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EDITORIAL

OPINION

Unitary System Of

Government Old Fashion

By Jacob K. Lupai
In The Citizen newspaper of January
20, 2013 – Vol. 7. Issue No. 351 page
7, a fellow columnist and a prolific
writer, William Sunday D Tor, argued
eloquently for the adoption of a unitary
system of government in South Sudan
in the year 2013 as opposed to a
decentralized or federal system. Some
of the disadvantages of a federal system
mentioned include tribal and regional
tendencies citing as an example land
ownership where citizens from other
states are denied the right to own land.
This is arguable because there are legal
ways of acquiring a piece of land.
For the acquisition of a piece of land
one has to submit an application to
the authorities concerned and follow Jacob K. Lupai. [Gurtong | Francis Apiliga Lagu]
it up persistently like anybody else.
William Sunday D Tor also alleges that and Islamisation policy adopted for The southern region was decentralized
the federal system has created economic the whole old Sudan. The then nine into three regions corresponding to
and development problems to South provinces of the old Sudan had very little the former three southern provinces.
Sudan. In his view a unitary system will input to the policy. The three southern Many who opposed the decentral-
be a solution or the solution. He calls provinces were in particular hard hit ization considered it as the division
for the current decentralized system of because on their own they would not of the southern region into weakling
government to be abolished. What can have adopted such a policy. The only regions which could not stand up to
only be said here is that William Sunday choice was to rebel. the might of the North. However, when
D Tor is entitled to his view like anybody The rebellion brought a decentralized the supposedly three weakling regions
else. system of government to the old where further divided into ten states
Unitary system Sudan. The three southern provinces no uproar was observed as when the
A unitary system of government may were granted self-government as one southern region was decentralized into
be defined as a centralized system where southern region. This was in accordance three regions.
decisions that are likely to affect the with the principle of the revolutionary Those who had considered the southern
peripheries are taken. It is the centre government of the day for the Sudanese region as divided into three weaklings
that has the choice to implement people to participate actively in the missed something very important. The
whatever policies may be enacted. A decentralized system of government of division was a blessing in disguise. The
typical example was the Arabisation their own country. supposedly three weakling regions like

8 | Gurtong Focus Monthly February 2013