By Tereza Jeremiah Chuei
The main opposition party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) under Dr. Riek Machar has dared SPLM led by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to proceed with a legal suit threat.
This reaction came a day after the SPLM threatened that anyone who uses the name outside the system must desist or face full force of the Law.
“The Political Bureau (PB) welcomes the decision of the other breakaway group to form their own parties-this is their democratic right… however, the PB urges these break away groups to relinquish the name SPLM from their organization,” said the SPLM first deputy secretary general for political affairs, Akol Paul Kordit.
“So, when you breakaway, you have actually abandoned that system altogether-if SPLM-IO and anyone else name him or herself SPLM outside this SPLM- [we] insist to take them to transitional court and apply the rule of Law” said SPLM first deputy secretary General for political affairs, Akol Paul Kordit.
Meanwhile in a rebuttal, Puok Both Baluang the Press Secretary in the Office of Dr. Riek Machar told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper in an exclusive Phone interview that if the SPLM insists on the court bases then SPLM will lose the case, adding that SPLM/A-IO is constitutional.
“Yes, we are ready [to go to court] … we are a constitutional party, so let them bring it on,” Puok echoed.
He added that their counterpart that is the SPLM-IG lacks political will.
“The SPLM/A-IO has taken the responsibility to bring peace and stability and to transform this country to a better country, and a country that will be part of developed countries, …[but] this agreement has been violated in so many times in different aspects, it all started with the delay of the chapters of the agreement, and its very important for them [public] to know that, the SPLM-IG lacks political will to implement the peace agreement,” he argued.
Dr. Machar’s mouthpiece said, “I urge our partners in the agreement the SPLM/IG to concentrate on the things that will unite the Country, people of South Sudan have suffered enough, so let’s come together and implement the peace agreement.
“We at the SPLM-IO we are a constitutional party of the agreement… the national crisis that we are in now was caused by internal conflict within the SPLM, in 2013 the SPLM Party divided itself to three, which includes the one that remains here in Juba led by President Salva Kiir, they are the SPLM-IG, those who left the country and organized themselves. They are the SPLM-IO and the third group are the Former Detainees,” Puok lamented.
However, earlier on, President Salva Kiir stressed the party which he chairs is called “SPLM” and not “SPLM-IG” as concerned by the peace partners.
“We are SPLM whether people like it or not. We are SPLM, [There is] no party with the name SPLM-IG; there is SPLM, and there is SPLM/A-IO,” President Kiir reiterated.