By Lodu William Odiya
The Suspended Cueibet County commissioner in Lakes state has resigned from Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) and joined Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Daniel Deng Mario was suspended recently from the position of commissionership.
In a statement to the media, Deng resigned and immediately join the SPLM party.
He confirmed the document as authentic underlining that he has resigned willingly from the SPLM-IO party.
” I resigned willingly from SPLM-IO as a party. There are a lot to say but few to put forward. The opposition party is supposed to get united for the common good of the citizens but the SPLM-IO has been divided into sections and if I look into it. It is not ready for the common good of the citizens ” he stated.
Deng said he decided to leave to the ruling party in order to embrace what many people desire despite the fact that SPLM has many challenges.
” Second to it, I have listened to my community that I served. It was a tough decision to make. But, in fact it was a called and they persistently engaged me in the opposition in order to make their interest. My family members, friends and acquaintances all over the country pushed me to leave and at last I quite agree in success with them and I left SPLM-IO amid of their interest” he explained.
He underscored the opposition party is not well conceived in the country.
” People do not want me to write to put the opposition party as a priority. You would not have a voice to speak independently because of that perception of mistaking the opposition party”, he said.
“If you look into it, when anybody speak brilliantly telling ideas. Their ideas will never be taken well off. But he will always be called a rebel, IO and all sorts of names would be mentioned and that the opinions or ideas will never be taken for the betterment of the community” he added
He said he sees himself as one of the vocal leaders who would want to speak independently without intimidation and the ruling party has ever powers and resources that they used against the opposition party to crack ideas down.
Deng highlighted that he made the U-turns based on the reason he had stated so far and many other reasons.
” It’s not an issue of resigning. So, I can be relieved even today or tomorrow. There is no problem. Already, I have been suspended and I am still on suspension and if they relieved me. It’s all up to them because the position belongs to them and to the party. It’s up to them the SPLM-IO to nominate someone to replace me in Cueibet county “, he said
He said he wasn’t intimidated in any way to resign from the SPLM-IO but this is a sole decision I have taken as a politician and not politically motivated.
“Let’s come back to SPLM and reform SPLM internally and not outside the country or not outside the SPLM in other political parties and that’s my message to the citizens of the country”, he said
Meanwhile, the SPLM-IO secretary general in Lakes State, Alek Malaak Atem said the commissioner was suspended because he refused to join the SPLM-IO interim leadership under Ambassador Par Kuol.
” He refused here to join SPLM-IO interim leadership within Rumbek, and all of us are under interim leadership of Par Kuol so that we continue with implementation of peace agreement”, he said. ”
“No one from SPLM-IO members has joined another party. We are still members of SPLM-IO and we want the party to continue its work with interim leadership until Dr. Riek comes out but other SPLM-IO members misunderstood it” she added