Early this month a delegation of SPLM-IG in Abyei Administrative Area left the region to Wau to participate in the party rally in Bahr el Ghazal where President Kiir’s nomination for the presidency in the 2024 elections was declared.
The delegation comprised members of the secretariat, youth, and women’s league, the executive and legislature members, and nine chiefs led by the paramount chief.
This move prompted a discussion in the area and Abyei FM’s ‘Umbrella Program’ sat with Ring Achuil Juoc chief of Abior chiefdom and the Paramount, Bulabek Deng Kuol and then went to the street to get views of common people.
The question was that can a chief join a political party. And what about his tribal patronage roles?
People who spoke to the program preferred that a chief should be a neutral person. They believe that could preserve his image as someone who is fair to all his tribe members.
Others think that a chief has a right to choose his party if he will balance both.
Chief Ring said he wouldn’t discriminate against anyone from his chiefdom for holding different political views about what he believes in.
“When I took over this position, I was SPLM and wasn’t told to quit or to be neutral. But I think I’ll be fair with everyone” he stressed.
While Paramount Chief Bulabek said that they (chiefs) followed Ngok’s decision in 2003 to mandate SPLM to negotiate on their behalf.
“Now the only guarantee for the cause of Abyei is to stand with SPLM in the upcoming elections. But at the individual level one can vote for his optional candidate,” he reiterated.
