United Southsudan African Party - USAP

United Sudan African Party; USAP is a national party and open for all the Sudan races, regardless to their geographical areas as well membership is open for all the Sudan people.

Joseph Ukel, The Chairman of United Southsudan African Party USAP.

USAP'S Governing Documents - Draft Platform and Constitution 

1/ The Platform:

TheUnited Southsudan African Party Platform, 2012

Message from the Chairman:

 Dear Voters/Citizens:

I am pleased to announce that the United South Sudan African Party is prepared to effectively participate in the upcoming general elections at all levels.  We are proud of our values, our platform, and the contributions that so many of you have made to make this day possible.  We are committed to building a free, prosperous, independent, and democratic South Sudan for all of our citizens, and reaffirm our commitment to the fundamental principles of civic engagement, freedom of speech, and the necessity of separating religious issues from state issues. 

 Since the post-referendum period, USSAP has participated in the inclusive government, has assisted with the production of the political parties’ law, and was instrumental in the forming of a new constitution for South Sudan.  We will continue to forge ahead with new ideas and new solutions to the problems that South Sudan faces in the upcoming years.

 USSAP has a strong record to build upon, and we look forward to continuing this march towards the future with you.  As many of you know, our strategic objectives have changed and we must transition from merely being another party dedicated to the independence of South Sudan to forging a new vision and direction for our country and its democratic development.  To this end we must work hard to ensure that we are all mobilized and aware of all of the details contained in the Political Parties Act of 2012.

  I ask all of you to join me in doing all that we can to register our supporters as soon as possible to meet the requirements of this law.

 I am pleased that you have chosen to join us in taking these exciting steps for the future of both USSAP and South Sudan.  Together, with hard work and a commitment to the democratic process, we will continue to ensure the future success of our young nation.

 Yours Sincerely,

 Hon. Joseph Ukel  Abango

Chairman of the United South Sudan African Party [USSAP]

Juba.

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Background

USSAP was founded in 1987 by a union of Southern political parties elected to the 3^rd democratic parliament of the Sudan after the fall of the dictatorial regime of El Numeryin 1985. During the parliamentary sitting, 29 Southern MPs and 8 MPs from the Nuba Mountains walked out from the sitting of that parliament in protest against the Bill on the Islamic Sharia Law which was presented for voting. The six political parties which were involved boycotted the sittings for two months during which they resolved to work together under one political umbrella known as USAP with theHon. Eliaba James declared Chairman. Two years later, strong political oppositionarose following the militarycoup that overthrewSaddiq Al Mahdi by Omer El Bashir in 1989.

In 1990, Hon Hillary Logali was appointed Chairman, when Hon. Eliaba James Surur joined the SPLM/A. Hon. Logali died in 1998.And Hon. Late Ezekiel Kodi acted for three months, followed by the first party convention that elected Hon. Joseph UkelAbangoas Chairman.

Elections Guiding Principles:

 Weare committed to the democratic principles whereby   elections are carried out in response to the call by all SouthSudanese under the following principle:

 §  We call upon our citizens to give us the mandate to sort out the messes that have been created bythe rulingparty.  We have seen corruption and mismanagement perpetrated by parties with no vision and self-interests.

§  We seek empowerment to undertake honest and genuine reconciliation among the people of South Sudan.

§  We want our masses to empower us to defend and entrench the fragile democratic system in South Sudan, to protect human rights as stipulated in the constitution, to promote our values and culture, to weed out from the society the triple evils of corruption, favoritism and nepotism, and to put in place good governance characterized by the spirit of hard work, zero tolerance to the three evils mentioned above, respect for each other, humility, honest and sense of right and duty.

 §  We in the USSAP party promise the people of South Sudanthat in the next government, employment policy and job opportunities shall be based on competence, qualifications and merits.   This demand had been neglectedduring the last few years, despite the fact that this has always been our party’s policy and inclination since its inception.

 §  If mandated by the people through elections to form a government, USSAP will adopt and execute the following programs of action:

1.The Political Vision:

USSAP will uphold the principles of democracy, we will at all-times be committed to  good governance, transparency, accountability, rule of law, human rights, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, gender balance, and inclusiveness to achievedemocratic transformation.

 §  The party shall adopt and strengthen the current decentralized system of governance, and reform its various structures to meet the growing demands of the nation.

§  We seek to establish a sound democratic society whose actions are based on the rule of law, accountability, respect for public property,and humility.

§  The party shall studiously observe the independence of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches of government, whose jobs are to check and balance each other and prevent the encroachment of powers.

 §  The party will implement the local government Actof 2009.Under this Act, The traditional administrative system in South Sudan would beretained and the rights of local chieftain will be respected.

 §  USSAP shall pursue all the borders demarcation and the Abyei protocol and ensure that the Abyei referendum shall be conducted as stipulated in the CPA. 

2.Diplomacy and International Cooperation

 §  In the field of foreign affairs, USSAP will strive to establish a balanced regional and international relations policy aimed at building mutual relations, cooperation, and understanding between South Sudan and other nations.

 §  Our foreign policy shall be neutral and seek friendly relations with all nations and entangling alliances with none.

 §  USSAP shall abide by the UNinternational charters and the other that South Sudan shall be a party to that law and respect the decision of regional body such as IGAD and African Union.

3. Good Governance

 §  Priority shall be given to the establishment of the rule of law and respect for human rights whereby citizens are not arrested and detained at random and without due process of the law.   

 §  To achieve the above objective, the party will strengthen a neutral, competent and independent judiciary, as well as civilian institutions upholding the rule of law: police, prisons and traditional courts.

4.Defense and Security

 §  USSAP shall ensure that the SPLA is not involved in politics and shall be transformed into South Sudan’sNational Armyandshall work to ensure it iswell-organized, trained, armed and equipped properly.

 §  Modernization of our armed forces is essential, and we advocate the purchase of air-fighters to assist in the defense of the Republic of South Sudan.

 §  Security is the backbone for peace, stability and development. The party will spare no effort in cementing the unity of the South Sudanese people and fight to end the current insecurity caused by the inter-tribal and intra-tribal conflicts which threaten the peaceful co-existence for our citizens.

 §  Many innocent people have lost their lives and property through the use of illegal arms.  Our priority in government is to collect illegal fire-arms and ammunition from ordinary citizens.

 §  The party will also ensure that the working conditions of the National Army are improved, and that we increase salaries and other fringe benefits while maintaining disciplines and professional organization.

 §  The party will urgently undertake the training of all national security agencies, particularlythe police, prisons, wild- life, and fire-brigade forces.They shall be equipped with modern arms and contemporary criminal investigation equipment to promptly respond to any attacks by perpetrators causing insecurity throughout South Sudan.

 §  The party will strengthen the customs and border police to curb smuggling and random immigration of foreigners into the country.

 §  The party seeks the revival of reformatory centers for juvenile delinquents involved in crimes and to provide vocational training to inmates so that they can benefit from new skills when they return to the society.

 §  USSAP shall ensure that all veteran soldiers and families of those who were missing in action are taken care of by the government and that the rights of persons with disabilities are protected.

5.Economic Development Policy

South Sudan is naturally blessedwith minerals, petroleum, water, wild and domestic animals, agriculture, forestry and fishery resources. These resources combined with developed human resources that could make SouthSudan one of the wealthiest countries in the world. USSAP shall endeavor to ensure and encourage the development of a Liberal and dynamic free market economy.

 In the light of these facts, USSAP will undertake the following programs:

 §  Urge both the Ministry of Public Service and the Ministry of Finance to review and standardize the salary system of GoSS including government expenditure on chapter two services in order to control the misuse of public funds.

 §  We support the diversification of the national economy.Instead of depending solely on the oil revenue,we seek to achieve a balanced and sustainable development plan for the country.

 §  The immediate measures to be taken will include restructuring the current revenue generating institutions like customs and taxation departments with the goal of unifying the revenue generating units for effective and efficient revenue collection.

 §  Revive all the defunct national projects in South Sudan which were destroyed during the war and establish new factories and industries.

 §  Encourage foreign investors to invest capital for the exploration of moreoil and other precious metals and minerals such as cement and gold at Kapeota in Eastern Equartoria State, copper at [Hoffrat el Nahas] or KafiaKingi in Western Bahr el Ghazal State and many others in different parts of South Sudan.

 §  Encourage the development of a balanced industrial sector for both large and small scale industries to provide jobs locally with a special focus on agrarian development in order to reduce migration to urban areas.

 §  Establishment and promote our economic relations with foreign countries and seek partnerships with regional and international economic cooperation.

 §  USSAP shall work to encourage development of stock markets, trade fairs and financial investment funds in order to spur national savings and foreign investment into  the country.

 §  Adopt a policy of poverty alleviation by implementing the National Poverty Reduction strategy through the allocation of funds in the national, state and local government budgets.

 §  To monitor and evaluate the micro-finances of the nation, the Internal and General Auditor’s Chambers must be properly established and endowed with specific statutory authority in South Sudan.

 §  Encourage the growth of our banking system and establish other financial institutions in South Sudan to render financial services greater to majority of our people.

 §  Regulate the financial institutions in the field of exchange rate and management of liquidity by abolishing the current illegal method of exchanging money in the markets.

§  USSAP shall adopta policy of zero tolerance against all forms of corruptionin the society and governmental institutions in order to achieve rapid economic development.

[A] Economic Management:

§  USSAP shall develop an input which shall rightly and perfectly handle use and control of the Federal and State Government’s funds to suit the interest of the public. 

§  Hence, USSAP is advocating for a scientific approach toward a general utilization of our national resources. As our nation is emerging among the world’s nations, andUSSAP is prepared for a high level’s INPUT for all poor and middle class families across South Sudan. Such families will raise their small and massive productivity and these small families shall also contribute to our major national product as well as it shall increase our national “Gross Domestic Product [GDP]”.

§  Attain surplus, our citizen’s need massive grassroots training, all levels of human resources must undergo economic and financial management trainings in both public institutions and corporations. Likewise, our administration shall drive all possible ways in developing better policies for placing the right person in the right place in all civil service sectors. The transformation of our civil servants in their respective institutions shall lead into massive job creations as well asemphasize our belief that self-reliance shall be the best choice for the people of the Republic of South Sudan.

[B] Unemployment:  

§  USSAP shall create more professional jobs for young people and a well-trained workforce in a farm or industries, or a family responsible in a factory.

§  We seek to empower the community in delivering services to the society,and we shall determine to update this program annually, quarterly or in a mid-year budget. 

§  USSAP shall encourage self-reliance and here we go…  Our change and transformation shall discover more possibilities for all and for our common good.          

6. Agriculture

   §  A USSAPled government will see to it that food securityis guaranteed. The people are now totally dependent on food ferried in from abroad and many of them have become reluctant on how to produce food locally.

  §  USSAP shall endeavor to encourage citizens to go back to the land to produce food by offeringthem credit facilities, micro finance loans and modern agriculturalequipment and tools.

  §  The party shall promote the development ofthe animal production industry in SouthSudan. We have an estimated forty million head of cattle plus several millions of goats and sheep.

§  Our party will make proper economic use ofanimals’resources, fisheries and encourageboth internal and external consumption.\

§  USSAP shall adopt irrigation method to enable local community to produce their food.

[A] Food Security

 §  South Sudan has relied more and more on food imported from Uganda and Kenya or on the UN. The implementation of the CPA, unlike the situation before the war when the economy was largely dependent on agriculture and furthermore our nation depends on petroleum revenue which reached upto 98% in the annual Budget of 2010. Previously, the agricultural sector employed up to 76% of the work forces, and about 20% workforces are detrimental resulting in severe food shortages.

 §  The food items which used to reach South Sudan from Sudan have dried up with independence and the closure of the borders. The Sudanese farmers, who used to dominate the mechanized agricultural sector, have withdrawn to the north, and left a huge vacuum to raise agricultural production locally. In order to become the main stay of the economy, we seek to encourage the population to take part in agriculture and to promote modern agriculture to link up with the six ecological zones of South Sudan as follows:

 1)      The flat plains of Bahr El-Ghazal and Upper Nile make the largest ecological zone variety of crops can be produced here: they consist of sorghum, rice, mangoes, citrus trees, sesame, ground nuts, pumpkin and vegetables of different types.

2)      The iron stone pelt is useful for the production crops mentioned in (1) above in addition to yams, and sweet potatoes

3)      The high Plato Imatong range and Acholi Hills produce crops such as jam, crypa and potatoes plus soft woods which are economically valuable.

4)      The conventional range rain forest of Western Equatoria is well known for timber, oil palms, tobacco, cotton, mangoes, oranges, pineapple etc.

5)      The savanna grassland of Upper Nile, Unity State, Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria are suitable for mechanical agriculture for many crops such as sorghum, sesame, cotton and groundnuts

6)      The wet lands of Central South Sudan abound with fish and other recurrence of plants that may be economical usefully pappy guan be used for producing paper

[B] Food security strategies shall include the following:

a.      Expansion of cultivated land.

b.      Improvementof technology.

c.       Use of improved seeds.

d.      Introduction of new crops.

e.      Improvement of livestock and animal production in order to benefit from dairy production.

f.        Construction of stresses in order to retain food items over a period of time

g.      Improvement of roads and river transport in order to transport food from areas of excess production to low production areas.

 The Party shall undertake urgent development of agricultural and industrial schemes and establish a competitive private sector capable of investing in key infrastructure. Therefore, we also seek to expand industrial and agricultural projects and promote viable markets for both export and import.

 7. Wildlife and Environment.

 §  Our land is being down-graded through unplanned land use policies. Deforestation is over taking parts of the mechanized agricultural lands especially in Northern Upper Nile. Citizens shall be advised to use modern methods of feeding and providing water for their animals. Random cutting of trees for timber, firewood and charcoal shall be controlled and we encourage the planting of trees to combat this growing national security threat.

 §  Provide modern sanitation facilities and sewage systems in all major towns.

 §  Wildlife reserves must be reactivated through “National  Parks”  and protected forthwith in order to encourage tourism and to mitigate the devastating effect that the war and  increased poaching have had on our wildlife

 §  Revive the legislation and rules enacted for environmental safety through the secure disposal of waste produced by the oil and other mining industries.

 §  Ensure the inclusion of South Sudan among the countries of the Nile Water commission for the sharing of the Nile water so as to protect the economic interests of South Sudan in the use of these waters.

 8.Education:

Education at pre-school, primary and secondary school shall be among our top priorities. Primary and secondary education shall be free for all the poor citizens of South Sudanbenefit from our educational policy.

 §  We have observed that many government officials in South Sudan do send their children outside the country to seek quality education.

 §  In order to stop this, USSAP shall strive to raise educational standards locally and to invite private sector and civil society organizations to contribute tangibly towards the improvement of education in the three levels.  Education is among the peace dividends which have become almost a luxury in South Sudan.

 §  Reviewing the development of a recognizable educational curriculum reflecting the special aspects and needs of the South Sudanese society aimed at establishing sound education system for the country. Books and teaching aids should be made available in all schools.

 §  Improve the teaching of the indigenous languages in school in compliance with the universal education norm that the child should begin learning from the known mother tongue.

 §  Strive to achieve universal primary education for both boys and girls to enable them to complete full courses of basic schooling. Gender equality at all levels of education should be observed.

 §  USSAP shall encourage training and tertiary education through the private sector to open vocational training centers, adult education and community colleges to eradicate illiteracy. Special attention shall be paid to technical and technological education.

 §  Review the current admission policies and rules of intake into higher education institutions in such a way as to achieve a balance between the output of these institutions and the needs of the labor markets as well as the needs of comprehensive development.

 §  Speed up infrastructural renovation of all higher Institutions and Universities to meet international higher education standards and to provide a conducive environment of study for all South Sudanese students.

 §  Pay special attention to scientific research especially in the higher institutions of learning and offer incentive to outstanding researchers to attract more people in the field of scientific research.

 §  Train teachers and improve their working conditions at all education levels and regularly pay their salaries to motivate them to be interested in their work.

 §  Encourage sports competitions and activities in schools given the fact that a healthy mind is a healthy body.

 §  USSAP shall seek scholarships abroad for talented and outstanding students to acquire specialization and expertise from other countries in order to meet development expectationsof the country.

 §  Cooperate with UN Agencies and NGOs working in the field of education to overcome obstacles in the development of education in the country.

  9.Health:

 Health and medical care are generally below expectations in the whole of South Sudan. It is only few who have the means toafford travelling abroad and seek quality medical treatment. The bulk of peopleare without proper medical attention.

 §  USSAP shall endeavor to revive the Primary Health Care clinics, the rural hospitals and the state hospitals to improve the adverse conditions of the existing health facilities throughout South Sudan.

 §  Train more and upgrade the skills of the current paramedics managing health facilities in South Sudan by improving the working conditions of medical personnel at all levels including mid-wives and to motivate them to be more interested in their professional service.

 §  The party shall pay special attention to preventive medicine and to combat incurable diseases such as HIV/AIDS through enlightenment, reducing the incidence of endemic and epidemic diseases, reduce mortality rates for children under the age of five and women at birth, and to provide access to specialize services.

 §  Cooperate with UN Agencies and other international organizations operating in the field of health   to prevent any health hazards that may face the nation.

 10.Infrastructural Development:

 In te field of infrastructural development, USSAP will plan and implement the following strategies:

 §  USSAP led government shall commit to build the railway line from Wau to other parts of South Sudan. The national government should also revive the river transport between Renk and Juba.

 §  USSAP administration will carry out the task of demarcating the state capitals to curb illegal land-grabbing that resulted on several occasions into inter communal conflict.

 §  Encourage the civil aviation authority to build airports in all ten state capitals of South Sudan to connect them with the national capital.

 §  Promote and expand road networks and build bridges throughout South Sudan to link all states and counties with the regional capital and with production areas and markets.

 §  Adopt a housing policy for both private and public sectors, and to secure lands from states for achieving this objective. And this includes involvement of national and foreign estate companies to construct houses for hire purchase in both the public and private sectors.

 11. Water and Electricity Service.

 §  Promote public-private partnership in providing clean water, electricity and dams to all urban cities.

§  USSAP shall also encourage the provision of clean drinking water by digging more boreholes for both humans and animals in all rural areas of South Sudan.

§  Provide solar panels and wind mills to towns and villages in rural areas for generating electricity.

 12. Information and Press Freedom

 §  USSAP shall promote press freedom to disseminate  information accurately, timely and improve communication technology infrastructure to ensure that all parts of the country have access to information through the media coverage.

 §  Make use of information and communication technology for the development of national languages and other cultural activities.

 §  Promote and encourage freedom of the press and media and render support to them for effective dissemination of information.

  13.Public Service Reforms and Capacity Building.

 §  USSAP shall promote sustainable development by reforming the current civil service system in South Sudan to develop competent qualified cadres at all levels of government for effective and efficient delivery service.

 §  Review existing public service regulations and labor law to ensure that effective performance, efficiency, respect, and ethics at work are valued at all time.

 §   Create and promote a policy of technical  civil servants are deployed across ten states of South Sudan irrespective of their ethnic background in order to curve nepotism, tribalism and corruption.

 §  Ensure that new South Sudanese graduates are recruited and employed into the public service according to their professions.

 §  Review current pay and grading systems and terms of service to attract highly qualified personnel at all levels from the national to the rural areas in order to increase productivity.

 14.Gender and Youth Empowerment

 §  The party is committed to gender equity whereby women are represented by 30%   at all levels of governmental institutions.

§  Empower women to play their full roles in the political, economic, social and cultural development of the country.

§  Enact legislation for the protection of women against sexual and domestic violence and seek to eliminate traditional harmful practices such as genital mutilation, forced and early marriages.

 §  We seek to empower women economically by providing funds and other facilities to initiate micro-projects and land ownership so that they can take an active role in business.

 §  Organize and mobilize the youth to effectively participate in the political, economic, social and cultural development of the nation.

§  Establish vocational and sports training institutions for the youth to upgrade their skills to enable them to get work and effectively participate in various sports activities at national, regional and international levels.

§  USSAP shall provide child care, vulnerable groups and medical care for pregnant and lactating women and shall monitor health service particular in rural areas.

§  Our goal as a party is to establish vocational training for women and to promote scientific research regarding women issues.

§  The party shall give special attention to promote female girl-child education and scholarship abroad.

 §  Establish small industries in rural areas to discourage youth from migrating to urban centers.

 15. Culture:

 §  USAP shall work to promote the culture of peaceful co-existence with zero tolerance to racism, tribalism, regionalism and corruption and to encourage inter-religious dialogue in order to guarantee freedom of beliefs and worship.

 §  Establishment of museums and archives for the protection of our heritage and art.

 §  Promote community awareness through radio and TV on the values of chastity and morality; values of hard work and productivity, combating crimes and anti-social behaviors. 

 §  The party shall advocate for South Sudan cultural festivals and celebration of our national cultural heritage.