM.

“They know that we openly criticized [their stances] within the NCP institutions but [it became obvious] that the party no longer tolerates criticism and it only welcomes those who stamp on [the already taken decisions],” he added.

Rizq further downplayed the recent divide within the RNP, saying the NCP saw much more splits and dozens of leading figures had left its ranks.

Last week, 30 leading figures have officially split from the RNM and decided to establish a new political party under the leadership of the RNM former deputy chairman Mohamed Bashir Suleiman.

RNM itself split from the ruling NCP in late 2013 over calls for reforms, transparency and democratic changes.

(ST)