NDM secretary-general named opposition chief whip in parliament

JUBA – The South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) has elected the secretary-general of the National Democratic Movement (NDM), one of the groups making up the opposition consortium, as its chief whip in the transitional parliament.

Mahjoub Biel was nominated by SSOA and was appointed by the speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) Jemma Nunu Kumba yesterday, with NDM welcoming the election of its top member into the parliamentary role.

NDM spokesman Mahmoud A. Akot said Biel’s election is understanding of the group’s leadership interests and described the elected NDM secretary-general “a seasoned politician of the first class who is distinguished by his wisdom and experience.”

“It is wonderful to see the SSOA in Parliament gather around a rational leadership that understands the interests of the coalition and takes care of its unity,” he said.

The senior opposition official further said that “there is no doubt that this (election of NDM official into the senior role in parliament) represents the end of the absolute dominance era of some groups that hijacked the voice of the people in Parliament during the past periods.”

“We want to assure these groups that the SSOA is stronger today than ever before, and we will work hard to make our voice and our lofty message, which is to uphold the implementation of peace and stability so that our people can enjoy development and services across the country.

“Finally, we thank our coalition partners for the trust they place in National Democratic Movement (NDM) for their leadership and well representation in TNLA.”