Remarks by the 1st VP Taban Deng Ghai during the SPLM NLC Meeting
7 min readSpeech by His Excellency, General Taban Deng Gai
Chairman of Sudan People Liberation Movement –In- Opposition (SPLM-IO)during the SPLM NLC meeting on May 3, 2018, at Freedom Hall in Juba, South Sudan
H.E. Cde.Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit,
President of the Republic,
Chairman of SPLM.
H. E. Cde Yoweri Kaguta Museveni,
President of the Republic of Uganda,
Chairman of National Resistant Movement (NRM) and Funding member of SPLM
H.E. John Pombe Magufuli,
President of the Republic of Tanzania,
Chairman of CCM.
H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa,
President of the Republic of South Africa,
Chairman of ANC.
H. E. Dr. James Wani Igga,
Vice President,
Deputy Chairman of SPLM.
H.E. Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Arab Republic of Egypt.
H.E. John Luk Jok,
Minister of Transport,
Actin Chairman of FDS,
H.E. David Shearer,
The SRSG
Governors,
Chairperson of SPLM in States.
Members of NLC,
Invited guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Comrade Chairman, Comrades and Members of National Liberation Council
Saturday, May 5, 2018 (PW) — Today 3rd of May 2018 shall be remembered as one among the SPLM historical days. We are meeting here this morning in Juba in this Freedom Hall to bring into life again the unity of SPLM party. We are here today meeting to endorse the implementation matrix signed on 15th December 2017 in Entebbe, Republic of Uganda under the auspices of His Excellency, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and Chairman of National Resistant Movement (NRM) to realise full implementation of SPLM Reunification. The Arusha SPLM Reunification Agreement was negotiated by the three factions of SPLM (SPLM IG, SPLM IO and FDS) with the support of our sisterly parties CCM, EPRDF, ANC and NRM. This agreement has four Chapters:
The preamble;
The Political issues;
The Organisational issues; and
The Leadership issues.
These chapters captured the core and fundamental issues that explicitly addressed the root causes of the split in the party and interests of the SPLM three groups. The Arusha SPLM Reunification Agreement provided clear and transparent road map on how to reunite and reorganize the SPLM party and put it again in its rightful place in the history. The Arusha SPLM Reunification provides another golden opportunity to build a united and vibrant strong liberation party that shall work for the nation and state building. A Political party that can move our nation forward and uplift our people from backwardness and poverty. Comrades
We are gathering here today to abolish these factions of SPLM (SPLM-IG, SPLM-IO and SPLM-FDs) and put to an end the factional infightings and divisions in the Party and finally say bye -bye to segmentation, fractionalization and tribalism.
Comrades
From the inception of SPLM in 1983, we stated the following as fundamental objectives and values upon which SPLM aspire to establish our hard won independent nation.
Justice
Liberty; and
Prosperity.
As we stated them clearly in our manifesto of 1983, these core values are still valid and shall remain valid for the SPLM as it continues to exist and grow into broad base party. These values shall always guide our struggle for a just developed and prosperous nation. But comrades, let me remind you, today as we meet, our party is 35 years old. If you examined as how far we have come and compare to our current situation, you will ask yourself /yourselves, where are we from these core values? What have we done to achieve these? Are they attainable, can we implement these values? I believe we can. Yes we can. We are politically and ideologically mature enough to implement these grand objectives and translate those weaknesses of the past into strengths. We know where we come from and where we are today and where we want to go and what our future should like tomorrow.
We must unite the SPLM today and move our nation forward with the speed of 35 years of struggle for an independent Republic of South Sudan and consolidate and cement our fundamental and cores values;
Equality;
Justice;
Freedom for all;
Unity in diversity;
Prosperity to all; and
Progress as an essential aspect of our national liberation.
Comrades,
Your mission is to move this nation forward and not backward; you must work hard to consolidate the gains of our hard won independent. We must always;
Embrace patriotism to drive out the current rampant tribalism and nepotism. This deadly cancer of tribalism failed Anya Anya I war, it almost failed the SPLM liberation, and it almost failed our referendum for independent. What saved us were the wisdom, dedication, unwavering commitment, and steadfastness, tolerant and unyielding love of our President for this nation.
We must work hard to develop strong institutions that shall run the daily affairs of our nation;
We must put our resource into masses services (railways, roads, bridges, education, health, electricity, food security, etc);
We must fight and eradicate corruption;
We must build and nurture a strong national and united army (SSPDF). Our liberation army (SPLA) were productive during the war of liberation. We must work to bring back the spirit of hard work, self-reliance and independence. We must encourage and promote spirit of voluntarism and make our army productive and become a ready workforce that can build industries, railways, roads, and bridges, cultivate and produce food and etc. We must also work to strengthen our correctional units (police, prison services and wildlife) and other security agencies;
We must reform and strengthen our judiciary and justice system;
We must reconcile our people at the grass root, disarm them, and deploy security forces to provide security and combat cattle theft, stop cattle rustling and child abduction;
We must bring peace to our citizens by encouraging dialogue, healing and reconciliation among them and by supporting grassroots and people to people peace building, peace settlement and peace making. The National Dialogue and High Level Revitalization Forum shall serve as the basis for these home-grown processes
We must work to promote democracy internally in the SPLM and in the entire Republic of South Sudan. We must promote political pluralism, create conducive environment for those groups who don’t share the same political ideology with us (SPLM) to form their own political parties and compete in a free, transparent and credible democratic exercise (elections) and let South Sudanese decide and choose their leaders through the ballot boxes and not through bullets.
We must work for a strong SPLM party that will carry the torch of liberation and fulfil the aspirations of our people. We must work hard to
Restore the trust between our liberation movement and the masses. By doing so, our party shall win the popular votes of the masses and get elected into public offices and establish a cohesive government that shall deliver services effectively and efficiently.
We must establish SPLM political school for cadres and leadership development.
Comrades for all these to happen, we must redouble our effort and work hard to achieve them.
Comrades members of NLC,
I see you as one body representing our Party and the nation, I see you as the liberators, and I see in you the 64 nationalities. You have liberated this Country. You can’t fail to unite its people. You can’t fail to develop it and move it forward. You have all the resources needed to develop it and move it forward.
Let us give our Chairman the support he need. He is the symbol of our liberation. He is our founding father. He is our guiding and uniting figure. He is the hope upon which this Nation stands. We must give him our best and the best of our ability to support him wholeheartedly through this journey to lasting, sustainable and durable peace, reconciliation, healing, dialogue and unity.
Comrade Chairman,
I am appealing to the NLC members to endorse the Implementation Matrix for the full implementation of the SPLM Reunification Agreement. Let us restore our glory and bring back the SPLM that accommodate all of us and lead the nation toward just peace, justice, liberty and prosperity.
I thank the SPLM Acting Secretary General and her team for organising the NLC conference, a job well done, congratulation Madam Acting SG.
SPLM oyee
Unity oyee;
Forward ever,
Backward never.
His Excellency, General Taban Deng Gai
Chairman of Sudan People Liberation Movement –In- Opposition (SPLM-IO)
May 3, 2018, Juba
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