Former SPLM-DC Deputy Chairman Accuses Party Leader

19 July 2010 - (Khartoum/Juba) – The former deputy chairman of the SPLM-DC Charles Babiro Kisanga has accused the SPLM-DC of working against the interests of southern Sudan.

Kisanga announced his defection from the party on Friday. He spoke to SRS on Monday from Juba.

[Charles Kisanga]: “The chairman took control of the SPLM-DC where all the funds where under his use, the whole administration was under his control. He brought his tribesmen, tribalism, nepotism and also some of the things are working against the southern interest like trying to say that he has to postpone the referendum because he said the government in southern Sudan is illegitimate because the election was rigged and all these things I don’t agree with. Most southern Sudanese who took the slogan of change under the banner of SPLM-DC did not agree with while the SPLM is improved in certain areas. So we cannot waste our time again to stay with dictatorship and corruption.

Kisanga also said that the SPLM-DC will cease to exist as many of his party members have lost confidence in the party.

[Charles Kisanga]: “I don’t think SPLM-DC can exist anymore because everybody knows the character of Lam Akol and if he was there to use me as a ladder to get backing to his position which is lost because he is somebody known not to work for the interest of the south, then that’s the end of it. Most of southern Sudanese would have pulled out with me back to the SPLM and we are now united for the common purpose of achieving our unity, achieving our objective of a referendum in a free and good atmosphere so that the situation of people of south Sudan is realized.”

The SPLM-DC has however said that the party was not satisfied with Kisanga’s contribution to the party.

The newly elected secretary general for SPLM-DC Sandra Bona Malwal spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Monday.

[Sandra Bona Malwal]: “The main cause of engineer Charles defection is because he was told that he will not have the privileges of the secretary general and this one actually shows that his main objective is he wants to be somewhere where there is money. That is the main cause of his defection.”

She said Kisanga’s defection will have no impact whatsoever on the party.

[Sandra Bona Malwal]: “I don’t think Dr. Charles is a big loss to SPLM-DC because he is somebody who is silent. He was a silent weapon, not effective he was not even making use of the media in terms of publicizing the party. We will lose nothing because somebody that you will lose is somebody who has people behind him but this is a one man show. I don’t think Dr. Charles Barnaba Kisanga will be a big loss to the SPLM-DC.”

The newly elected secretary general for SPLM-DC Sandra Bona Malwal was speaking to SRS from Khartoum on Monday.