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Sudan Tribune

Plural news and views on Sudan

Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration

By James Gatdet Dak

November 7, 2009 (JUBA) – President Salva Kiir Mayardit of the semi-autonomous Southern Sudan has issued a presidential order declaring seven days of public holiday throughout the region in order to enable government officials to participate in the mobilization for voter registration.

Sudan's First Vice President Salva Kiir, a former rebel leader in the Sudan People's Liberation Army (AP)
Sudan’s First Vice President Salva Kiir, a former rebel leader in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (AP)
The registration for the Sudan’s upcoming April 2010 general elections began on November 1 and scheduled to end on November 30 all over the country and in some other selected countries around the world.

The order that aims to reverse the low voter registration turnout which officials describe as “serious” will come into effect as from Wednesday November 11 through Tuesday November 17.

All constitutional post holders as well as civil servants at all levels of government and from its different organs are covered by the order and expected to mobilize for the registration and participate in the exercise.

The order enables them to travel to their respective localities to assist in the registration exercise.

President Kiir, who is also the First Vice President of Sudan and chairperson of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the South, directed all the ten state governments to abide by the order and implement it accordingly.

The order, however, does not include the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and other organized forces.

The forces are being registered in their respective designated units.

Southern Sudan is hit by very low voter registration turnout as the region prepares for its first post-war general elections due in six months.

Officials say some of the registration centers in the region have remained almost empty for the last one week while others with the maximum of less than a hundred voters to register per day.

Responding to the situation, the regional government’s cabinet on Friday resolved to request for 30 more days of the registration period to try to mobilize and register a good number of voters.

The government’s official spokesperson, Paul Mayom Akech, blamed the turnout failure on lack of earlier voter registration campaign, inadequate logistics, insecurity and unavailability of finances among others.

The SPLM-led government also complains about the registration exercise being dominated by members of the National Congress Party (NCP).

The Southern Sudan’s ruling political party had earlier declared its position to contest for all political seats in the country including the post of the incumbent President of the Republic Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

(ST)

38 Comments

  • Raajilgappa
    Raajilgappa

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Go ahead! Thanks Raajilgappa

    Reply
  • general Achinbenchien
    general Achinbenchien

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    … that is very silly Mr. president, so you gonna disable our country for seven days?
    what kind of democracy is that?

    The General Achinbenchien

    Reply
  • HONEY
    HONEY

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    This is not logical

    Southerners are always on hoildays anyway, so i dont see the point in giving them seven days to register. the Kiir government should spread across the country and tell southerners the importance of voting and how they can regain their freedom.

    Sitting there and waiting for miracles is not gonna solve a thing. If I was paid as much as the GOSS boys and girls, i would have worked my ass very hard for the southern Sudanese people. they do not deserve to be left out in the cold.

    Reply
  • Wende Yongaptheeth
    Wende Yongaptheeth

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Garang and Kiir are twins.

    Reply
  • thieleling
    thieleling

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Dear sudanese brothers & sisters,

    SPLM is ineffective as a party and does not prepare its supporters for the election period. The waning of public entbusiasm for democracy and election should serve as a red alert for the undemocratic and corrupted party(SPLM).

    Remember, there is no referendum without election. We all should embrace for bad news. Both GOSS & GNU are currently ruling on shaky legal ground or through a negotiated Agreement(CPA), which called for general election to be conducted last July, 2009. But the election was not carried out as supposed to be.

    Therefore, both governments have no legitimate mandated of people of sudan and are unconstitutional. The CPA is a document between the NCP & splm, and then by extend their supporters. South sudanese will lose in this election big time because of SPLM ineffectiveness and its encouraging of low-moral. Where are SPLM and other parties candidates in south sudan?

    We know Dr. Lam Akol is running for south sudan president through his party ticket. Who is running among SPLM candidates? And why suprise there are low voter registrations among south sudanese? Any party has a birth, a life and a death. SPLM is on its death bed. This is why they don’t want to anounce their candidates because there must be internal problems.

    Bad news is that SPLM is not only going to disintegrates at the end of the day, but also loses the election big time. Therefore, bad news is a bad news. Just spit it out. Don’t keep supporters at suspense knowing that what is in the SPLM internally is a bad news already.

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Dear readers,

    GOSS under Kiir leadership should understand that this is elections’ year. Six months from now are too soon. It has to do every thing to motivate people to register and vote for them. People are confused about the SPLM’s contradicting statements of boycotting elections and not nominating its candidates. Citizens are also fed up of the failure by the government to deliver.

    Look, I watched it on SSTV, heard it on radio and read it in newspapers a few months ago that the government resolved to pay house rent allowances to the civil servants beginning from January this year. Up to now nothing has materialized. Is this a joking government or what? How come a government makes a decision it cannot implement? Giving false hopes to citizens is dangerous and can backfire at the government. May be the money is there but those official thieves in the finance ministry want to delay the payment until accounts are closed by the end of the year and they eat the money for this year’s house rent allowance. Is this a behaviour of a government that goes for elections really?

    I hope Kiir will give some incentives to the government staff during this long holiday, otherwise people will just sit down, playing dominoes and cards and not bother to register to vote for a joking government.

    Reply
  • khamic Isaac
    khamic Isaac

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Well Done but bear in mind that some of you as Government officals will not even go their communities to help them in voting registration because of the two reasons and they are:

    1.The Citizens of South Sudan do not know who to vote for because the SPLM has not come up with candidates
    2. all government officals will go holidays to bordering countries and some will get drunks in Juba.

    It would be better for you Kiir to make it as orders starting from yourself as toured to ten states capitals and everyone should go to his community as an orders.

    To convice us choose the candidate from SPLM and if you are not ready then let one among the following persons to go and run for the presidential position and they are:

    1. James Wani Igga
    2. Pagan Amum
    3. Malik Agar
    4. Abdulah Azzis Adam

    If you do not want the SPLM as Party to take part then tell the truth so that every one should be ready for a war when you decided to declared Independent.

    Reply
  • Dinka Boy
    Dinka Boy

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    The 7 days holiday must be use critically to informed those citizens who have difficulties of being reached in the Country. The hoilday might help the turnout population in the whole South.
    Please Mr president, that should and must be the full execise to those representatives.
    The process is too complicate because we have no roads, good means of communication, vehicles for transportaion, and even no familiarity for the voting system in the South.
    Dear brothers and sisters, those complexities in the South encouraged myself to rejected the 66%,but lackly the SPLM rejected it.
    Many of our brothers from Nuer were blindfools by that policy because its agreed by Riek with NCP.
    See now how difficult it is. Even seven days will not be enough to collected people in their houses or else where in the Country.
    Thanks

    Reply
  • oshay
    oshay

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    AHAHAHAHAHAH pathetic Dinka SPLM is worrying no one will vote so they declare an unprecedented 1 week public holiday.

    They are really panicking ahahahahahah

    Reply
  • Critic_Ngueny
    Critic_Ngueny

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Dear Ashay,

    I am very happy today for you have proved to the public that SPLA/M is a Dinka party.In fact you are right and I hope some people from Southern Sudan can also prove you right.

    When the civil war broke out in 1983;it was only Dinka Bor and Bhar el Ghazel who had been suffering in and out until CPA was signed by the late John Garang de Mabior who is from Dinka Bor.

    Dinkas are pure and hard hearted people in Sudan as well as Africa at large.

    Two bulls do not live in the same cowshed otherwise,Dinkas must rule please and they will be ruling for ever and ever.

    Dinkas Oyee! John Garang de Mabior Oyee! Kiir Mayardit Oyee! and I am going to be having my own Oyee in 2020 whether you like it or not.

    Critic_Ngueny from Bor town

    Reply
  • Critic_Ngueny
    Critic_Ngueny

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Dear Pinyluel,

    A dog has to be given a dog’s name,I like your name.

    Look out please,I am ready with words of most destruction (WMD)if you wish to be my second enemy.I know who you are and your where about though you don’t know me.

    Your comment is inconsistent with what I have written if you really understand English language.Therefore,your standard of writing in English is really very poor indeed.Bear in mind that,I am ready with heavy words if you really wish to.

    My father has a dog called pinyluel.Such names are given to dogs in Bor and not Human being.

    Dear Oduck Bol,dogs speak fluency English in Bor,the prove is Pinyluel and many more please

    24 hrs ready to reply any comment.

    Critic_Ngueny from Bor town

    Reply
  • Critic_Ngueny
    Critic_Ngueny

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Dear Pinyluel,my father’s dog.

    Your English is also in coma and I am requesting you to go back to primary school if you really want to be somebody in future please.You have to improve your tenses otherwise you may bring shame to Us in Bor and I doubt you man.

    Correction please! Never ever comment here again before you inform My.Critic to criticize your useless comment if you really mind.

    NB Have takes past participle instead of past tense or present simple tense.Check your comment if you doubt my correction “Joong De baba” in Dinka language. My father’s dog.

    Critic_Ngueny from Bor town

    Reply
  • Adam
    Adam

    Kiir declares 7 days of public holiday to mobilize for voter registration
    Respected Readers

    Greetings

    Positive atmosphere for confidence building. This is exactly what all Sudanese want. Now! For SPLM to achieve that it should have in mind that they should be “a strategic partners to the NCP”. Although there may be differences, but there must always be a clear “vision”. No united vision means no decision and consequently no mission. Period.

    The SPLM/A is to be blamed for the negative atmosphere and lack of confidence, which bite the political arena so hard. The decision-making mechanism in the SPLM is so immature. That is reflected in many dilemmas we’re witnessing. Who leads and takes final decisions is still to be worked out. This is true and it is the main cause of problems SPLM is suffering. CPA needs to be fully implemented and that requires a reform, determination, tolerance and deep understanding.

    Many, including myself, believe that the South is being ruled by the SPLA intelligent – not by a civilian government. Furthermore, SPLM is not tolerant with political opponents and suffocates any voice not in complete agreement with its jumble mumble. Unfortunately, SPLM embraces the concept that “an agreeable person is the one who agrees to SPLM opinion”. That is not correct. It leads to more chaos and hatred. For that reason, SPLM has to be tolerant and safeguards freedom of political activities to all, as CPA stated. All irresponsible behavior has to be terminated forever. Active and free political parties operating in the South will make a difference. They are indestructible and indispensable. They have supporters. They have resources and human power. They have a lot to do when referendum time comes. We need everybody then. Isn’t it?

    Can SPLM achieve “separation” (if it is its TRUE choice) and build a new nation without CPA? I doubt it. I read many emotional posts in this place and in many other places that southerners can declare independence from within parliament in Juba. That would be a political suicide. The new South Sudan needs support – a hell of support to be realized. The international and regional atmosphere are not favorable, especially in light of the current corruption and dilemma created by SPLM.

    All southerners need to unite first and work together. No one should be left behind or singled out. Tribalism must retreat and be defeated. A lot needs to be done by all to realize the common goal – the VISION..

    O ye Southerners Unite!

    Adam Milawaki, Kansas

    Reply
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