SPLM candidate selections-stakes are high.

By Machien J. Luoi December 15, 2009 -- Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is the most likely credible political threat to the National Congress Party (NCP) and its proxies during the 2010 national elections in Sudan. SPLM is viewed as the party of the Sudanese heroes and heroines. It led and continues to lead the way towards liberation of the marginalized communities of Sudan. Many Sudanese from all directions of Sudan will likely stand behind SPLM candidates in the next year's elections. However, if SPLM in its candidate selections does not give its loyal, virtuously popular, experienced and qualified candidates a chance to compete, all that is expected to fall into its basket in 2010 national elections, could be snatched by other political competitors. Why should loyalty matter in the SPLM candidate selections? Politics is sometimes known as "a game of interests." There are people who spent almost the whole twenty-two years of the Civil-war spearheaded by SPLM/A, fighting against SPLM/A instead of joining forces with SPLM/A to fight adversaries of the marginalized Sudanese. Some of them came as recently as 2008 to the SPLM. These individuals are currently registered members of SPLM Party. Whether their registration will give birth to loyalty is still unclear. While I applaud their joining of the party, their intentions are unpredictable. Handing power to them is not a smart choice because SPLM Party and marginalized masses of Sudan's interests could easily be compromised. For this reason, SPLM Party must find candidates who have been with the movement full-time or part-time during the years of war and, whose stance is widely predictable and concurs with SPLM Party's vision and mission. Additionally, SPLM Party must look for virtuously popular candidates. Presently, there are some SPLM Party high ranking officials whose popularity has soared in the last five years of the interim period. These party officials will likely fall prey to the predatory propaganda of SPLM Party opponents. Consequently, they must not be selected to represent the party in the 2010 national elections. SPLM must look for its loyal candidates, people who will be a heart-beat to registered voters of Sudan. In order to win as many gubernatorial posts and legislative seats both regionally and nationally, SPLM Party must probe its candidates of their virtuous popularity with people, especially the registered voters of Sudan. Last but not the least, SPLM Party must select candidates who have both experience with civil service as well as quality education background. By doing this, SPLM will have assured masses of Sudan that the selected candidates will be people who can understand the systems of governance, language (s) of the governments (English or Arabic) and will be ready to deliver quality services to the masses if they are elected to political offices. Finally, SPLM has never succumbed to failure, retreat or surrender and must do the same during its nomination of its candidates for the 2010 elections in Sudan. It must do this by boldly deciding on loyal, purely popular, experienced and qualified SPLM Party candidates to compete in the 2010 national elections. It is not an easy task; however, everything SPLM has done in the past twenty-six years was never easy. The author is SPLM Party State Congress member, former SPLM North Dakota (USA) Chapter Chairman. He currently resides in Bentiu, Unity State -- Southern Sudan and can be reached at [e-mail].

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