Opposition SPLM-DC names new Secretary General
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September 21, 2011 (JUBA) — The Sudan People’s liberation Movement for
Democratic change (SPLM-DC), the official opposition party in the
newly-independent country of South Sudan, has appointed Sisto Olur
Erista as the new interim Secretary General replacing Sandra Bona
Malwal.
Malwal resigned from her position on Friday 16, saying she was a
single parent and needed to spend more time with her children and
focus on gender issues. Other officials including the secretary for
finance, and secretary for populace and syndicated organisation also
resigned.
Reacting to the resignation of the three senior officials, Lam Akol,
chairman of the SPLM-DC, in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on
19 September stating that he has appointed Sisto Olur as interim
Secretary General after consultation with his two deputies.
The statement accused the SPLM-DC’s former Secretary General and the
former the secretary for administration and finance of withdrawing
13,800 South Sudanese pounds ($5,160) from the party’s account prior
to announcing their defection.
In June 2009 the SPLM-DC split from the ruling SPLM, the former rebel
group, which has governed South Sudan since a 2005 peace deal. In July
of this yeay South Sudan became independent.
The SPLM-DC also refuted remarks that the party lacked transparency or
collaborated with armed militia and challenged its former members to
produce evidence in court of their claims.
“Right from the formation of the party, the SPLM has been accusing
[SPLM-DC] of sponsoring militia, an allegation we have consistently
rejected. And when our party was banned to operate in south Sudan in
2009, we took the matter to the constitutional court and no evidence
to the claim was produced for the court. That was why we won the case.
These allegations continued with all kinds of freaks and charlatans
being played on the television but nothing concrete were produced to
prove the case”, reads the statement.
The statement further challenged the former members to substantiate
their allegations as they were holding high positions within the party
prior to their defection.
“To have credibility in the eyes of the people of south Sudanese, the
defectors must produce insiders’ evidence to their allegations of
sponsoring militias, since they held high offices in SPLM-DC and were
running the day to day affairs of the party”, the statement adds.
Yien Thiang Luong, the SPLM-DC’s former secretary for populace and
syndicate organization who defected from the party, told Sudan Tribune
that party chairman Lam Akol lacked transparency.
“We call upon our supporters in the party to abandon the SPLM-DC and
to join the struggle of the people of the Republic of South Sudan
against disease, poverty and underdevelopment, and usher a sustained
economic prosperity, peace and unity of our beloved people.”
The defection of the three senior members with 523 other member is
believed to second biggest defection the party has ever experienced
since it established on 6 June 2009.
Last year Charles Barnaba Kisanga, the first Secretary General of the
SPLM-DC resigned taking with him an estimated over 5,000 members,
accusing the party leader of corruption, lack of transparency and
involvement with paramilitaries.
(ST)
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