9 November 2009
Honourable Abel Alier
Chairman, National Election Commission
Khartoum, Sudan
AFRICA
We greet you as the chairs of SPLM Europe: UK, Benelux region, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. We represent a huge constituency of people of the New Sudan here in the Diaspora.
Conscious of our role in mobilising our people in the Diaspora and ensuring their participation in the forthcoming Presidential elections, which will be followed by the election of President of Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and the subsequent referendum to decide the future of South Sudan.
We are proud and mindful of our historical role during the liberation struggle. This was recognised by our esteemed SPLM/A leadership through granting us the right to participate in the aforementioned elections and referendum.
We are however dismayed and disappointed at the way registration is being conducted.
We urge the National Election Commission to address the following issues that are hindering the wider participation of all Sudanese people in the Diaspora:
- There is a need for more registration centres in Europe, East Africa, Horn of Africa and Australia.
- There is a need to involve representatives of the various political parties as observers during the registration process to deter foul play.
- There is a need to extend the period of registration to cater to people who reside far from the registration centres selected.
- There is a need for a simple and imaginative registration process that avoids the need for a Sudanese passport for the following reasons:
1. Due to the current recession, most of our community members are unable to meet the costs of acquiring a Sudanese passport.
2. Most people do not have a Sudanese passport, especially those who were brought from the refugees camps in Africa.
Mr. Chairman, this historical and pivotal moment for the Sudan that requires you and the other NEC members to rise to the occasion and ensure a just registration effort and a transparent electoral process.
The NEC therefore cannot afford to treat this registration process and the coming Elections as a normal case, but must provide the greatest amount of flexibility to ensure that the long-suffering citizens of The Sudan at home and abroad all have a fair chance to register and vote in the coming elections.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, we urge you to build the foundation for a just registration system that doesn’t favour any political groups and a transparent election process that befits the long-suffering masses of our people, whose decades of struggle for justice and equality must now come to a peaceful end.
With patriotic regard,
The SPLM European chapter chairs:
Cde. Martin Muorat
Cde. Bella Kodi
Cde. Hakim Jouk
Cde. Justin Juk
Cde. Regina Gai
Cde. Gango Abdullahi
Cde. Majok Kariom