The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) party over the weekend officially launched an exercise to register its members and issue them with membership cards in Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State.
The event on Saturday attracted hundreds of supporters at Magwi Freedom Square and was graced by the party’s state secretary general, German Charles Ojok, area parliamentarians, and county officials.
Speaking during the official launch, Ojok told party members that the exercise was important and urged them to start telling the truth to the population to achieve unity, peace, equality, and love in the country.
“This registration has a very big meaning and we need the whole population of Magwi County to be SPLM. The people of this county have a dream which no other party apart from SPLM can deliver,” he said. “You have to tell people who join other parties that they have to vote for SPLM during elections to attain your dream.”
Ojok promised that the SPLM party will provide security and bring development.
“There will be no problems, no cattle raiding, no ambushes along the roads, and people will be thinking about education and improvement of roads,” he promised. “Everyone must register as a member of SPLM. This is the message you have to tell our people in the villages. Our people should not be deceived and you have to see the morning star to achieve our dream.”
Meanwhile, Colonel Peter Otim Karlo, the SPLM chief whip in the state parliament who also hails from the area, said the population in Magwi supports the ruling party and he urged the government to provide security and stability.
“We are committed to the SPLM so we shall work day and night to ensure that we remain strong SPLM. The most important thing is that security must be put in place for this community to live in peace,” he said “If you see our children going to school, you will accept that this place is peaceful and we do not want this peace to be destroyed.”
Otim blamed loggers for destroying the roads in the county.
On his part, David Otto Remson, the Magwi County SPLM interim chairperson and commissioner, said his party will live to fulfill its vision and will not surrender.
“The program came at the right time and SPLM will never surrender to anybody, we shall remain in the lead,” he said. “Women are leading as you can see from their number and it will continue.”
Joel Mwaka John Jok, a resident of Palwar Payam, who was waiting in line to register as an SPLM party member said he wasn’t the party to repair infrastructure in the county.
“There are many things the SPLM has to do for us. We face the problem of roads, the transport connecting Magwi to other places is destroyed,” he said. “The bridges like Amee Bridge are broken. We would have had all these things but of course, after signing the peace agreement, I am sure SPLM will do them for.”
However, Anyiek Rose John Oling, a resident of Magwi town said the SPLM should fight corruption and deliver services to regain the people’s trust.
“We know SPLM party is a mother party and as a south Sudanese in Magwi County, we have undergone lots of problems under this party,” she said. “As women, our projects have not been supported and we have women groups in agriculture but no any support accorded to them and there are those doing small business in the market”.