Attempts to Legalized Election Rigging in Upper Nile State

By: Aban D. Atur.
This is a reponse to the article by Gwado J.Ador which appeared on page 5
Satruday,April 2008. In Khartoum Monitor.
Mr. Gwado J. Ador, a Juba-based journalist attempted very hard to simplify and
water down the events of the definite rigging of election in Tonga county on the
23rd March 2003 and the killing of the three dear humans on the 21st of the same
month. Two of whom were SPLM/A members. Joseph Obur was a security officer in the
SPLA and Joseph Oyor an elected member of Ogod payam,while Mohamed Ali a driver of
a rented car.

Mr. Gwado in an attempt to throw dust in the face of people in far places like Juba
and other places by giving the wrong picture of the events in Upper Nile State.Like
other others who condone malpractices should try his level best to know the
realities on the ground. It is true Dr. Lam never pointed a finger at any particular
group as culprits for the attempted assassination neither did any one. The flow in
his anlysis is the support of the rigging that happened in the whole of upper nile
state regarding the election from bumas to payams to the county. What is not clear
to Mr. Gwado is to why INC meeting in Juba last year resolved renwal of
registration and election as provided for by the regulations of elections(fair
registration without exclussion,putting up of names of the voters ahead of election
day and disqualification of the none eligible contesters) in every party and the
SPLM too.All these pocedyres were not done which indicate among others, lack of
transparency.
Gwado will be very un realistic and none pragmatic if he hints that there is no
cleavage in the SPLM with those trying to takeover and marginalizing others as the
dismissed Cdes Tilar and Aleu Ayany and Manaoa Aligo.
All the persons proclaimed by you as having won elections are fake and had declared
theselves chairpersons of the SPLM in those counties.That is the reasons why these
commissioners were appointed to the counties at this particular time and ofcourse it
resilent on whose. Otherwise no one would have tempered with elections.
The most recent self ordaining byMr.Daiel Odok as the chairman of SPLM was illigal
by all standerds as the exercise was dis approved by the supervisor from Juba. How
can some one with a minority of 35 people win a vote in a majority of 251people Mr.
Gwado? Does it make sense to you? If it dose, then it will be fair to asy that you
lack esnse in the first place.
Even the claim that no finger should be pointed at any one exept the cattle
rustlers,as the events are unfolding, the theory might not hold water.Why?
1. When the car of Dr. Lam was sent to bring elected members of the conference from
Anakdiar, it wasn’t the only car that passed in the road about the time. One car was
ahead of the car shot at, and another one had just passed by in the opposite
direction, why was that car shot at only? Could someone have communicated on a
settalite phone to the culprits warning about the coming of the target? Can not be
ruled out.
2. The claimed cows taken by the rustlers were a day before the 21st March 2008. The
logical sensible action of the rustlers was run as fast as possible to get out of
the vicinty of Malakal town.Thus to find rustlers more than 24hrs. at the site of
the crime is very improbable. When the police ran after the Cows’ rustlers, they
where not to be found any where near Khorfolus.
3. Mr. Gwado, you and your group trying to pin the attempted assassination theory on
the rustlers might not find acceptance.What would you say about the Kodok incident
on Thursday 3/4/2008. When Dr. Lam arrived at Kodok, commissioner Cdr.Paul Arop
intentionally misinformed the SPLA commander in the area that Tangieny had arrived
in Kodok and must be shot at immediately. If it is not for heaven’s grace, a
military show-down will have ensued. Mr. Gwado what is your theory on this? Where
are the cattle rustlers here? Pease as a journalist find out in your own way what
the commissioner said about who was behind the orders issued to him that might help
to disown your rustlers’ theory.
4. By the time Dr.Lam was at AWETH planing to go to Kaka some big shots threatned by
the populus were in a secret meeting in Renk one of the agenda was to stop the
progress towards Wadakona and they were saying that Lam was compaigning agaist SPLM.
Does your cattle rustlers theory holds?
No dubious circles are supporting Dr. Lam, but almost the whole Collo grass roots
are supporting his efforts.So who is overtuning the will of Collo people? The Collo
will is not in Juba or Khartoum. So to make noise in Juba will not matter to the
people.Mr. Gwado we are hopeful that the rigging was obvious and it will be stopped
as the complaint had been staged and supported by the supervisor.