Boycotting Elections Because of Distrusting NCP?

By Dr. James Okuk

I read an article on 2010 elections boycott written by Dr. Justin Ambago and would like to share my answer to these questions he raised : "If this may become the real scenario should the laws fail to be amended and the Juba conferees insist as expected not to back off, then where would that leave the greedy NCP? Will the NCP proceed with the elections without SPLM, UMMA, Popular Congress, Sudanese Communist Party and the other political parties?"

Yes, the NCP will proceed because it is already proceeding now. The NCP has been ruling the Sudan without elections and/or without fair and free elections from 1989 up to now, and it will not be a new thing for them to do so if the SPLM and other opposition political parties boycott the 2010 elections . For the NCP, politics is a matter of political survival for their leaders.

But why should the SPLM and the Northern opposition party boycott the elections when they have been mobilizing their supporters to register in the designated Voter Registration centers inside the country and abroad? Why should Saddiq El-Mahdi, Ebrahim Nugud, Dr. Hassan El Turabi, Salva Kiir, Yasser Arman, Pagan Amum register and get IDs of voting in April 2010 if they are going to boycott the elections? What will they use these Voter IDs for if they ran out from the playing field of Sudanese elections? Immature politics is a very funny game at times because it makes some politicians behaves even more childish than the Children.

Interestingly enough I read another article on the same topics from Mr. Luk Kuth on 2010 election trusts and would like to share this answer with you: If we agree that we should not trust the NCP of Al Bashir in 2010 elections because of their corruption and Arab bigotism, I think the principle of fairness would demands that we should neither trust the SPLM of Kiir because of their corruption and African tribalism. Both are two sides of the same coin and there is no way we can exempt one side in support of the other side since they have contributed to put the Sudan to number three in the world report of the most corrupt countries.

The Corruption in the North plus corruption in the South gives the total of all corruption in the whole Sudan . This is a simple arithmetic of addition without subtraction. So if the Sudan is leveled as one of the top corrupt countries in the world, this would mean Southern Sudan is included in this international judgment because it is still part of the whole Sudan until, perhaps, its people choose the path of separation and independence in near future.

If the Sudanese want to be free from corruption vices (Southerners and Northerners alike without exception), then they should work extra hard to vote for the right people who can manage public offices and fund honestly. Mere boycotts and distrust will never improve the bad situation that has plagued the Sudan as a whole for decades now.

Notwithstanding, many Sudanese people have learnt a lot of lessons that the rebels movements and military juntas don't bring the desired genuine change needed for the good of the country because once they are in public offices and higher decision-making position, they forget the suffering of the marginalized people. Sometimes they even become worst than the previous government, taking people back to square one to start a new futile struggle again.

Is this constant struggle without progress the kind of life the Sudanese people want in wasting their God-given energies and talents from one generation to another? I don't think so because I am almost sure that many Sudanese people - whether in the North or South - would  want to get involved in genuine struggle for progressive change and inclusive development in all parts of the country without deceptions and greediness. They understand that life itself is a constant struggle but for progressive rather than regressive direction. These people will always remain greater than any individual Sudanese who attempt to oppress them by any means.

Dr. James Okuk can be reached at [email protected]