Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The spokesperson of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance Party – Other Political Parties, a coalition of Political parties and armed groups, said the alliance is well prepared to win this election on grounds that the country needs change and the change can be delivered by the OPP.
Albino Akol, on Tuesday, made an impassioned plea for peaceful elections.
The plea came a day after the Minister of Information Michael Makuei challenged the SPLM party leadership to make sure that the party clinches the 2023 elections.
Akol claimed that while the SPLM had its glory days as the party that liberated the nation from the North, those days have passed and the OPP is striving to clean up the mess that the SPLM has caused.
“We are in peace, yes, but the peace is in trouble because of the same mentality of the SPLM,” said Akol.
He added, “As a political party, we exist to correct the situation, to put things right and contribute to the best way of ruling the country.’’
Akol said that the elections can only happen in a peaceful and stable country, emphasising that the citizens must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights in a peace.
Akol told The City Review Newspaper, that the Other Political Parties want a clear direction designed to deliver services to the people of South Sudan.
He stated that the OPP is poised to win this election because the country requires change, which the OPP can provide.
“We are not going to use violent means to get rid of bad rulers. We are waiting for that time for elections to take place so that we get rid of them.” He said.
“The only thing that we are using now is peace to get rid of those who are ruling the country the way people want and this is why we are participating in the implementation of the peace agreement,” he said.
Vice President Wani Igga on Monday reminded the SPLM party leadership to step up its efforts to safeguard against spoilers and lead the SPLM party into an election victory.
“We must know the challenges of the SPLM party and simply these elections are not going to be the usual elections. We have out there, people who are going to do their level best to compete and democratically destroy us here,” he said during the swearing-in ceremony of two deputy governors in Juba.
Michael Makuei, the Minister of Information, had earlier urged the SPLM party leadership to step up activity and assure the party’s win in the election.
The SPLM has experienced internal squabbles, according to Makuei, which have challenged the party’s unity.
“We have been fighting and unfortunately it is the SPLM which has been fighting itself,” Makuei told the party members on Monday while presiding over the swearing ceremony of the deputy governors in Juba.
“Most of those who are in other so-called organisations and movements were all members of the SPLM, it is your duty to bring them back,” Makuei urged the SPLM party leadership.
It would be a disgrace, Makuei remarked, if the party that liberated the country lost the elections.
However, according to Jok Madut, a political expert, the SPLM party’s popularity among the general public has long dwindled, and it would require a lot of hard effort for the party to win the election.
“The SPLM party may have been popular because of the liberation credentials, but that popularity has long been consumed by corruption, waste of public resources, violence and poor governance,” he said
Jok Madut, on the other hand, questioned if the elections in 2023 could still be held. He argued that the current state of affairs demonstrates the SPLM’s lack of interest in holding elections.
“The SPLM top leadership, the chairman and the secretariat are not interested in the elections for fear of losing under the current circumstances,” said Madut.
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