Democratic Palestine : 9 (ص 28)
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- Democratic Palestine : 9 (ص 28)
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democratic process will proceed from
the popular uprising’s current victory.
Political parties
The three main political parties in
Sudan are the Umma, the Democratic/
National Union and the Communist
Party. .
The Umma, led by Sadeq al Mahdi,
represents the agricultural bourgeoisie,
the intelligentsia and the remaining
feudalists. Traditionally pro-US, this
party made a tactical shift under the
impact of the coup, espousing a national
policy. The party is divided, but the dissi-
dent wing has not organized itself. if it
unites, the Umma could become the
biggest party. .
The Democratic Union represents
the middle bourgeoisie with national but
not radical inclinations. After the power
change, the party divided and the
National. Union was formed. If the two
reunite, this might be the biggest party.
In contrast, the Communist Party is
united and reorganized itself under-
ground well prior to April. 6th. A part 0° its.
cadres now work openly. Independent
political observers estimate the Com-
munist Party to be the largest in view of
its country-wide membership and mass
‘support. In Khartoum, the party's celeb-
ration of International Workers Day
attracted 100,000 participants, enough
to worry the US ambassador who con-
sulted with Sadeq al Mahdi several
times in the course of that single day.
The Communist Party is active in work-
ing to sustain the popular mobilization
needed to steer the new regime's course
in a positive direction.
With new groups being announced
daily after April 6th, there are now at
least 40 other parties in Sudan. Among
the traditionalist forces, the Muslim
Brotherhoad is worthy of note. The
Brotherhood has been weakened by
division into three wings. More impor-
tant, its main wing headed by Hassan
Turabi acquired the hate of the masses
due to its alliance with Numeiri until
being purged a scant two weeks before
the popular uprising. Turabi has thus far
failed in his attempt to reunite the
Brotherhood and was recently scorned
at a mass meeting, where he had to be
protected by the police. Turabi opposes
the National Alliance, while the Republi-
can Brotherhood has joined in the
alliance.”
The process of change
On April 8th, the general strike
halted after having enforced demands
for the abolition of the State Security
Police, Numeiri’s constitution and single
party; the release of prisoners, and the
Military Council's agreement to later
relinquish power to a civilian govern-
ment. At the same time, the National
Alliance issued its charter of proposals ©
for the new government: return to the
1964 constitution,. guarantees for basic
human rights, regional self-government
for southern Sudan, development of
Sudan's natural resources to combat the
economic crisis, independence and
nonalignment in the context of Sudan's
Afro-Asian identity, decentralization,
abolishing the institutions of the Numeiri
regime and purging the parasitic class it
created; a new constitution should be
ratified by a democratically elected body
after the transitional government.
However, there are already signs
that the Military Council is balking on key
points. It was agreed that for a transi-
tional period, power would be divided
between the Military Council, the civilian
cabinet appointed in late Apri! and’ the
National Alliance, with the cabinet hav-
ing decision-making authority. Yet the
Military Council has entrenched itself in
the palace, exercising authority unilater-
ally in foreign and economic affairs and
concerning the South. The Military
Council packed the cabinet with three
Numeiri supporters as «representatives
of the South». The National Alliance is
working for their dismissal, leaving the
seats empty until an agreement with the
SPLA, to then be filled with genuine rep-
resentatives of the South. ©
In addition to delay in putting the
1964 constitution into effect, the Military
Council has in practice opposed the
National Alliance's call for purging the
former regime, especially the security
forces where the CIA had numerous
links. To the contrary, the Military Coun-
cil released 40 security officers who had
been imprisoned, claiming that they
were only administrative. personnel,
whereas one was the third-ranking
officer. This step caused dissention
within the council itself with one of the
members declaring that he would
boycott the council until these officers
were reimprisoned.
In the face of these negative indica-
tions, the National Alliance has the
power to mobilize the masses to enforce
the policies for which they have strug-
gled. This potential has been reinforced
by elections in the General Union of
Workers of Sudan which groups 4 mill-
ion workers from 42 trade unions. The
General Union had withheld participa-
tion in the National Alliance until these
elections. Similarly it has refused to
have reactionary trade union leaders
replaced by administrative procedures
as was suggested by the cabinet.
Instead the union held general elections
in early May where democrats.
nationalists and communists won the
vast majority of leading positions. This
enables the union to join the National
Alliance, adding the weight of the
organized working class to the process
for change.
Challenges
The new regime in Khartoum faces
a range of challenges aside from, but
related to, the demands for democracy
and a national policy. The following
interview with Dr. John Garang outlines
the challenge of the South and its impli-
cations. Moreover, drought has aggra-
vated the rape of Sudan's agriculture
enacted by Numeiri's promotion of
agrobusiness for the export market. UN
Officials have predicted that one million
Sudanese children may die from starva-
tion in the next few months (in addition to
famine refugees from other countries).
Due to Numeiri’s policy, Sudan is totally
dependent on US grain imports to stave
off starvation. This gives the Reagan
Administration an added card in pres-
suring the Military Council to remain
within pro-imperialist bounds. But the
real solution is another: Democracy for
‘the masses all over Sudan is the only
way for mobilizing the national energies
required to correct this situation.
' The National Alliance for Salvation includes rep-
resentatives for engineers. doctors. lawyers.
academics, banking and insurance employees: the
president of Khartoum University Student Council:
representatives for the Umma. the Democratic
Union. the Communist Party. the Baathists. and the
Republican Brotherhood.
? This wing was led by Mohammed Mahmoud Taha.
hanged by Numeiri in January for criticising the
harsh application of Islamic law as inconsistent with
the spirit of Islam. - هو جزء من
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