At least 17 opposition parties in South Sudan have signed a joint charter describing a proposed programme for reform of the country.

The parties, according to a joint charter, said they have formed the alliance because of the need for radical change. They appealed to the people of South Sudan to rally around the charter as a step towards salvation of the country from destruction.  

The seven point reform programs covers areas of policy: economy, defense and internal security, foreign policy, attainment of peace, social services, governance and administration, and fundamental freedoms. 

The members of alliance include Lam Akol Ajawin (SPLM-DC), Kornelio Kon Ngu, (National Union Party - NUP), Abdallah Deng Nhial, (PCP), Albino John Laku Awan (DUP), Garang Thuc Garang (PURE), Sebastian Uchan Kich (UDF), Nkrumah Anai Kelueljang (SSNYP), among others.

Below is the full text of the alliance:

 

Charter of

The National Alliance

To Build a National Democratic State

Recalling that the people of the land mass currently known as the Republic of South Sudan have throughout history waged tenacious struggles against colonial powers, resisted national marginalization in all its aspects resulting in two civil wars which our people fought heroically, and that these armed conflicts were resolved through peace agreements that acknowledged the grievances of the people of South Sudan and their right to govern themselves and determine their destiny;

Aware that in their struggle our people were yearning for freedom, justice, prosperity and national unity;

Acknowledging that despite the enormous resources at the disposal of our government since 2005, our people did not see the fruits of liberation as they were subjected to bad governance, corruption, and violation of their fundamental freedoms with impunity;

Noting that this state of affairs landed our country in a deep crisis: soaring cost of living, steady decline in the education and health sectors, a staggering number of unemployed youth, rise in crime and violence, the rule of law under attack and our country gaining the infamy of being the first among the most fragile states;

Acknowledging further that the power struggle within the ruling party ignited in mid-December 2013 the tinder box of pent-up grievances leading to the current civil war in the country which resulted in tens of thousands of our citizens dead, two million displaced including in UNMISS compounds in our capital, destruction of the social fabric among our communities and tremendous destruction of properties;

Recognizing that the resolution of the current crisis requires addressing the root causes in an inclusive manner that involves all the stakeholders in the country;

Reaffirming that the prerequisite for a just and sustainable peace in South Sudan is to address in a satisfactory manner our diversity through nation-building and development;

Believing that unity is strength and our national challenges demand collective action;

Therefore, we, the undersigned political parties, have, on behalf of our masses nationwide, resolved to come together under the umbrella of National Alliance and humbly commit ourselves to adopt this Charter as our guide in our endeavor to get out of the cycle of wars and embark on nation-building and development, through the following principles.

Fundamental Freedoms:

1. Guarantee the prevalence of full freedom and absolute security in an environment of the rule of law;
2. Ensure justice for all characterized by equality before the law and fighting impunity;
3. Guarantee that democratic choices are affirmed through free and fair universal adult suffrage;
4. Ensure freedom of expression, association and the media;
5. Adopt all international and regional conventions and covenants on human rights and freedoms.

Governance and Administration:

1. To be beholden to no sections in the community but to serve the best national interests of all South Sudanese;
2. Ensure that merit, integrity and honesty together form the basis for vetting political as well as administrative appointments, and that all public servants shall be appointed to a job which carries well defined task description;
3. Decentralize power, to oppose its concentration in the hands of sectional groups, and to ensure that power of large groups or of bureaucracies is not allowed to override the interests of individuals or of smaller groups;
4. Ensure that governance is an instrument of facilitation rather than a machinery of control, and that governance be devolved in such a manner that what concerns a particular level of government should be the mandate of that level of government, whereas what concerns all should be the mandate of all, and where power is devolved, resources must also be devolved;
5. Adopt a federal system of governance where economic, social and judicial functions with all financial implications are best devolved to federated entities;
6. Adopt the parliamentary system of government which has been tested in South Sudan and is the most suitable for its conditions by guaranteeing the rights of minorities;
7. Achieve and defend effective democracy derived from political ideological communality, and open government by appropriate constitutional, parliamentary and government reforms;
8. Good governance characterized by transparency, responsiveness, consensus, equality and inclusiveness, effectiveness, accountability, and participation;
9. Separation of powers among the three arms the government (legislative, Executive and Judiciary).

The Defense and Internal Security:

1. All citizens have a right and responsibility to defend the country by joining defence forces or to maintain law and order by serving in the internal security organs;
2. Reform of the national army, police, and other internal security agencies on the basis of professionalism and national character;
3. The defence and internal security agencies shall be subordinated to the civil authority, respect the will of the people and the rule of law and multi-party democracy.

The Economy:

1. The overarching aim of socio-economic development is the eradication of poverty, guaranteeing equitable distribution of wealth, redressing imbalances of income and achieving high living standards;
2. Seek the transition to a sustainable economy, in equilibrium with available resources and eco-systems, with a minimum of dislocation by planning the necessary changes in a requisite time, and by increasing public awareness of problems ahead;
3. To have a free market economy guided by the government by supporting low income class through cooperative societies;
4. Undertake socio-economic transformation through social and physical infrastructure development;
5. Promote agriculture which is the mainstay of our economy by allocating a certain percentage from the oil revenue to revive the old state-owned schemes and create capital;
6. Embark on industrialization beginning with agro-industry and petroleum related plants;
7. Support existing rural and provincial industries and in other ways, to stem, and finally reverse, the flow of population to the cities;
8. Foster greater mutual understanding as well as greater equality in income per hour of work, between city and country dwellers;
9. Further unite the people of South Sudan by co-operative, indicative and national planning, taking into account social, economic and environmental objectives;
10. Seek improvement in the quality of human relationships in all aspects of society and the economy, through honesty, tolerance, compassion and a sense of mutual obligation;
11. Encouraging individual initiative and enterprise and to recognize the need for self-fulfillment; and protect the right to private property, individual, family or communal land ownership;
12. Ensure maintenance of biodiversity, to protect threatened species and to provide for better habitat protection;
13. Encourage the economic use of our livestock; as well as protect animals from cruelty and exploitation.
14. Strengthen the public sector to spearhead the national economy.

Social Services:

1. Education is the foundation of knowledge for sustainable development in the country;
2. Provide throughout life an education for living as well as for earning a living;
3. Invest in education to deliver effective and quality service to the nation, with emphasis on technical and technological education at all levels;
4. Emphasize prevention rather than cure in social and health services;
5. Improving and expanding health and environmental services with provision of basic, quality and affordable health care with emphasis on training and motivation to the health services providers;
6. Foster community activities and the growth of community spirit, bringing government and health and social services closer to the people;
7. Ensure that the needs of the people are securely met, and to distribute income, wealth, social services and opportunity more equitably without undermining either incentive or self-respect;
8. Stimulate the development of a multi-faceted national culture, with full opportunity for all ethnic groups to contribute;
9. Releasing the full potential of the youth, protecting them from cultural invasion and negative habits and enacting laws to protect the Child, Women and the disadvantaged groups;;
10. Promotion of sports and making use of sports to develop friendship among the peoples of the world.

International Relations:

1. Promote a foreign policy predicated on mutual respect and interests, friendly relations among nations and the preservation of global peace and security;
2. Accept the challenges of the predicament of humanity in the Republic of South Sudan, Africa and the World at large for its exponentially increasing population, disappearing finite resources and accelerating deterioration of the environment.

The Attainment of Peace:

      Determined to end the bloodshed among our people, to mend the social fabric, to   

      Rehabilitate and reconstruct our country and to reconcile the various sections of our

      Community;

      Reaffirming our commitment to engage with the IGAD peace process;

      We resolve on the attainment of peace as follows.

1. There can never be a military victory in the current civil war. Therefore peace will be attained only through a negotiated political settlement;
2. Negotiations to bring about peace shall be through a multi-stakeholder round table conference in which the opposition political parties constitute a separate and distinct stakeholder;
3. Commend the IGAD countries for brokering the peace process in South Sudan and appreciate the role of IGAD partners, the Troika (USA, UK and Norway), AU, EU, UN and China in supporting the process;
4. The Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) is the tool to implement the Peace Agreement, the main task of which shall be to implement the reforms of all sectors of the state in order to prepare a level ground for the multi-party democratic era that will follow immediately at the end of the transitional period;
5. The reform programme of the transitional period shall be derived from the policy issues mentioned in the above principles subject to the following conditions:
 
(a)- should contribute to paving the way for long-term critical reforms;
(b)- to be implementable within the specified transitional period;
(c)- the implementation to be guided by the available resources;
(d)- increasing expenditure on agriculture (especially, state-owned schemes and co-
       operatives), health and education;
(e)- reduction of expenditure on security and sovereignty organs;
(f)- diversification of sources of national income but not to affect the low income citizens;

      6.   In addition to the reform programme, the transitional government of national unity shall undertake the following tasks:

            (a)- Convening a National Constitutional Conference, in which all stakeholders shall participate to discuss and agree on the principles of a permanent constitution for the country; and the conference shall form a technical committee to draft the permanent constitution on the basis of its resolutions; 

           (b)- Resettlement of the IDPs and refugees and rehabilitation and reconstruction of war affected areas;

            (c)- Formation of neutral national committee to organize a conference on national reconciliation and healing ;

            (d)- Adoption of the draft Permanent Constitution prepared by the Technical Committee through a popular referendum;

            (e)- Holding a free and fair general elections towards the end of the transitional period on the basis of the Permanent Constitution; 

             (f)- Implementation of the Security Arrangements as per the Peace Agreement.

Conclusion:

In putting forward this Charter, we appeal to the people of South Sudan to rally around it as a step towards our salvation from destruction, a solid foundation for a strong national unity and a beacon that guides us in the path to progress and prosperity.