THE “SPLM” CRISIS

By James Ogilo Agor - USA

February 24, 2010- The "SPLM" crisis which arouse from the selection of the party candidates to contest in the General Elections scheduled for April 2010, seem to have reached a boiling point.

The party political bureau which has the jurisdiction for approving the official list of the candidates who can nominate themselves in elections was alleged to have ignored the lists sent by the grassroots electoral colleges of the party. It was accused of having approved a list of candidates of their own choice in contravention of the party rules of procedure which recognize the base as the competent body to recommend persons suitable to contest elections to the higher organs of the party. Angered by the political bureau arbitrary decision, a big number of the party members nominated themselves as independent candidates.

The party secretary general was reported to have admitted that there had been some irregularities committed in the process of selection, but there was no immediate remedy made to defuse the situation. Some attempts were made between the leadership and the independent candidates in order to dissuade them from contesting, but the negotiations did not yield any fruits. It is now reported that the party leadership has resolved to disown over 340 members who are determine to contest as independents for reasons of insubordination.  The majority of the disowned members include very senior military generals and university professors all who had spent their good youthful time in trenches, jungles, mountains, swamps and among lions, snakes, crocodiles and subjected to rain, hunger and disease. Such a large number of dignitaries and professionals who had to sacrifice a lot for dear land and people cannot be taken lightly. At best they might just look at the whole thing as a mere distraction not worthy of great attention. They might resolve to face the challenge at the polls in order to prove their popularity as opposed to the party political bureau who themselves have not in their life time voted or won in a democratic election.  At worst they might take advantage of the bad security situation in south Sudan at present.

The election heat alone can ignite everything especially that the weapons used during the war have not yet been collected in most of the rural areas.  In another development all those contesting elections who were employees of the public sector, voluntarily resigned from their places of work in accordance to the election laws of the country. Their names are supposed to have already been struck out from the Nominal Rolls of their respective mother units. The posts which they vacated could be filled even now before polling begins .The unsuccessful candidates who would wish to return to their former places of work would do so at the discretion of the head of the unit provided their posts in the Nominal Rolls had remained vacant during their period of absence.

The "SPLM" political party leadership need to know that it is something normal for persons interested to enter politics and who for one reason or another do not get an okay from their party higher organ to nominate themselves as independents or rebel candidates using party name, slogans and logo candidates without political color, provided that they stick to the party principles. The successful among them usually request the National Election Commission to announce their names as representing their party of origin. The "SPLM"party leadership should in order to avoid chaos in their political organization, reconsider re-instating the 340 members whom they of late disowned on grounds of insubordination. If the leadership still believes in exercising their power to discipline them, they can raise this case to the party National Convention.

However, if the higher authority of the party has reached a point of no return I beg to request the estranged members to resurrect the defunct Southern Front Political Party which was an officially registered party just like Sanu or DUP or Umma and which had Self-determination as the main principle in its manifesto. In fact, we the still living former executive members of the party could not resurrect it because the "SPLM"had already accepted and included self-determination in the CPA. We did not want to rival our gallant nephews who had done an excellent job on our behalf. As for the Copy Right of the Southern Front party some of us can help to patronize the resurrection only, but will not join in the race for leadership.  For background information the writer was groomed by the former leadership of the defunct Southern Front party in 1988 to activate its revival. Unfortunately, ill health intervened followed by the coup de'tat of Omer al Beshir on June 3o, 1989.

Author of this article living in the United States and he can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.