Culture And Change Along The Blue Nile by Lina Fruzzetti

Author:Lina Fruzzetti [Fruzzetti, Lina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367163136
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2021-04-30T00:00:00+00:00

The Political Framework

The Sudan Socialist Union, SSU, is the regime's political organization. The General-Secretariat of the union is in Khartoum. In every province there is a Provincial Secretariat of which the CP is the Secretary-General. He has five Assistant-Secretaries who are responsible to him for the supervision and leadership of the SSU. The SSU is deemed to be responsible for state policy, the leader in development programs, and the supervisor of government services. Its teachings and principles are promulgated as basic to the country's future. Membership is open to every citizen regardless of religion or social background. It is made up of hierarchical committees where every committee is empowered with some degree of political supervision. Recently elections replaced unanimous selection to "section," "region," and "provincial" committees. CP as Secretary-General is the chairman of the Provincial Committee whose membership includes CP's Assistant-Secretaries who must be elected according to SSU practice. Election rules regarding these appointments are not seriously followed. Candidates defeated in the elections to the Provincial-Secretariat were nominated to be Assistant-Secretaries. These supervise the sections of development and services, popular organizations (parents' councils, cooperatives, village development committees, women, and youth groups) professional and trade-unions, administration, and organization.

The Sudan Women's Union (SWU), and the Sudan Youth Union (SYU) have their own organizations which are supervised as independent associations by the provincial secretariat. It is possible to hold office in more than one committee of the SSU. The Provincial Secretariat exercises formal supervision over all other associations in the province. The SSU projects its existence as "the organization leading the march of...people and....includes all revolutionary working masses."

The SSU is the highest arbiter of government authority. It "guides" the provincial administration in policy, development programs, and public service. The relation between the SSU and the provincial administrator is meant to be complementary. The CP is the head of both.

The SSU consists of muazzafeen, in addition to workers, farmers, and merchants. Women and youth are also represented. Since the establishment of the Blue Nile Province, leaders of the SSU nominated by the CP and approved by President of the Republic continued to lead despite their failure in the elections. Some of the leaders and officials have previous political backgrounds. Yet they consider themselves to be "new leaders" to maintain their prestigious position in the SSU. Thus, they are loyal to CP rather than to the political organization.

Leaders of the SSU maintain contact with the Central Government in Khartoum. Assistant-Secretaries make frequent trips to meet the political elite of Khartoum. In contrast, even senior officials in the administration are discouraged from making such contacts. Although the SSU budget is separate from the provincial administration's budget, the SSU uses the equipment of administrative units. Given the limited resources of services, communications, and transport, the administrators of the province are dissatisfied.

The majority of SSU leaders are officials. In the absence of competition in free, direct and secret elections, SSU leaders are nominated by the CP. Leaders and members of the Provincial Committee and of all the other committees are also appointed without any real participation in political activities.

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