Gore Welcomes Kiir Reconciliation Speech to Independents

26 March 2010 - (Juba) – The southern independent candidates' spokesman, Alfred Lado Gore, says he welcomed the statement issued by President Kiir in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, regarding former SPLM members.

Earlier this year, the SPLM political bureau dismissed all SPLM members who were dissatisfied with its decision to nominate candidates of its choice.

On Wednesday, the SPLM chairman, Salva Kiir, told his supporters in Aweil that he will welcome the independent candidates back to the SPLM, whether they win or lose in the elections.

Alfred Lado Gore, who is standing for governor in Central Equatoria state against the SPLM candidate Clement Wani Konga, spoke to SRS on Friday in Juba.

[Lado Gore]: “Let me say that it is a very positive step and I commend Salva Kiir for saying that. It is a sign of statesmanship and it should have been done a long time ago because we knew the decision we took was a correct one because we could not allow people to derail the historical process of our national liberation movement. The election process, from the primaries up to the electoral colleges, was deeply fraudulent. We made this very clear to the political bureau. And so I think if there is a change of heart as the president has stated, then it is most welcome. It is time for him to speak out boldly. We are not against the party. The party is ours, some of us founded it, we grew up in it, we became old in it, and if need be, we shall die defending it.”

Lado Gore added the SPLM should now consider offering the independent candidates funds to boost their election campaigns, as is the case with other SPLM candidates.