![Supporters of President Kiir in Wau. [Photo courtesy]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/357754358_1326895031271886_6782110504571375435_n.jpg?resize=960%2C540&ssl=1)
In a tweet on Sunday, Michael questioned the source of funding for Kiir’s mega rallies for a second term in office. He asked why Kiir’s government is able to fund his campaigns but not the process leading to a free and fair elections.
“Where’s President Kiir getting all the money to fund his regional endorsement for non-existing Presidential election. Whereas the same government can’t fund the National Election Commission and processes meant to facilitate elections,” he wrote.
“SPLM doesn’t have money except they use the same government (taxpayers) money to facilitate such events,” he added.
The activist further said that Kiir’s group has “failed to differentiate between government and SPLM as a Political Party in terms of funding.”
Kiir is currently organizing a huge rally set to be conducted in Juba by his party.
His supporters in Greater Equatoria region are expected to celebrate his December 2022 nomination for president by the SPLM party in the upcoming elections set for December 2024.
It is not the first time for critics to question Kiir’s funding source. In July last year, First Vice President Riek Machar who doubles as leader of the main opposition SPLM-IO said Kiir’s party was using government money to campaign for elections.
“The SPLM has been using government money to mobilize themselves for elections and they say that they are ready for elections,” Machar told his supporters during the inauguration of the SPLM-IO General Secretariat in Juba on July 4, 2022.
“The red group has launched a big campaign program, it is their right to start a campaign but where do they get this money they are using for their campaign,” he added, referring to the SPLM’s red color T-shirt.
The prominent opposition leader who has not yet been nominated by his group for the election further demanded equal sharing of funds among political parties so that they could also well start elections campaigns.
“The SPLM should desist from selfish use of government funds for their own benefits. You should stop eating government money alone,” he jokingly said.
But the capacity of campaigning was also quoted from these other political parties, because if Machar is saying that his party would be ready for free and fair election than it seems also like he is on the way coming to accepts the general election, come 2024.
You know what my friend all these people in power should be blamed reason being all of them are on the same track. When Machar took to the bush in 2013, his main reason was to fight for reformation but when obtaining seat of first Vice president, he started keeping quite because her own partner was the Minister of Defense in the same government where the husband is serving.
Now that South Sudan is hit by poverty, they could have reserve that little budget to radicate the poverty around and corners of South Sudan. Proceeding of campaigning on one sided by the ruling party Splm, means Machar side has knowledge about it, only that he does not want to accept at the moment we are advocating for eradication of poverty in South Sudan.
This point of corruption you are advocating about, had rocked the whole country for years and years and who ever work in the government is doing corruption and for the benefits of their own individuals that says yes to Salva Kiir to be the next president. In the recent campaign within the Bharelghazal region of Wau town, thousand and thousand were seen putting on the tomato`s T_shirt, jumping up and down, even others have died on the process due to the fact that they have ate nothing, even water to drink was not available on the rally ground. These public fund being corrupted by individuals was the main factor that led Machar to the bush in 2013, but he became the part of them and had no way through to talk about rights being violated by the government he is the part of it.
Yes, the earlier campaign by the government under his Excellency president Salva Kiir indicates that the general election of 2024 is already rigged and Machar is appeased to remains as the prolonged first Vice president in the country until 2029. In my thinking capacity, if in case the holdout groups have signed any peace accords with the current government in Juba, than that election will be one of the most violented election in the history of Sudan South. Beside that, is also going to create so many rebels again and again at which South Sudan will dropped back to dark days of law and order.
The commentator is an independent Journalist and associates Lawyer, residing outside South Sudan.