President Kiir’s candidacy at stake in next year’s poll as SPLM battles internal rivalry in Central Equatoria State
Umba Peter Bosco
By Umba Peter Bosco, Juba, South Sudan
Thursday, 07 September 2023 (PW) — As South Sudan gears towards next year’s elections, tension within the ruling SPLM party in Equatoria has flared in recent weeks ahead of preparations for Kiir’s endorsement as the sole candidate. Internal rivalry among its members over the party’s top seat, especially in Central Equatoria State, has also climaxed significantly. Such relentless rivalry will likely deprive the SPLM of electoral victory in the region and the country.
This phenomenon is further aggravated by the recent uncovering of documents circulating on social media showing shameful scandals by Central Equatoria State’s top leadership involved in unpardonable illegal land sales and acquisitions. This awful act ruins that party’s integrity and sets President Kiir’s candidacy at stake. Therefore, it requires well-thought-out decision(s) to be made by SPLM to address its internal wrangles, including the pervasive corruption, to calm the looming threat of losing centre stage to other political parties in the political arena.
The senior and influential members of the SPLM in Central Equatoria may be demotivated by the party’s poor performance, caused mainly by widespread corruption, as well as by the damaging effect this practice has on the party’s integrity. The irresponsible, unaccountable, and fraudulent utilization of available resources continues to undermine the state government’s ability to address extreme poverty and hunger and provide adequate essential services of good quality. Growth and development in the state have not also been achieved as expected.
To prevent a repeat of the 2010 scenario in Central Equatoria in which Alfred Ladu Gore, former Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM-IO, disputed former governor Clement Wani Konga’s success, the SPLM must timely act on the issues outlined above by embracing competence as well as respecting its party command structure as per historical arrangements based on seniority.
Any failure to address its internal divisions and rivalries may trigger defections to other political parties, thus reducing the chances of victory. Without putting themselves in order, citizens may prefer to vote for independent candidates instead of party-affiliated candidates in next year’s elections.
As a metropolitan society that is politically informed, it is likely for Central Equatoria citizens to withhold their loyalty to the SPLM and abstain from participating in its programs, including in the upcoming elections, if it continues to tolerate corruption and the use of excessive force by local authorities and security apparatus against some civil society actors in some parts of the state where the armed forces are frequently committing human rights violations.
In conclusion, the path to victory for the SPLM in next year’s election is uneven. It should, therefore, be noted with grave concern that Central Equatoria State is a critical player in South Sudan’s politics, considering its diversity regarding the varieties of ethnicities it hosts. People in this state are politically more informed and can influence the general population’s opinion negatively and positively regarding the elections.
Given their influence in their respective communities, the senior cadres of the SPLM can cripple the party by demobilizing members of their communities, hence undermining Kiir’s candidacy. Being able and willing to address its current crisis, ensuring party discipline, respecting its command structures based on seniority, and taking tough decisions against some of its corrupt members who have allegedly stolen public property, including land, can help the SPLM regain political stability.
The Author, Umba Peter Bosco is a South Sudanese political scientist and conflict analyst reachable via umbapeter28@gmail.com
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