Opposition says SPLM rejects call to reduce transitional government’s term
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June 1, 2011 (BOR) – South Sudan’s largest opposition party says its
call for two year term limits in the new transitional constitution of
the soon-to-be independent Republic of South Sudan has been discarded
by the regions ruling party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement
(SPLM).
Opposition group the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for Democratic
Change (SPLM-DC), broke away from the SPLM in 2009.
In a cell phone interview from the capital of South Sudan, Juba,
SPLM-DC MP and opposition chief whip, Andrew Okuny Ayom told Sudan
Tribune that their proposal to reduce the term of transitional
government from four to two years has been rejected by SPLM.
He said any constitution must be driven by the people and not one
political party, accusing the SPLM of not giving room for dialogue.
Okuny said that the SPLM had issued inflammatory statements during the
decision making process causing SPLM-DC members to quit the
constitutional review committee.
The SPLM is the political wing of the southern rebel movement that
fought Khartoum governments for over 21 years until a 2005 peace deal
granted the south the right to self-determination. South Sudan
overwhelmingly voted to secede in a referendum earlier this year.
Okuny said his party is not ready to agree to some chapters and
articles in the coming transitional constitution pointing to what he
called “extra-ordinary presidential powers”. He pointed to article 101
of the transitional constitution that gives the president powers to
remove a state governor and or dissolve a state legislative assembly
in the event of a crisis in the state that threatens national security
and territorial integrity.
“These powers must remain to the states and we SPLM-DC, we are not for
it”, Okuny said.
Okuny said SPLM-DC wants the transitional government to rule for two
years after which the general elections would be held. He said the
reasons given by SPLM for extending the transitional period to four
years were not convincing but conceded that without other political
parties in the South Sudan assembly it was hard to challenge the SPLM.
The founder of the SPLM-DC, Lam Akol Ajawin, Sudan’s former foreign
minister, was the main political challenger to the SPLM in last year’s
elections. The SPLM is thought to have withdrawn Akol from his
position as foreign minister in the Government of National Unity
because of his perceived closeness to Sudan’s ruling National Congress
Party in Khartoum.
The SPLM has repeatedly accused the SPLM-DC of having militias in
Upper Nile and Unity states to destabilize the region ahead of
independence. Officials from the SPLM-DC have strongly denied the
allegations and have vowed to take SPLM secretary general Pagam Amum
to court over the accusations.
Responding to the SPLM-DC’s concerns the SPLM’s secretary for
political affairs, Antipas Nyok Kucha said a four year term limit was
needed to prepare the country for a census and new general elections.
He said the permanent constitution to be drafted after the end of four
years will entail the presidential term limits among other things. He
said many people will be given chances in a forum to participate in
the new coming permanent constitution.
Kucha said the opposition members who withdrew from the decision did
so because of their own problems.
(ST)
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