South Sudan: Westminster visit

Liz St Clair and Parliamentarians visit South Sudan

The six-day voting just over two weeks to decide whether the South should remain a part of Sudan or become independent included a polling station for Sudanese people living in Europe that was set up in Westminster Central Hall.

The station located in front of the UK Parliament was the only one in Europe. It welcomed Sudanese voters who travelled from Russia, Ireland and many other places on the Continent, who came to express their opinion on succession for the South in Sudan.

The polling result is due in early February but unofficial figures from the landmark referendum is showing that nearly 99% of South Sudan voters support regional independence.

Liz St  Clair, Executive Director of  Women in Public Policy, (WiPP) who has worked on many occasions with OBV to ensure greater BME representation within the Conservative party visited the Westminster Hall centre ahead of joining a delegation  from Parliament on a trip to observe the polling in Sudan.

She said on return from her visit to South Sudan; “With so much conflict and intolerance around the globe, elections provide a vehicle to express opinions without resorting to violence. We are fortunate in the UK to have regular and peaceful elections but in other countries this is not always the case.”

She also noted that; “the latest figures from Sudan estimate the turnout  was over 95% - compared to fewer than half the  voters turning out in the recent by-election in  Oldham East & Saddleworth and concerns  about possible violence or disruption proved  unfounded.

She said; “The British delegation was greeted warmly wherever they went and we observed enormous enthusiasm by the South Sudanese people for the election”

The British party visited 3 polling stations in the southern capital, Juba.  The trip was sponsored by the Muslim  Hands charity and was led by Labour  Peer, Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, who in 2007 went to Sudan to negotiate the return of the   ‘teddy bear  teacher ‘ , Gillian Gibbons.

Conservatives MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Stephen Williams who represented the Anglo- Sudanese Lawyers Association were also on the trip.

Officials from northern Sudan have indicated they will accept the results, and southern Sudan a country riven with high rates of poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition is expected to declare independence later this year.

Winsome-Grace Cornish

Picture: Liz St Clair visits South Sudan
Article: Women In Public Policy.