Wani: South Sudan will be a secular, democratic country

In preparation for official independence in July, Southern Sudan faces a host of daunting challenges dominated by the devastating consequences of civil war. Lt. Gen. James Wani Igga, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Southern Sudan, commented on some of the urgent political issues confronting the future nation.

Q: Has the parliament discussed the name and the flag of the new country, especially since these issues should be settled before 9 July?

Source: wiki commons

Wani: At a recent meeting, the political bureau of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) agreed to carry over its flag to the future Republic of South Sudan. The flag will read Freedom - Justice - Equality. As for the country’s name, the majority tends towards "South Sudan", but other proposals will all be considered.  

Q: It has been reported that the national anthem, which is nearing completion, resembles religious chanting. Does this imply the new state will have a religious orientation?

Wani: I personally have not heard the national anthem yet, but I am confident that the state of South Sudan will not be biased against any religion, and we will certainly not duplicate the model of the religious state in the north. Religion is for God and country is for all. The parliament is still awaiting the completion of the national anthem; we will express our reaction to it once we’ve heard it.

Q: Many armed militias in the South pose a significant threat to the country’s security and stability. How is the South responding to renegade militia leaders such as George Athor?

Check Faisal Mohamed Saleh's         commentary on the Athor affair

Wani: Athor claims that the last elections were rigged. Instead of following legal channels, he chose to take up arms against the state, attacking and terrorising innocent citizens. The President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) issued a general amnesty for all the renegade generals and their militias, but Gen. Athor breached all agreements and continued his rebellion. We have evidence confirming the involvement of Khartoum in supporting Athor by supplying arms. In the end, whoever rejects peace and reconciliation will face the necessary and required deterrence.  

"New country, new capital" by Pascal Ladu

Q: There’s been much talk about transferring the Southern capital Juba to another area. The discussion is full of conflicting interests and disagreements. How great are the dimensions of this debate?

Wani: It is true that there are many disagreements on the subject between several official and tribal bodies. The matter might be resolved before it is submitted to the parliament, especially given the fact that the president has appointed a special committee to deal with this issue. I believe all conflicts are being resolved, although this seems to be a thorny process.  

Q: Is there any new legislation to address conflicts over land ownership among the numerous tribes in the South, especially Juba?

Deng Simon Garang comments:                 "Who owns our land? A call for clarity"

Wani: The problem lies in some unfavourable policies implemented by several official and popular bodies. The idea to move the capital of Southern Sudan has arisen partly due to land ownership issues. It is important to implement clear and strong policies to organise the sale, purchase and transfer of property. This is what the parliament is seeking to accomplish soon.

"Foreign traders in fear of referendum" by Pascal Ladu

Q: What laws exist to regulate the entry of foreigners entering Southern Sudan, particularly from neighbouring countries?

Wani: There is considerable confusion about this issue. Despite common misperceptions, not all foreigners are criminals residing illegally in Southern Sudan. Many came to fill a shortage in some rare professional specialties, and they have legal identification papers. Southern Sudan is an emerging nation that needs to benefit from foreign expertise. It is it true, however, that some foreigners have criminal records, and the parliament will commence enacting laws about this issue after July 9. There has been considerable progress regarding a number of these laws already. The next stage will involve the careful structuring of entry conditions for foreigners and types of residence status in Southern Sudan.

Q: Will the present parliamentary cycle continue after independence on 9 July?

Wani: The President of Southern Sudan has formed a committee to draft a four-year transitional constitution. During these four years, we will work on a permanent constitution that will differ from the transitional one. The length of parliamentary terms will be announced when the committee's work is complete.

Read also "Constitutional review committee under fire" by Pascal Ladu

Q: Some opposition parties accused the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) of dominating the constitutional review committee to serve their own agenda, which led to the withdrawal of a number of these parties from the committee. How credible are these accusations?

Wani: The participation of all parties and civil society organisations in the drafting of a transitional constitution should be pre-supposed in any country, including Southern Sudan. This committee formed by the president included the representatives of 23 political parties. The negotiations were underway for over a week before five parties announced their withdrawal from the committee without prior notice. These parties did not give any rational reason behind their withdrawal. To say that many opposition parties withdrew is not correct, because most of them are still part of the negotiations. In a democratic system, the majority prevails.