By Ijoo Bosco
A faith-based organization in Eastern Equatoria State has embarked on civic education on Election for citizens ahead of the anticipated forthcoming December polls.
The Justice Peace Commission in the Catholic Dioceses of Torit, through Norwegian Church Aid funding launched election awareness campaign on Wednesday in Himodonge Payam in Torit County.
The initiative aimed to educate the grassroots community on the modalities of the planned election slated for December 2024.
Civil activist Oreyma Emmanuel said it’s their mandate in grassroots communities to educate and open the eyes of eligible voters in hard-to-reach areas for them to correctly exercise their constitutional rights.
He stated that opening the eyes of the people at the grassroots will truly restore the unending dream of South Sudan through participating in the planned first-ever country’s elections.
“We came for you people of Himodonge because you need to know more about the election. There are a lot of things we shall still talk about if the National Election Commission gives us a chance and releases the calendar of the election and voter registration,” he stated.
“We discover that it’s good to open the eyes of the citizens because if you open the eyes of the people in the grassroots, you will rebuild South Sudan; that is what brought us here,” said Oryrema.
Vitale Ofire Raphael, the SPLM-IO chief whip at the state transitional legislative assembly, hailed the grassroots community sensitization for the forthcoming election.
He further called on the National Election Commission (NEC) to provide a civic space for all actors in peace to exercise their rights freely.
The lawmaker also urged Himodonge communities to desist from electoral violence and fear of the unknown regarding the planned election.
“I would like to say that this awareness creation is a very important thing for us, as you know there’s no political or civic space. If a campaign is to start now and the forces are still scattered, it will not be possible,” Raphael expressed.
The opposition MP urged the citizens not to panic, saying they shouldn’t worry about the elections adding they should pick the information on the election rightly.
“So the team here is to clear the ground as debate about the election is ongoing in Juba. We hope that in a few days we will hear the announcement, and the top leadership will come and address the nation on whether we shall have an election or postpone it,” he added.
Torit County SPLM chairperson, Stephen Rufo Albert, also applauds the Catholic Church through its wing of justice peace mission on sensitizing the Payam community on election
He called on catholic dioceses’ of Torit, justice peace mission to extend the initiative to all parts of Eastern Equatoria state.
“I would like to commend you people for having been selected because such a program is not even one day deep in the grassroots like this, and you, the office of the CDOT, for conducting such a program, and we wish that they carry it out to the whole of the state,” Rufo said.
He expressed satisfaction with the civic education being taken down to the grassroots.
“I am sure today we shall go from here satisfied because there was fear from other people about whether the election would be done or not, and if it’s done, will it repeat the 2011 incident?” he stated.
Himodonge Payam Head Chief, Basilio Molong, appreciated the Catholic Diocese of Torit for their generality in taking civic education to their payam in order to open the eyes of the local community.
Chief Basilio urged his people to always turn up in large numbers to attend awareness-creation sessions on social and relevant matters that might affect them.
“It’s very important for us today to get information on the election because all this time we didn’t know how the process of the election was progressing. Today we have learned a lot, and we are ready for the forthcoming election,” Basilio said.
He prayed for continued peace and stability in the country until the election time arrives.
“I would like to tell my people that if you’re called, you have to come as you came today. The God that we worship will direct us until we choose the person that he hopes will lead us,” the chief noted.