By Kidega Livingstone
Minister of Presidential Affairs, Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro has called on youth to support the push for general elections at the end of the Transitional Period.
The government maintains its confidence in holding elections in December 2024, despite concerns from the international community and peace stakeholders urging the parties to engage in dialogue to reach a consensus on poll conduct.
He stressed elections is “a must,” despite some challenges in the implementation of the pending provisions in the peace roadmap.
Addressing the 3rd National Youth Convention yesterday, Bakosoro urged the youth to successfully elect their chosen leader while preparing for the general elections in December this year.
“You are going for your elections as youth, and after, South Sudanese are going for the election, whether people like it or not, brothers and sisters, let us go for elections” Bakosoro emphasized.
“We begin by educating ourselves. It may not be the perfect election but let us begin to learn how the elections are conducted.”
“If anybody says the time is not enough for the election, when is it going to be enough and better? Young people like you are going to get old without voting with a ballot, so let us begin. Yes, it cannot be the best, but I am saying let us minimize shortcomings and make it better,” he added.
The Minister cited that South Sudan in 2010 participated in elections, and it was better despite some of the small mistakes realized after the polls.
He maintained that even the biggest democracy in the region has come with a lot of challenges in elections.
“What about the small democracy? So, I am appealing to all of you that, please, we are going for general elections; let us accept it, and you, the youth, should play a big role in electing and campaigning for the leaders you want,” he urged.
“If you wait to hear from others advising you on how to eat in your house, you will never eat it; the type of food you want to eat is yours. You cannot come from outside to tell me the food I like to eat,” he stated.
On Thursday, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission insisted that there is a need for interparty dialogue as proposed by some of the political parties to the Agreement to conduct credible elections as scheduled in December 2024.
In March 2024, RJMEC wrote to the executive of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity, expressing its concerns about the lack of consensus on the credible election and calling for urgent inter-party dialogue on the way forward in the spirit of collegiality and consensus as per the requirements of the peace agreement signed in 2018 in Ethiopia.