Could there be fair elections in Sudan ’s NCP/NIF regime?

By: Luk Kuth Dak , USA

One of my mentors, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. puts it best when he said: “Law and order are for the purpose of establishing justice, and when they fail in that purpose, they dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.” “ Protest is the voice of unheard.”

Certainly, the Sudanese people who took their frustration and dismay on the National Congress Party, NCP to the street on Monday, Dec. 7th , 2009 , were not at all astonished by the brutality in which the regime has dealt with the peaceful domestications. They knew all too well that the regime is adamantly determined to remain in power by any means possible. Not only to continue looting the country of its wealth, but also because it’s the only way there is for their indicted leaders- al Basher- in particular, to avoid falling into the hands of the International Criminal Court, ICC , for war crimes and genocide in Darfur .

No matter how hard the NCP tries to sugarcoat its vicious terrorist crack down of the peaceful protest, the message is crystal clear: the elections are not going to be fair, the disputed laws are not going to be changed, the democratic reforms will remain only a day dream, and the Comprehensive Peace agreement, CPA, will not be implemented.

In reality, anyone who thinks otherwise, is certainly out of touch or in denial of the potential dangers that await us all. And so, if that’s actually the case, as I truly believe it is, the legitimate question had to be: what sense does it make to run for an election that had already been decided? Isn’t that a total waste of time and resources?

In addition, it must be understood, that the main reason why the NCP regime seems to be insisting that the elections must be held as scheduled, whether or not the opposition parties take part, is absolutely due to the fact the NCP/NIF are solidly certain that the outcome couldn’t possibly be less than a 99.9% victory for their party, which has the absolute control of the so-called national TV, the Omdurman Radio and an army of publicly funded newspapers and television channels. The rest of the parties, including the SPLM, are most welcome to share the remaining 1%.

Amazingly and sadly so, there are some folks, even in South Sudan, who are extremely, extremely naïve and caught up in this idiotic misconception that, somehow, under such circumstances, an election is winnable and the unity could still be made attractive, in the few months left until the general elections and subsequently the referendum are conducted. Well, if you happened to be one of those people, you have my sympathy. Why? Because in reality, nothing could be further from the truth, that what the Islamic Republic of Sudan was unable to do for the citizens of South Sudan in over a half a century long and counting, can now be achieved in just a matter of thirteen months.

 It’s almost laughable, indeed.

Consequently, in the aftermath of the unlawful, unjust and uncivilized arrest of the SPLM Secretary General, Uztaz Pagan Amoum, his deputy, Ustaz Yasir Arman and other Southern politicians, the ball’s now at the SPLM’s court.

Unfortunately, it’s running out of options. The few ones it has are: Firstly, all the leaders must buy life insurances. Secondly, the SPLM must get over its trepidations and chronic inconsistencies, to make its position crystal clear whether for or against the up coming fake elections, instead of being leashed into an election it can never win. And thirdly, it’s time to mull on how to bring along the international community, in order to put some real pressure on the NCP/NIF regime, to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, that they were witnesses of.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit   should be applauded for his optimism and commitment to peaceful resolution of the conflicts with NCP/NIF. “I will not lead you (Southerners) to war unless I must," he said. Unfortunately, that alone is insufficient. It must be coupled with real actions to strengthen the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, SPLA, the intelligent agencies and the rest of the organized armed forces, just in case. Waiting to the last moment will be a terrible and deadly mistake.

Final thought: While it’s so true that we all come from different tribes in South Sudan , yet, it couldn’t be a coincidence that we all look exactly the same, share the same customs, and in most cases, our languages by and large sound the same.. In another word, we are a one people with slightly different norms, which makes it all more unique and beautiful.

The author is former anchorman with Juba Radio, and he can be reached at [email protected] .