South Sudan Democratic Forum-Mainstream: Withdrawal of Confidence from South Sudan Democratic Forum Leader.

2^nd December 2011

JUBA – South Sudan

South Sudan Democratic Forum was founded in September 2001 in the City of London, United Kingdom, by concerned Southern Sudan political parties, civic organizations and movements. The founding members included: South Sudan Civic Forum, United Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF), Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army – United (SPLM/A), South Sudan Referendum Party, Sudan People’s Democratic Front (SPDF), Southern Sudan Consensus Building, South Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SSLM/A), Peace Action for Sudan and Africa (PAFSA), Diaspora, South Sudan women group in UK, and national figures.

The Forum’s main objective was to work diligently to bring peace and unity among the people of South Sudan by embracing forgiveness and reconciliation through South-South dialogue for the realization of Self-Determination as the sole objective of our people. The South Sudan Consultative Political Conference, held in the historic city of Oxford, the United Kingdom, in the period 19th-23rd August 2003, sums up the South Sudan Democratic Forum mission on the issue of unity of Sudan or separation of the South. No doubt, our opponents in the South and the North, called us “the Forum” separatists.

Today, the people of South Sudan have successfully concluded their decades of long struggle with independence after the exercise of their right to Self-Determination in an internationally monitored referendum; hence, a new sovereign state with its geopolitical boundaries, the Republic of South Sudan, has been established and recognized internationally. With this historic development, there is a need to reappraise the political agenda and the mission of the Democratic Forum, in order to cope with the unfolding political realities on the ground. This requires from us to raise questions and scrutinize the way the party leadership run their responsibilities, duties and the party’s affairs in order to address the process of nation-building.

It is unfortunate to note that our Chairman Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro and his Deputy Mr. Mayom Kuoc Malek have, in a rare display of opportunism, advanced self-interest above anything else, used the party’s name to position themselves in the government without contributing to its programme and policies, and subdued the democratic process that was at the centre of our core values as a Forum. The Leader of the Forum and his deputy arrogated to themselves the right to make pronouncements and take actions not sanctioned by the party structures as demanded by our constitution. Not only that, but they also have been running the party in a devious, deceptive, self-centred manner which drove away most of the founding leaders. This dubious behavior renders the party’s well articulated principles and slogans meaningless bringing it to disrepute and becoming a subject of mockery.

At this critical juncture in our history, we, the members of the South Sudan Democratic Forum, do hereby issue this Declaration Statement to announce and inform the public at large that for the above mentioned reasons we have withdrawn our confidence from our Chairman Dr Martin Elia Lomuro and his Deputy Mr Mayom Kuoc Malek.  Consequently, it gives us great pleasure, to declare the inauguration as of today, 2^nd December 2011 in our capital city, Juba, of the political and public activities of The South Sudan Democratic Forum – Mainstream.

 The South Sudan Democratic Forum-Mainstream is formed by concerned leaders and cadres of the then Democratic Forum after long and thorough consultations with members all over the entire country. As a result, the Democratic Forum-Mainstream is emerging very much united and more able to articulate the desires and aspirations of the people of South Sudan without hesitation or dilution dictated by self-interest. The South Sudanese people crave for development and prosperity, where the rule of law and equality should be the order of the day. People must be honest and transparent about how they run public affairs. These qualities should be the ethics that govern the activities of political parties that would like to operate in the new political dispensation in the Republic of South Sudan.

The South Sudan Democratic Forum-Mainstream as a viable political party with the principles and objectives of the Forum as articulated in September 2001, emerges as a result of the dismal failures of the then Democratic Forum leader who deviated from the vision and mission of the founding members especially to articulate our togetherness as the country is transitioning to a new phase of nation-building through consensus. The South Sudan Democratic Forum-Mainstream in its principles will be engaged in pursuing policies that would address and tackle the challenges facing our new nation and put forth visions and solutions for nation-building through developmental projects, enhancement of  democracy and the rule of law that advocate freedom and equality for all and uphold human rights.

The leadership of the then Democratic Forum, under Martin Elia Lomuro and his Deputy Mayom Kuoc Malek, has violated the agreed formula of representation because

of greed and selfishness. The Forum had criteria of representing all the three greater regions of Bahr El Ghazal, Equatoria and Upper Nile in government in case of participation with the ruling party.

In spite of that, Martin Elia and Mayom Kuoc have both taken up positions in the National Assembly as well as in the Council of Ministers; Martin as Minister of Animal Resources and Mayom Kuoc as Deputy Minister of Transport. It is out of greed and the devilish lust of abusing the collective responsibility entrusted to them by the people to selfishly place themselves first since the involvement of the party in the government of National Unity and GOSS in 2005.

This is not the first time they oddly behave in such a way. After the last elections in April, 2010, in which they all proved unsuccessful, Mayom Kuoc Malek and Andrea Kuong Ruay- the Secretary General of the party-  put their names forward in the nomination list of ministers handed over to the National Congress Party (NCP, Khartoum) by the South Sudan Political Parties Alliance, the Kenana Group. Having failed to get these positions in the National Cabinet they started to deny association with the Kenana group while accusing others of the same in order to win the favor of the ruling party in the South. However, if the discussions with the NCP had been successful, Mayom Kuoc would have been a Minister on the ticket of the Kenana Group to which he belonged since its inception as an instrumental organizer and contributor. If there was anything suspicion about the Kenana group, then Mr. Mayom Kuoc must be put under scrutiny, otherwise he might be hiding his true colour.

There is something astonishing that we must be careful about; the way these people handle the party affairs is like that they have a double agenda, the one that is known to any ordinary member, and the hidden agenda that is known to Martin Elia and Mayom Kuoc alone. Martin Elia one time when asked in a party meeting about the stagnant political activities in Greater Equatoria, he replied that he was working undercover and in a low profile until he made sure that things are in control, then he would surface. Everyone was taken aback and dismayed about such a talk, implying that he had some hidden agenda that is not known to people!  We did not understand whether he was going to make a coup d’ etat or what?  Nobody knows until now. This double agenda has never been clear until recently when a dispute surfaced between them and their agent and client in Khartoum.

 The source of dispute was that there has been some secret dealing between the two, in which they sold out all the party assets including vehicles without knowledge of most of the Executive Committee members. The client felt cheated and complained of being deceived by Martin Elia through Hamza Ahmed Hamad, the agent, who threatened to open a case to reclaim back his money.

It is also a well-known fact that Dr. Martin Elia pocketed the millions of pounds that were given to the Southern Political Parties by the Government of Southern Sudan during the 2010 elections, thus shaming our party which did not benefit from that money. Moreover, our leader continued the feat of shame when he again pocketed the referendum money of the party in broad day light leaving most of the senior members murmuring until this day without facing him and his friend the Deputy who is the Secretary of  Finance as there has been no financial reports and accountability since 2005. The most astonishing thing in this is that with all these huge amounts of money handled by the two don’t get surprised that the South Sudan Democratic Forum has no Head Office in Juba – the capital city of our nation. This has made the party a corrupt and unethical social club of few individuals who ascribe to such lifestyle as it is being run in the hotel rooms.

 During all this time the behavior of these people brought the party to disrepute even dismissing senior members on mere rumors without consultations with the Leadership Authority of the party and their respective regions, not even following rudimentary party procedures. So, it is our collective conviction as members of The South Sudan Democratic Forum-Mainstream to dissociate ourselves from this unprincipled group, and would like to make ourselves clear to the public at large and to put forth our principles and objectives that will regulate our daily activities in conformity with the transitional constitutions and laws that govern our nation.

Dr. Martin Lomuro needs to be reminded that the South Sudan Democratic Forum, which a tiny group of people including him attempted to own as their private organization or property, was formed as an umbrella comprising concerned Southern Sudan political parties, civic organizations and movements as mentioned at the beginning of this statement. Once again, Dr. Martin Lomuro needs to be reminded that he came to the South Sudan Democratic Forum on the Equatoria Civic Forum’s ticket. Therefore, we would like to advise him strongly to head back to them because he has lost the track of the founding members.

Signed:

South Sudan Democratic Forum-Mainstream.