Southern Sudan Referendum; If not we, who? If not now, when?

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The coming referendum in our country is the last examination that every southern Sudanese must go through. It is the only gate way to a united Sudan or a separated country. Every one of us up to now is prepared and ready to cast his decision if the referendum of south Sudan is held. But what comes first is; will the referendum exercise take place? Will it be on its timetable, free and fair? All the above doubts have made the political parties in Lakes state of South Sudan make a conference with the below theme. “If not we, who? If not now, when?” Of course the referendum timetable in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is well known to all of us and that does not permit any excuses to make the exercise later than its scheduled date, otherwise it will be a violation of the agreement. And indeed it is we the current citizens of southern Sudan that will make that happen. It is our duty and right as southern Sudanese to take ownership of the referendum with sense of patriotism without expecting too much from the international community or remaining dependent on the decisions of the Northern Government. The political current situations in the country and the recent statements put upon by some important political figures in the Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) have not only violated the agreement but have even gone beyond what southerners expected of them in the north. The statements have proved that the north does not want southern Sudanese as people but the resources in the south. Of course there is no reason to why Mr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, the president’s advisor told northern youth to prepare for war if the south separates. If this is how he advises the president, then that position is actually a vacuum. As a government you can not announce war against your own citizens before they have not even made their decision. These are the good examples why many analysts predict separation more than unity. Northern politicians are not confident of themselves. By the way, the north must know that every thing has a price. The bad deeds they had done and continue to do now against southerners will make the country to split and if the country splits there will be no more sharing of oil wealth, to me it is a good price for the ruling party.

The ruling party, NCP should also know that buying time doesn’t help at all. We just want the referendum to be held on time. If you have not made unity attractive in six years you can not make it attractive in ninety days’ time which is the least fraction of the whole of the CPA’s time. We are at the last page of the agreement and we are indeed going forward. We can not reverse or renegotiate the agreement, no amendment. It is very difficult to cheat us again. We know that northerners under the NCP’s umbrella want to buy time until the next decades in order to preach for unity to the coming generation in southern Sudan to vote for unity. However, the reality is that we don’t have time to wait for them. As men let us altogether face the coming referendum and accept its outcomes. What I like so far is that though the NCP violates the CPA in some parts, it is difficult and impossible for them to delete date 9th January out of the 2011 calendar. This date is ever there and that is what we are waiting for. Otherwise the call for war instead of preaching for peace does not scare us again. We have all gone many war experiences in the south so the doubt is with those of Mustafa Osman in Khartoum because the next war field is somewhere there. So for those of Mustafa, they should announce war and be ready to face it in the north not in the south as they may expect. My next message to the NCP and their mujahedeen religious fighters is to prove it wrong to themselves that the gate to paradise is not in the south. Because in the last civil wars in the country they cheated themselves that if one dies while fighting in South Sudan then he will automatically go to paradise. That one is an obvious lie. And I think Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) had not prophesized that wrong political and racial prophecy in the Quran al-Kariim. So to my fellow northern Arab youths, they are advised not to be cheated again to recruit for southern Sudan war expecting to go to paradise.

The north can not threat us with war. If they are not ready for referendum then the Government of Southern Sudan GoSS shall conduct our referendum. Then our members of parliament in the South Sudan Legislative Assembly SSLA shall announce our new country if the result shows separation. It is just simple and clear that the referendum is now not later and we are the ones to make it.


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