CEPO Executive Director, Edmond Yakani warns parties against spoiling the peace agreement through bad language.
He calls on Dr Riek Machar Teny and President Salva Kiir Mayardit to silence those who are using bad language.
‘Within their groups that they are leading, they have spoilers that they don’t silence them. Like today, we shall have a meeting like this between the principles of the political parties, but some party members will issue negative statements. That will make citizens to lose trust and confidence. The citizens will begin to wonder whether there is political will to move away from violence to peace’, he cautions.
‘We are appealing to them that when they have such meetings, let them warn their party members to change their language from aggression to language of peace, reconciliation and healing. You will see from the media, some of them will issue a controversial statement like, ‘I don’t care about what they meet, unless’‚Ķ.So we’re urging the principles {Kiir and Machar} in J1 {State house} to warn their members. Their language must change’, Yakani emphasizes.
The activist calls on Dr Machar and President Kiir to put into action what they discuss from the meeting.
‘We have seen similar meetings several times, but the resolutions of such meetings are not always implemented in spirit and letter. That’s the challenge. That’s why we are calling on them as principles that this time, take decisions that you take charge. You are in charge of the implementation of the resolutions’, he stresses.
Yakani calls on the two leaders to move across South Sudan to talk to their people concerning peace.
‘We wish that also the government of national unity should provide a political space for political parties to exercise their political rights of talking to people, traveling across the country. So, we wish that after the meeting, representatives of the parties that are signatories to the agreement should go to the states and tell their people in the states and answer questions that people have towards them in regards to political will and commitment as parties, he asks.
The activist appreciates Dr Riek Machar for the trust and confidence he has, to come for the meeting in Juba.