Former NCP figure says Sudan faces grim future without reforms
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December 11, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The former presidential adviser and
ex-head of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) parliamentary bloc
Ghazi Salah al-Deen al-Attabani said that Sudan is looking at a bleak
future if it delays or backtracks on reforms.
JPEG - 15 kb
Former adviser to Bashir and ex-head of the ruling National
Congress Party (NCP) parliamentary bloc Ghazi Salah al-Deen
Al-Attabani
Al-Attabani who was speaking before a small group of Sudanese
expatriates in the Qatari capital of Doha, said that the region is
facing a historic turning point and major changes that require
Sudanese political forces to demonstrate they have the will to do
more.
"If reform in Sudan progresses, then there is a real opportunity to
reassemble the energies of the country and move forward with a new
national project" he said.
Al-Attabani who defected from the NCP last month to form a new party,
refused to comment on the cabinet reshuffle this week by which several
party strongmen namely 1st VP Ali Osman Taha and presidential
assistant and NCP Vice chairman Nafie Ali Nafie lost their
governmental posts.
The ex-presidential adviser was one of the main signatories of a memo
sent last September to president Omer Hassan al-Bashir criticizing the
government decision to lift fuel subsidies and its violent crackdown
on protestors which led to hundreds of deaths.
The petition also urged Bashir to embrace reform and warned him that
his personal legitimacy is now in question.
In response, Bashir formed a committee headed by the former national
assembly speaker Ibrahim Al-Tahir to probe those whose names appeared
in the memo.
The commission of inquiry recommended dismissing three members
including al-Attabani and temporarily suspending nine others. The
decision was endorsed by the NCP leadership council and Shura
(Consultative) council.
Al-Attabani and others afterwards officially applied for registration
of a new party under the name "Reform Now".
On Monday, the head of the NCP political sector al-Haj Adam Youssef
made an indirect reference to the NCP defectors led by al-Attabani
saying that they were taken by surprise after the government shakeup
that took place.
"They couldn’t believe that the presidency would seek reform because
some of them gave up on reform at a time when the [NCP] leadership was
serious," said Youssef who still holds the position of the NCP’s
political sector head.
But al-Attabani told the audience in Doha that they were willing to
pursue reform from within the NCP "but that the party leadership and
not the party took a decision to expel us".
"Our choice is now to work outside the NCP" he said and added that
they have ideas that could contribute to the unification of the
Sudanese political arena.
Al-Attabani said that the images seen by Sudanese in countries
affected by the Arab Spring does not encourage them to proceed with
street uprising even though the internal conditions of the country
makes them rethink and take steps in that direction.
He pointed out that the general trend in Sudan is to walk towards
reform rather than carry out violent change and acknowledged that the
opposition has weakened because of government restrictions and
harassment.
(ST)
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