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Sudan Tribune

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Kiir should be given chance to achieve SPLM vision: official

October 28, 2013 (JUBA) – A senior government official has called for patience to give president Salva Kiir a chance to realise the vision of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) which advocates developing rural areas to prevent an exodus of people to urban town centres in search of better services.

South Sudanese president Salva Kiir
South Sudanese president Salva Kiir
Deputy speaker of the national assembly Mark Nyipuoc said it is not easy to realise an all-encompassing vision in a short period, stressing that time and patience was vital.

“I know there are high expectations from our people but I believe that President Salva Kiir should be given the opportunity … to push this vision forward”, Nyipuoc said, citing other countries in the region where progress has been made as a result of stability.

“The countries which are now stable and developed – whether in the west or in Africa – are those countries whose leaders have been given the opportunity to achieve their vision. The country is still new and it is possible anywhere that a newborn child can begin to do what adults do”, he said, while also appealing to religious leaders to pray for the president to remain focused on unity.

“I want to appeal to the Church in the country to pray for the president so that he can remain focused on the vision of this country, a vision that is to spread out and resonates to the rest of the country. We must strengthen our institutions and the system”, he said.

“The Western world is about good systems. They are not dealing with individuals. Africa still has very weak institutions and [it is] a blessing for any country to have a good leader. And once you have a good leader, then you are lucky, but it’s not very often that God [has] endowed countries with good leaders. We have our neighbouring countries that have been in turmoil for years and they have failed to develop”, he added.

Nyipuoc, the former governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal, is also a member of the political bureau, the most powerful political organ within the organisational structure of the former rebel group.

He made the comments on Monday after being questioned about how the SPLM leadership feels about the country’s political situation in light of the current internal wrangle ahead the 2015 elections.

The SPLM vision, as espoused by founding SPLM leader, the late John Garang, advocated a free, just, democratic and secular system of governance based on the free will and popular participation of all people in a defined territory.

However, the government’s critics say little has been achieved since secession, saying high hopes for development and improved living conditions particularly in rural areas have been dashed and allegations of corruption and human rights violations.

Former vice-president Riek Machar and secretary-general Pagan Amum, as well as Garang’s widow are among those who have shown interest in contesting the top seat in the upcoming national convention.

(ST)

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