Democratic Palestine : 17 (ص 28)
غرض
- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 17 (ص 28)
- المحتوى
-
Sadeq Al Mahdi
ting, but that this should be accompa-
nied by a political solution acceptable to
the people of the South. The southerners
should have the right to benefit from the
oil resources in the South, and Islamic
law should be cancelled.
THE ECONOMIC PROBLEM
General Swareddahab, head of the
transitional Military Council, has said
28
that the economic situation threatens
Sudan’s independence. Numeiri left
Sudan literally bankrupt. ‘“The foreign
debt is more than $190 billion; inflation is
100%; and the foreign currency reserves
in the Central Bank are only 10,000
Belgian francs’’(Al Safir, Beirut, May
12th). The IMF stopped loans to Sudan
because it hadn’t paid the interest due on
previous loans - $218 million.
Under Numeiri, Sudan imported
twice as much as it exported, due to the
destruction of productive projects and
the transfer of most money loaned to
private bank accounts abroad. Numeiri
subordinated Sudan totally to the US,
economically and politically. In return,
the US delayed his downfall by provi-
ding short-term loans that were even-
tually recycled into personal accounts in
the US. Financial institutions and banks
had paid 60% of their profit to the state
in taxes, but with the introduction of
Islamic law in 1983, the tax was reduced
to a ridiculous 2.5%, increasing bank
profits and lowering state revenue, in
order to be in line with Islamic doctrine!
The platforms of the Umma Party
and the DUP for dealing with the eco-
nomy are based on generalities: coexis-
tence between the private and public
sector; reducing dependency on the
IMF; and stamping out corruption in
the government. The Islamic Nationa-
list Front claims that the way to solve
Sudan’s economic problems is by con-
tinuing the Islamic banking system.
The Communist Party has a more
detailed plan. It stresses the develop-
ment of agriculture in general and grain
cultivation in particular. That would
help relieve famine, reduce Sudan’s
dependence on US wheat and lessen the
IMF’s leverage. The Communist Party
stresses revitalizing production to full
capacity, retraining government per-
sonnel and excluding parasitic sectors
from government decision-making. The
Central Bank should have full control of
financial activities, in order to protect
the Sudanese pound. In the Communist
Party’s view, the capitalist orientation
of the economy must be altered if the
economic crisis is to be resolved.
FOREIGN POLICY
There are many common positions
among the Sudanese parties in foreign
policy questions. All oppose the Camp
David accords, though there are diffe-
rences in the intensity of their opposi-
tion. The Umma and the Communist
Party view the accords as treason which
serves neither the Egyptian nor Arab
people. The DUP and the Islamic
Nationalist Front view the accords as
‘hurting the reputation’’ of Egypt, but
that the accords are ‘‘in practical terms,
dead’’.
Concerning overall relations with
Egypt, all parties concur on the impor-
tance of the historical relations that
have always existed between the two
countries. The Umma is for continuing
the historical relations, but cancelling
the security provision in the agreements
with Egypt. The DUP and Islamic
Nationalist Front are both for conti-
nuing relations with Egypt uncondition-
ally. The Communist Party advocates
that the historical relations be trans-
formed into militant relations between
the two peoples, and that the joint
defense agreement with Egypt be can-
celled.
All parties agree on improving rela-
tions with Libya. The Communist Party
has a distinctive militant position of
supporting Libya in its confrontation
with imperialism. All parties support
the Palestinian people and their armed
struggle. All call for an end to the Gulf
war, though the DUP and the Islamic
Nationalist Front sympathize with Iraq.
All the Sudanese parties advocate a
policy of non-alignment. While the
Communist Party calls for consolida-
ting relations with the socialist com-
munity, and its vanguard the Soviet
Union, the others call for ‘‘balanced
relations’’ between the US and the
Soviet Union. Even the latter position
will in the end mean improvement of
relations with the Soviet Union in con-
trast to the total control formerly exer-
cised by the US over Sudan. The Suda-
hese political parties cannot forget the
extent to which US imperialism has
inte:fered in their country. They do not
forget how the US stopped aid to Sudan
after the uprising and cancellation of
Sudan’s joint defense agreement with
Egypt. The US is now setting conditions
for the resumption of aid, including
Sudan’s not signing a defense agreement
with Libya, the expulsion of 120 Pales-
tinians whom the US considers to be
“‘terrorists’’, and continuing Numeiri’s
anti-communist policies - which amount
to dictating Sudan’s policy.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
These are the main problems facing
Sudan with which the newly elected
government will have to deal. There is
another problem that persists, due to the
country’s long history of dictatorship.
Though Numeiri’s forces were ousted
from top positions, they are still present
and exert strong influence under the
cover of the Islamic National Front.
Nor were they eliminated from the
armed forces. The Sudanese people
should be aware that these reactionary
forces are waiting for the proper
moment to regain power. The remnants
of the dictatorship must be eliminated in
order to consolidate democracy. The
Islamic laws must be cancelled, the
election law revised, and a democratic
solution found for the problem of the
South. These tasks should be coupled
with a solution to the economic crisis
which favors the interests of the impo-
verished masses, while severing rela-
tions with US imperialism and restric-
ting the activities of reactionary forces,
as the first step to eliminating their
influence. The newly formed govern-
ment has just begun to address these
problems. - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 17
- تاريخ
- يونيو ١٩٨٦
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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