Welcome to South Sudan Safari. My name is Rebecca Yom Chor and I am Chris Olet. In our sixteenth edition of South Sudan Safari series, we will be widely talking about elections. Sudan is currently under a transitional period following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA in January 9, 2005 that officially ended the civil war between the South and the North. The newly- formed National Legislature whose members were chosen in mid 2005 has two chambers and consists of 450 appointed members who represent the government. The Council of State has 50 members who are indirectly elected by the state legislatures, all members of the National Legislatures serve a six-year term. The 2010 general elections are going to be the first election for the people of South Sudan after 26 years. South Sudan Safari’s Clement Lochio Lomornana asked the Chairman of Southern Sudan High Election Committee, Mr Caesar Arkanjelo about the importance of this election to the people of South Sudan.

Arkanjelo: The spreading of a democratic process on the ground is to enable our communities to be the key decision makers. This is because it is them who will start by electing the President of the Republic of Sudan then they will elect the president of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and then elect our members of parliament to the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly and in their respective states. They will participate in electing their Governors and their members to the State Assembly. So it is a great role for the citizens who are going to participate for the first time to put someone in a position of power and that is why I say they are the key decision makers.

Lomornana: What is the importance of voting in the forthcoming general elections?

Arkanjelo: Well, the importance of voting is that it enables one to express his or her view. For instance if you would like one Mr X to go represent you and you don’t like one Mr Y, not because of hate but because you think Mr Y will not deliver if voted into power and he goes to whatever assembly he will not be able to deliver in terms of developing your area. So why vote him in? This is the importance of the voting card. It is a time card, in fact.

Lomornana: How will the Southern Sudan Electoral Commission promote and safeguard a representative democracy in South Sudan?

Arkanjelo: Well, that is a big issue, which has to involve all the stakeholders and is part of good governance being put into practice. So those to put the security in place are our security organs. With this all of them are going to be involved to see to it that we hold free and fair elections.

Lomornana: How best will you deliver in the forthcoming elections to meet international standards?

Arkanjelo: Well, I will not profess that we can meet the international standards, but what we are doing is just at the infant stages and more still needs to be done. The international standards to those people took years and years to achieve and we would like to do something that will be appreciated by our people.

Lomornana:  Do you believe the real election process is going to be free and fair?

Arkanjelo: Well, that depends on all of us. For sure we are encountering a lot of problems especially in the South in terms of security and our communities are still having inter-ethnic conflicts, and with the ten days of the chiefs’ conference that was held in May in Bentiu, the Government of Southern Sudan has made a lot of efforts to ensure that the traditional authorities of our traditional leaders are replaced so that they can play their rightful role in maintaining security like they used to do in the past. In the past, they used to be very important in the maintenance of security at very little cost. However, after the war and the peace deal, things have changed a lot. So in the South we have the will and then there will be the way. So what we did in Bentiu was to implement all the resolutions to it, and therefore this in turn will help us go a very long way in terms of security and hence provide a conducive environment for a free and fair elections in our country.

Lomornana: Is it positive for all South Sudanese above the age of 18 to have a valid access to vote?

Arkanjelo: Sure. However, there are some conditions because this is an election which is being run at a very critical moment and we have to make sure whoever is voting is from a particular constituency and all those voting have the valid required documents from the police and from their respective chiefs. This will help in identification of the person’s origin and where he/ she has being living for the required period by the election law.

Lomornana: Now with the absence of the required documents in the countryside, what will be the right step to be followed?

Arkanjelo:  During the chiefs’ conference held in Bentiu, it was made very clear with directives from the President of the Government of Southern Sudan that the authorities concerned with the provision of these identification documents work hand in hand with the traditional leaders, chiefs and traditional authorities to see to it that all our community members who are eligible to vote have the required documents.

Yom:  That was Clement Lochio Lomornana talking to the Chairperson of the South Sudan High Election committee Mr Caesar Arkanjelo.

South Sudan Safari also asked the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Dr Elia Lomuro whether these elections have created an opportunity where South Sudanese will exercise their rights freely.

Dr Lomuro: This election is an implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and all of us as South Sudanese know what the CPA means to us. This election is also one of the principles as to why we took arms to fight. We fought against dictatorship, the enforcement of leadership. Now we have power to ownership of the land and that is the people. Thus, this election is so useful to us because I believe it will help against tribalism in South Sudan. If you want to be the President of South Sudan, you don’t have to only be good to the people from your village but to those in all the villages in South Sudan. If you want to be the Governor of the State, you must solicit all votes from everyone in the state and that is a way of fighting tribalism. It is also a way of fighting corruption. If you are corrupt and don’t deliver services to your people, they will never vote for you. So the emphasis of elections goes on and on and finally gives the people the opportunity to change and confront leaders.

We want to challenge the world that although we have just emerged from war, we can compete with Zimbabwe and have a peaceful election. There is only one option in doing it right; avoiding violence and taking our people to drink that water of peace. So I am very happy that you are taking this message back to key institutional organs.

Lomornana: What is the role of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in the forthcoming general elections?

Dr Lomuro: In the Ministry, we are pursuing voter education programme and very soon we will be in our boots and out to visit all the villages across South Sudan. If any detractors want to shoot they can shoot but they will not have our respect from South Sudan.

Olet: That was the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Dr Elia Lomuro taking to South Sudan Safari. But what are the views of South Sudanese women leaders on these coming general elections? South Sudan Safari put this question to Mary Apaye, member of the Women’s League.

Apaye: I think the forthcoming general elections as is believed by many will be a healthy exercise and I also think that by conducting elections in South Sudan or Sudan at large or in the states, it will show our people that democracy is existing. This will make our people proud because it will ensure they feel they are the government, the power and in the right positions. Additionally those who will succeed will be answerable to the people of Sudan at large and South Sudan in particular and even at both the state and local authority levels. That, to me, is the reason as to why the elections are very important and we have to participate in it.

According to the CPA, we have to conduct an election as a way of implementation it. For me as a woman, it is really a great opportunity because under the former governments, it was very difficult for women even if we had women in power. It was not like it is now. So women now feel it is their right and role to participate I electing our own leaders. The people will be accountable to them and women will also feel like they have a democratic government in place. Therefore,  I think elections is a good exercise especially given the fact that it is being conducted for the first time for the people of South Sudan  who will have the opportunity to contest or to vote. It is a wonderful exercise to me as a person and as a woman.

Lomornana: What is your political view on the forthcoming general elections?

Apaye:  We are talking of transforming into a government that will have women in the government and a government which is elected by the people for the people and of the people. This will make our people very proud and feel a part of this government. Hence, all political parties and candidates will be free to contest and form the government. The people will also want to see how a government consisting of many political parties will be operating. As per the CPA, we accepted to have political parties as a way to show our people that parties are the organs that formulate the government.

Yom: That was South Sudan Safari talking to Mary Apaye, a member of the Women’s League. But, is there a better coordination between members of parliament, non governmental organisations and the just formed Southern Sudan Electoral Committee with regard to civic education? South Sudan Safari put this question to Hanna Lona Bona, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of Public Service in Western Equatoria State.

Bona: We have some local organisations that actually deal with civic education. They need support in order to continue to educate people and local communities on elections. What we are doing is not enough. We as parliamentarians have to go to our respective constituencies and talk to the people besides getting more civic education ourselves just like the people at the grassroots. This is simply because we need to be informed more so as to go and inform the local masses. This is how I look at the channel of communication and coordination of work. I therefore suggest that local non-governmental organisations are facilitated on time to enable them assist the electoral commission in educating and informing the masses before the general elections. Now that we have seen the timetable for elections, what is the progress of education of the people? So we have to release and discuss these issues. This is how I feel as a leader and as a women’s representative in parliament and on behalf of my own people.

I propose that we need to coordinate so as to enable us achieve own common goal. For instance, in the recently-released census results, we have to come out and be open. It was already set, the little that we have been doing to our people, we have to continue with it so that we can actually run from the bush to fight and liberate our people and set them free from oppression and injustice.

Olet: That was Hanna Lona Bona talking to South Sudan Safari. But are the people of South Sudan enlightened and prepared for the elections? This is the question South Sudan Safari put to the Chairperson of South Sudan High Election Committee Mr Caesar Arkanjelo.

Arkanjelo: Well, I don’t think really and that’s where we have a lot of work to do. This is because some of the people are not informed about the elections. It is almost 23 years from the time the last voting took place in 1986 and we have many young people who have grown up and have never known anything called elections and who  have never voted. Hence, we need to do a lot of voter’s education for our people, especially the traditional chiefs, the youth and all institutions of civil society.

Lomornana: What is your anticipated reaction towards the young generation that has never participated in elections?

Arkanjelo: Well, already now some of the agencies such as the United Nations agencies and international agencies are excited that there is actually a new era in Sudan, especially from South Sudan where democracy is being given priority. They are providing assistance in terms of lecturers, offering training to political leaders on the meaning of elections so as to go and train people in their respective constituencies and with such we hope to achieve a lot with time.

Lomornana: What is your message to political parties’ leaders who are going to participate in the forthcoming general elections?

Arkanjelo: My message to the political parties and to our people in the South is that we are now being made the key decision makers. Therefore, we should avoid electing people who will confuse us with money and who will only climb on our shoulders to pick that forbidden fruit as they fail to deliver to us in the end. Hence we need to be very careful as we approach the elections.

Additionally, we should avoid tribalism because in our constituencies. For example, from my constituency, there may be three to four different tribes and a candidate from my own tribe may not be a person who will deliver in that constituency. So I should not go and vote for him just because he is from my tribe. In so doing, I would be doing damage to the country, the South and to the community. We should vote for a person who will be able to deliver.

Lomornana: What is your final word in regards to the elections?

Arkanjelo: So far so good. The only problem though is the border demarcation between the North and the South. That is where a lot of effort is being placed because when we are going to draw the geographical borders we have to ensure that the constituencies are singled out clearly so that those of the North do not include or mix up with those of the South. That why we need the border demarcation issue to be completed as soon as possible. It therefore calls for a lot of efforts in order to achieve the desired results as we approach the general elections.

Yom: That was Clement Lochio Lomornana talking to the Chairperson of South Sudan High Election Committee Mr Caesar Arkanjelo.

Posted: 13/09/2009