Delivering Sudan to the NCP on a Silver Platter

Democracy is the key solution to the chronic problems of Sudan. A fair and free election is the process that the people of Sudan have dreamt of since the colonial powers left the Country in 1956. Yet Sudan is marred since then with civil wars, military coups, genocide, corruption, uneven distribution of wealth, and monopoly of power by the few.

The ruling party, National Congress Party (NCP), managed to stay in power for twenty years now and intends to stay in power for the next twenty years. The driving force of the NCP is a team made up of players who have perfected the skills of seizing power (not necessarily by force) since they were students in high schools and universities.

Most of the prominent players were members of student unions of University of Khartoum in the 1970s and 1980s. The student unions during those periods were formed through free elections. The National Islamic Front (NIF) was the most organized political group in the high schools and universities that succeeded to manipulate and exploit well-intentioned democratic process and turn it selfishly into their favor.

To win those elections the NIF was known to use any means that could put them at an advantage. Those means included violence, intimidation, temptation, and rigging the ballots.  They (NIFs) were and are Machiavellians. The Student Union of University of Khartoum was the training ground for many of the ruling figures today in Sudan. The following are at one time members of the Students Union of the University of Khartoum: Ghazi Salah Eldin (presidential Adviser), Awad Algaz (Finance Minister), Nafi Ali Nafi (Presidential Assistant), Ali Osman Taha (Vise President), Salah Ghosh (the demoted Head of Security), Mohamed Atta (new Head of Security), Mustafa Osman Ismail (former Foreign Minister and current Presidential Adviser), Mutraf Siddig (The Deputy Foreign Minister), Ali Karti (Foreign Security State Minister).

Second and third tier in NCP (hardcore) have similar background.

When the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) of South Sudan, the Darfuris, the opposition parties complain about fraud in census results, the international community better pay attention to such claims. NCP blatantly has distributed the geographical seats throughout Sudan and especially in Darfur so that any elections will guarantee the winning of NCP supporters.

More, based on the census results, the 2011 referendum on self-determination for the South is in jeopardy. The U.N. has started to sound the alarm. But that is not enough.

The rigging of elections in Sudan could be far worse than what the world had witnessed in Iran.

The catastrophe will descend on Sudan when the international community allows the NCP on a legitimate forum to take over the country. It will be exactly as the international community handing over Sudan to NCP on a silver platter.

[Photo: Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, left, Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein and Nafie Ali Nafie at a Khartoum rally in May. Nafie heads the hard-line faction in the ruling National Congress Party. Abd Raouf / Associated Press.]