Bad Roads Hinder The Start Of Registartion In Jonglei

17 November 2010 – (Bor) – Poor road network in Jonglei state has negatively affected the voter registration exercise in some counties in the state, paralyzing the exercise in five registration centers.

Reporting from one of the registration centers in Bor, Jonglei state SRS correspondent Sirocco Mayom says that the five centers were not able to receive registration material due to bad roads.

[Sirocco Mayom]: “I’m now in SSRC, registration center two in which I have seen about 15 members who have just registered themselves for the exercise and three officials on the table. The registration here in Jonglei state is not actually 100 percent because the turnout of the members is not large. Again there are some five centers in Jonglei state that have not yet began registering people. Two in Pibor county, two in Urol and one in Pangak. The four that did not start their registration did not receive any registration material as a result of no access of roads to the counties.

The SSRC official in center No. 2, Phillip Mathiang Garang also spoke to SRS.

[Phillip Mathiang]” “Well the situation in my center is okay, the police is there to help me line up the people. I don’t find any difficulty with them. On the first day I registered 253 people and on the second day yesterday, I registered 416 of which 215 were men and 201 were women. In total 416 and I think my center is very ok.”

Jok Ajak, a resident of Bor town was also at the centre and he encourages those who have not registered to do so.

[Jok Ajak]: “I have registered because I want to vote for my own freedom because since we have been living in unity for a very long time but up to now there is nothing good that I have seen. We have been given the six year interim period and up to now as I stand here in Bor, I have not seen anything attractive. There is nothing at all. If you are there and above 18, you need to register.”

The registration exercise which started on Monday 15th November will end on the 1st of December.