"We must vote so we never go back to slavery"
Around 350 voters lined up by 7:30am at Munuki Payam (ABC) in Central Equatoria State on this second historic day of voting. This polling station has a registered number of 4,311 people eligible to vote. People of all ages, like Mr and Mrs Wani pictured above, were lining up with great enthusiasm. The elderly and physically disabled were all being helped to find a place to rest as they waited patiently for the long awaited chance to vote. Let us see how many of the 4,311 registered turn up to make their mark.
Hundreds of voters lining up outside Munuki Payam
Cecilia Wani, eighty two years of age said much as there were elections in the Sudan 24 years back, she and her husband never participated. According to her it was only the chiefs and those in authority who voted then. She expressed joy with being involved in such democratic historic elections. She says her interest is in the government that will be improving the health sector. She would also like to see her grand children going to better schools. “Not voting for the right government, means going back to slavery”, she said. “I do not like to see my grand children encounter the same problems I went through”.
But, as people were checking their names, there were complaints that their names were not appearing on the list of the voters. The problem was that the serial numbers were not matching with that on the registration card they had received last November during the election registration process. And those who could not read at all were in some centers left without a helper. Many of these left without voting.
According to Kenyi Jackson, a voter, the process of looking first for one’s name on the list of voters, he thought was a delaying tactic. He said the list should have been displayed two weeks before the voting day. This could have given everyone a chance to identify and complain beforehand and also save time. Kenyi saw this as a weakness of the National Elections Commission.
I also visited the Holy Family polling station which has 5207 registered voters. It was divided up into four centers but still at 10:45am one of its centres was still putting up a tent. Voters were impatient since they wanted to get the vote out of the away so to reach the referendum. At these polling stations, you could see the old persons, physically disabled, pregnant women, breast feeding mothers being taken care of. The young and strong persons agreed to allow them to cast their votes first.
“Not voting for the right government, means going back to slavery”, she said. “I do not like to see my grand children encounter the same problems I went through”.
Sunday 11th being the first voting day, is also a day on which Christians congregate to worship. Nevetheless yesterday's elections were unaffected and the church services went on normally as most of the polling stations are near the churches.
At Muniki Payam polling station the exercise kicked off with a prayer conducted at the actual polling station as there is no nearby church.
