The SPLM-In Opposition has announced a 10-point political programme for governing South Sudan. SPLM-IO Chairperson Riek Machar delivered the platform, listed in full below, during a speech at his party's conference in Pagak, Upper Nile earlier this week. Machar said the political programme is aimed at "transformation and modernization of our society." His full speech is available for download below.

1. The SPLM/SPLA calls for the institution of federal system of governance in which the states and the local governments shall be devolved more political, judicial and economic powers. We have renamed our country the Federal Republic of South Sudan and immediately establish 21 states based on the former districts during the colonial period instead of ten states.

2. The SPLM/SPLA shall implement Security Reforms affecting the Armed Forces, the National Security, the Police, the Correctional Services, the Civil Defence Services and the Wild Life Services in terms of their philosophy, mandate, mission and objectives to reflect the ethnic diversity of South Sudan in terms of the officer corps, men and women in them.

3. Undertake radical reforms in the judiciary and the justice administration system that will make the courts and dispensation of justice fair and accessible to the citizens.

4. Administrative reforms at the local levels to dovetail the traditional institutions of governance with the state governance institutions for peace and harmony in society.

5. Institute reforms in the political parties system to render them national rather that ethnic or regional in character. The SPLM/SPLA stands against politicisation of ethnicity or ethnicization of politics as means or ladder to power and wealth.

6. Reform the civil service by depoliticizing and professionalizing it. The civil service is the backbone of the state. Recruitment, appointments and mobility within it shall be on basis of merits, experience and qualification.

7. Promote economic growth by investing the petrodollars in agriculture to stimulate the surplus potential in mechanized crop production, modernize animal husbandry to transform the enormous livestock from cultural to economic wealth. Introduce modern methods of fisheries and aquaculture in the rivers and wetlands. Organize and develop forestry and related economic activities including protection of Wildlife and other fauna for tourism and recreation.

8. Build modern physical infrastructure in cities, towns and villages. Construct inter- and intra-state highways, feeder roads, railways, high tension power transmission grids, fibre optics lines and microwave lines for telecommunication linking the different parts of the country and regionally.

9. Construct dams and hydroelectric power generation in addition to exploit the solar and wind energy to generate electricity for speedy industrialization of South Sudan.

10. Encourage private sector as well as private public partnership to drive the development of South Sudan.