CIA IS GROOMING PAGAN AMUM AS NEXT JOHN GARANG

Press Release

SPLM/A Veterans Against Corruption and Nepotism

October 24, 2007

The events that culminated in the SPLM pull out of the GONU were triggered by many factors, many of which were manufactured by Pagan Amum and other Garang's boys. Most of the SPLM leaders did not anticipate that Pagan Amum and Co. (often referred to as "Awlaad Garang”) could use the differences between the two partners and use them to further their selfish agenda as they do now.

First, ever since the formation of GONU and the appointment of Dr. Lam Akol as Sudan ’s Foreign Minister, the group has been putting tremendous pressure on President Kiir to sack Dr. Lam and replace him with either Dr. Mansour Khalid or Deng Alor. President Kiir first played it cool until the group got frustrated and were almost rebelling against Kiir.

Second, since the death of Dr. Garang, the Group was reluctant to serve under Kiir for their own reasons. One of them Nhial Deng Nhial was too brave to express this reluctance and quit his post as Minister for Regional cooperation in the GoSS. The rest of Awlaad Garang remained to continue the struggle perhaps maximising on the famous strategy coined by Martin Luther King Junior, if you can’t defeat them join them. Pagan almost quit had it not been for his appointment as SPLM Secretary General and his alleviation to the second position in the SPLM hierarchy. Now he is number five in that hierarchy. Pagan’s group harbours a great dislike for Kiir’s leadership. It is to be recalled that the group strongly condemned Kiir when he differed with the late Dr. Garang in 2004. So already there was no love lost between them and Kiir.

Third and this may explain Pagan’s erratic behaviour before and after the SPLM pull out from GONU. In December 2006 at Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars – Africa Program, a controversial seminar was organised in which three experts on Africa made presentations. Dave Peterson, Africa Director at the National Endowment for Democracy, a lobby group, presented “a framework of conditions that needed to be satisfied for successful elections to become a reality in Sudan ”. Peterson identified five blocs of contestants for Sudan ’s presidency: NCP, SPLM, UMMA, DUP and the Sudan Communist Party. He was convinced that no one party would win the elections outright. Peterson therefore suggested one way out and said: "one possible condition could be for the SPLM and Southern parties to join with progressive Northern groups. If they jointly back the SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum, then they stand a chance to win the presidential elections".

Pagan intoxicated by the very rare chance of becoming president of the Sudan based on the above expert recommendation sat down to strategise with his group. They made contacts with the Northern political parties including those reactionary parties not recommended by the experts. They threatened to use the Sudanese people to implement their demands through what John Garang called "popular uprising of angry mob". Pagan never informed President Kiir of the Washington episode and continued to flatter him that he was the only candidate to contest with Al Bashir. . Was this an honest gesture or the usual tactics of a flatterer?

We have been following Pagan’s political statements for a while now and have been dismayed by how often he becomes inconsistent and contradictory not to mention is flat lies. Previously, we did not buy the often derogatory statement that “politics is about lying” but the few months assignment on Pagan’s political statements have convinced us that the above negative view on politics may be true after all. Now let us illustrate Pagan’s lies and we will start with the $60 million dollars scandal. Pagan has been denying in public any knowledge or receipt of the amount. He accused Mr. Arthur Akuien of absconding with the money. In a meeting of the SPLM Interim National Council in August 2007 in Juba , Mr. Akuein made a documented report which turned the tables against Pagan. According to Mr. Akuein, the SPLM had received more than $48 million dollars. This amount could not be accounted for by the SPLM Secretary General and it seemed that was the end of the case.

Second, Pagan rebutted as false the NCP accusation that the SPLM's pull out of GONU was implemented through the influence of some American agents and specifically Mr. Roger Winter whom the NCP said was seen in Juba . It did not occur to Pagan that Roger Winter and Brian de Silva were captured by the TV crew that covered his press conference and were seen by many viewers in the North. Third, Pagan alleged that the SPLM reshuffle list approved by Al Bashir was not the original one that Kiir had sent from Juba . His reason was that the approved list did not include the name of Yasser Arman, his "warrombai". The following day Mr. Pagan was quick to retract his statement.

The majority of Southerners know well that Pagan’s certain burst of anger and hostility is not to bring more gains for them. It is orchestrated by his lust for power as leaked to him by his American friends. His erratic behaviour is to create confusion which he hopes may heighten tensions leading to war and ultimately bring a regime change in Sudan . If Pagan and group believe that they could oust Kiir in the South and Al Bashir in the North and bring a regime change in the Sudan , they must be the worst illusionist dreamers the World ever produced.

Last but not least, the majority of Southerners do not approve of Pagan’s lone crusade at their expense. Pagan and group should read between the lines and stop juggling with the future of the South. No Southerner is impervious to their conspiratorial and rent seeking schemes. Our silence and lack of rebuking you Pagan Amum should not be construed as approval and endorsement of his selfish schemes. We have just been overtaken by the very fact that God should take away our brave and able leader Dr. John Garang and leave us at the care of a weak and indecisive leadership.

For Contact:

Executive Committee,

SPLM/A Veterans in Diaspora

London, UK

Email: splmveteransfortruth@yahoo.com