North Sudan: New Government Reshuffle; Opportunities, Challenges
By Mohamed Ali Fazari,
Much news has been circulated about the new cabinet reshuffle that took place a long time ago to determine the form of the government following 9 July development, which resulted officially in the secession of South Sudan.
Yet the position of First Vice President and weight southern ministers left the north heading to the South Sudan as it has become independent.
The new situation made extensive developments for the government to fulfill the vacuum in the executive positions as under secretaries became acting ministers till further notice.
But the big question was raised here and there and everywhere is; why slowness in forming the government?
The President, Al Bashir in an interview with Al Sudani daily said that they are still waiting for the accomplishment with the National Umma Party (NUP) and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP to decide whether they will participate in the coming government or not, but President Al Bashir has revealed that the new young faces will come to the arena affirming that the leader of DUP, Mohamed Osman Al Mirghani confirmed the participation of his party in the government.
At the same time he criticized the reluctant position taken by the NUP according to him, the experience with the NUP since the agreement of Djibouti is not encouraging
Meanwhile the leader of the National Umma Party, Al Sadiq Al Mahdi has repeatedly defended his party stance based on the national agenda. Al Mahdi, which went too far from his allies in the national consensus that they called for new regime rather than change or overthrow the regime as other parties want.
NUP leader made what he termed accurate diagnosis of the governance disease, lamenting that there are three options firstly the government which broad based system that was rejected by his party and the immediate call for toppling the regime warning that this choice will oppose alternative agenda. Al Mahdi stressed the current stance of his party is based on signing the national accord to sustain democratic transformation as well as last and comprehensive peace.
"We see that Arab and Islamic nations moved towards the new dawn not only in the countries that raise the flag of new nation but in all Arab and Islamic arena, so it is irrational to call for this new dawn in the four corners of the world and to forget the Sudan.
On the form and aspects of the coming government, the speaker of the national assembly, Ahmed Ibrahim Al Tahir said the government is going to review the system of the council of ministers by putting an end to expansion, denying any constitutional vacuum adding that the elected institutions will continue working until 2015.
Al Tahir lamented that the government strives to find a political and national consensus with parties existing in the political arena, describing that some parties want to participate in the government and others want to topple the regime, namely the Popular Congress Party and the leftist parties. He stressed that consultation with these parties will not become endless; pointing out that there is no political recession as the institutions of government are still operating.
In response to a question on the national government, Al Tahir categorically rejected any way to such proposal adding that the government has acquired its legitimacy through elections. Therefore parties should first recognize the outcome of the elections and the government. He went on to say that the hidden agenda of national government is cancellation of this government, however, the editor-in-chief of Sudan Vision Said Addeen Al Bashir said in his opinion the first step is to try to settle on national broad reconciliation on the national agenda which should aim at serving the overall national interest of the nation, explaining that a broad dialogue with all political parties without excluding any or each of them, such step as a vital for the establishment of sustainable constitution.
Meanwhile, running the current government and its executive side should be the easiest task and I do not agree with many who call for change as an objective on itself", he said, adding that instead change should take place within rank where there are some failures in fulfilling the institutional strategy.
Al Bashir who is also a well known political analyst urged the government not to rush or accelerate a reshuffle or a wide range change and it should do that in slow wise manner that many officials have gained considerable experience in their complicated files.
"These deserve and even the nation deserves the benefit of experience rather than just calling for change as change rhetoric circulated here and there."
http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=198617
About Post Author
