SPLM-DC Accuses SPLM of Monopolizing Referendum Preparations

19 November 2010 – (Juba) – The SPLM-DC chairman has attributed the low turn out of voters in some registration centers and lack of better sensitization on the monopoly of one party in the referendum preparations.

Doctor Lam Akol called on the Government of Southern Sudan to include all parties in the referendum preparatory committees’ at all state levels so as to enhance voter registration and education.

He was speaking to the press and party members in Juba on Thursday.

[Dr. Lam Akol]: “So far there is still one party in the committees and that is why we are facing difficulties in the states. And in order to allow the process to go as we all want, we must hurry up and speed up the process of forming joint committees comprising of all the political parties at all levels; state levels, county levels and payam levels. So far there is no party that has received money for the work of the referendum, but there is a budget that has been approved for the whole exercise which is a budget of seventy two million Sudanese pounds.”

Doctor Lam added that each party shall receive an amount of ten thousand Sudanese pounds to run its referendum activities.

On the presidential amnesty passed early last month, Doctor Lam Akol criticized some states for failing to release some of his party agents as directed by President Salva Kiir. He however added that most of the people arrested by the government claims to be SPLM-DC members yet are not known to the party.

[Dr. Lam Akol]: “I do not know how many people are arrested, because there are people who got arrested and they said they are DC members, but we don’t know them. Even in Mapel, there was a colonel of the army who was arrested and he said he is a DC member, yet we don’t know his name and he is not with us. But we know the people who are party activists and got arrested; so far we have eight people including a member of parliament in Upper Nile state. In other places, we have people who are mostly suspected of being SPLM-DC members. But if they are suspected of being DC members, and DC has been ordered to be released, then they should be released.”

Doctor Lam Akol said that President Salva Kiir has promised to send a direct order for their immediate release to the state governments.