Dr. Jong Anthony, a prominent figure within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party in Warrap State, made headlines last week when he officially quit the party.
However, the secretary of the SPLM in Warrap State, Wol Maperdit, has contested Dr. Anthony’s claim of being a member of the party.
In his resignation letter seen by Radio Tamazuj, Dr. Jong said he had failed to bring about change from within the party and indicated that the resignation took effect.
“I have attempted to bring about the changes I believe are necessary for the people of South Sudan through various channels within the party,” the letter read in part. “Despite my efforts, I have decided that it is time for me to resign and explore other avenues for my political activism.”
Dr. Jong was the Minister of Trade and Industry in Warrap State until his dismissal by former Governor Gen. Aleu Ayieny Aleu in 2022. Following his removal, Dr. Jong swiftly declared his candidacy for the gubernatorial position. He also served in other state ministerial roles including minister of health and environment, and minister of rural development, animals, and fisheries in the now-defunct Gogrial State.
In a telephone interview, Dr. Jong clarified that he has not yet made a decision to join any other political party but intends to keep his options open in his pursuit of political office.
“Politics is like riding public transportation, when you reach your destination, you disembark. Secondly, if the vehicle has excessive air conditioning, and you dislike it, you search for a more suitable vehicle,” he said. “So, I want to explore other avenues for my political activism and I have not decided to join any political party.”
However, Wol Maperdit, the SPLM party secretary in Warrap State, contradicted Dr. Jong’s claim of being an SPLM party member and denied receiving his resignation letter.
“I have never received any information or letter but from what I know about Dr. Jong, he was with Taban Deng Gai (current Vice President for Infrastructure) in SPLM-IO in 2016. When the Arusha agreement in Tanzania reconciled the SPLM party, he had the opportunity, through Taban Deng Gai, to be appointed as a minister in the now-defunct Gogrial State,” he explained. “In a similar manner, Dr. Jong received another appointment through Vice President Taban Deng Gai to serve as the state Minister of Trade and Industry. He has never been a member of the SPLM and was formerly a member of SPLM-IO in 2016.”
“Therefore, there is no basis for him to submit his resignation letter to me as he is not even listed among our SPLM members,” Maperdit declared.