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News Monday 26 May 2014

Equatorian politicians discuss federalism as VP Igga lashes at rebel leader

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May 25, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudan’s politicians and intellectuals from the three states of the greater Equatoria region held a metting in the national capital, Juba, on Saturday during which they discussed the idea of federal system of governance.





James Wani Igga addressing the border dispute conference, Tombura, Western Equatoria, South Sudan in 2012 (file/ST)In a one-day consultative conference held at Nyakuron Culture Center, Equatorian leaders from the executive and legislative branches of the Western, Central and Eastern Equatoria states were in attendant.



The idea to embrace federalism, which has been pushed by the rebel faction of the SPLM led by the former vice-president Riek Machar, was however opposed by the vice-president, James Wani Igga, who cautioned Equatorians during the conference not to buy it.



The framers of South Sudan’s 2011 transitional constitution avoided mention of federalism, opting instead for a nominally ‘decentralized system’. However, observers said most of the Equatorian politicians and intellectuals seem to be in favour of federalism given their last year’s resolutions in this regard.



Central Equatoria state governor, Clement Wani Kongo, though not part of the rebels, was last month the first to publicly declare his position in favor of federalism, saying, “the people of Equatoria have come open that this [federalism] is what should be included in the constitution.”



Many leaders from the greater Upper Nile region have as well in the past expressed their support towards federalism unlike their counter-parts in greater Bahr el Ghazal region who have reservations on federal system of governance seeing it as a “disadvantage” to their region given its meagre resources.



The rebels under Machar’s leadership have demanded restructuring of the state on the basis of a new peace agreement and a federal constitution in order to end the current 5-month old crisis in the new country.



VICE-PRESIDENT IGGA CALLS MACHAR A LIAR



In a speech on Saturday, however, the highest-ranking Equatorian politician in the country, vice-president James Wani Igga, urged Equatorians not to join the rebel leader Riek Machar or buy the idea of a federal system of governance.



“Many Equatorians saw that this idea of Riek on federation will rescue them. Equatorians, no, Riek is a liar. So please the few of us who think they must join Riek in order to get federation, please you are on the wrong road”, Igga told the conference.



Igga accused the rebel leader of stealing from the Equatorians the idea of federalism last year during a similar conference in Juba.



“This federation here is not the creation of Riek, we all know that Riek actually stole this renewed call for federalism in this hall here – Nyakuron – during a Equatorian consultative conference like this, because he knew the resolutions of it then he said yes, I am also for federation,” he further added.



Soon after Igga’s remarks, a high-ranking state government official warned journalists present at the conference not to report on the speech of the vice president, saying it ‘did not constitute part of the conference”.



REBELS WELCOME DEBATE ON FEDERALISM



Meanwhile, officials of the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) have welcomed the discussions on federalism, describing it as a “courageous step” toward chartering the future governance of the country.



“Our leadership welcomes this courageous step taken by the Equatorian leaders and intellectuals in discussing the importance of constituting and implementing a federal system of governance in South Sudan,” Machar’s spokesperson James Gatdet Dak said when reached by Sudan Tribune on Sunday.



He further pointed that it was not significant to fight over who initiated the idea but rather how to implement it.



“The question would be who is ready to champion this overdue popular demand of the people and implement it? I think it is important to say that those leaders who embrace the idea of federalism should instead lead their people towards achieving it despite who initiated the idea,” he further emphasised.



In an interview last week an Equatorian member of SPLM/A-in-Opposition, Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who was former head of political science department in the University of Juba, said a federal system of governance could address the issue of diversity and accelerate development in South Sudan.



Critics of the idea of federalism however argue that federalism is a path toward fragmentation of the country into tribal regions. Some pointed to the recent series of Equatorian regional conferences as a resurgence of kokora – a term referring to Equatorian particularism.



Oyet further said the problems which led to the current crisis in South Sudan were lack of separation of powers, checks and balances and development of independent legal and judicial branches.



(ST)