Popular consultations politically polarised

UNMIS background information on the popular consultations in Blue Nile

Opinion is divided at the popular consultations in Blue Nile State. At consultation centres visited by SUDANVOTES, in and around the state capital Ed Damazin, a large number of the National Congress Party (NCP) supporters advocate for retaining the federal form of governance, while calling for more central support in the areas of development and service-provision. On the other hand the supporters of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), headed by Governor Malik Aggar, favour self-governance and independence from the centre in managing the resources of the State. Aggar clearly expressed his preference for self-governance when filling out the survey form in his home town Bao, in the South of the Blue Nile state. 

In spite of the theoretical complexities of the popular consultation process and its implementation mechanisms, it only aims at exploring the opinion of the one million citizens (as per the latest official census) on whether or not they are satisfied with what the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in 2005, has accomplished for them.

"The two parties are running the process according to their respective agendas and not for the benefit of citizens".  Sadiq Kara, National Umma Party

Seraj Eddin Atta Al Manan, the Chairman of the Popular Consultation Commission, acknowledged that the polarisation is led by certain parties, and expressed in an interview with SUDANVOTES that this political polarisation of citizens risks stripping the process of its true meaning. He also warned that this situation may lead to bad consequences, stressing that the aim of the popular consultation is to defuse tension, to end the political conflict in the state and to achieve the aspirations of citizens. Manan stressed that the procedures of the consultation are going smoothly without facing any obstacles concerning the citizens' freedom of choice and the transparency of the process. Monitoring of public opinion in the consultation centres is carried out with the citizens filling out the forms themselves, or through specialised committees recording the citizens' opinions on paper and on audio-tape. 

USIP report: Why Sudan's Popular Consultation Matters

However, some observers affiliated with other political parties told SUDANVOTES that the mobilisation campaigns, carried out by both the NCP and the SPLM, confused the citizens and caused some of them to refrain from expressing their opinion freely. The representative of the National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq Kara said, "The two parties are running the process according to their respective agendas and not for the benefit of citizens". The representative of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Ahmed Mahmoud said the two partners breached the parties' agreement to educate the citizens while refraining from influencing them in the popular consultation process. 

Blue Nile State  - source: wiki commons

SUDANVOTES witnessed repeated use of incorrect and misunderstood terminology by participants at the Solidarity Centre, located in the Shajara Street, in the eastern part of Er Roseires town.  Some citizens were demanding the establishment of an "Israeli rule", while others were calling for an " Australian government". One woman proclaimed she was in favour of "oil governance."  It was clear that these people were trying to refer to "Self-Governance" and "Federal Rule" - phonetically close terms in Arabic - but the citizens found these terms difficult to pronounce, and so expressed completely different meanings. It appeared that the incorrect terminology had become more familiar than the correct one. 

According to an official from the information office of the local Ministry of Education, the literacy rate is less than 35%, a figure reinforcing the theory of some observers from the National Umma, Communist and Democratic Unionist parties, who accused the two partners of teaching citizens terms relative and particular to their respective agendas.

However, the president  of the Commission Atta Al Manan stressed that his administration does not allow any political activity within the consultation centres, but considers these mobilisation campaigns could be taking place behind the scenes out of the public eye.