The president of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) has said they will hold elections as soon as the High Court in Juba dispenses with an injunction against it.
Mid last month, the High Court of Central Equatoria State in Juba issued a judicial decision to halt all activities and arrangements related to the elections of the South Sudan Journalists Union, based on an appeal and administrative review submitted by members of the Union’s General Assembly against both the Union’s National Committee and the Election Committee.
Interviewed by Radio Tamazuj on Monday, UJOSS President Oyet Patrick confirmed that some members went to court and got an injunction to stop the elections, which were slated to start on 16 September, until an administrative review is done.
“They have several areas they are complaining about; number one is that the election committee was not properly constituted. They also say that there are two constitutions or even three, and they are saying what we are using is not a correct constitution,” he explained. “They have several complaints that they have made, and we replied to the court on 7 October, and we are waiting to hear their comment on 22 October.”
Asked if they will extend the tenure of the current executive due to the court injunction, Oyet said they want to hold credible elections.
“We do not want to extend terms, as journalists, we are people who normally talk about bad things that happen in society, and therefore it is very ironic if it is us now who are either extending our term or we are fighting among ourselves; it looks very bad,” he stated. “So, we want this situation to be resolved as soon as possible. As soon as the court has made its own decision, which we cannot determine when, we will be ready to go for elections, so that we resolve this issue once and for all. We do not have any problem with holding elections.”
Oyet urged members of the union and all journalists to remain united in the face of the delayed polls.
“In a democracy, there are very many hurdles and one of them is the court itself. It is an institution of justice, but it can also be used sometimes to delay some processes,” he said. “However, eventually justice will prevail, and the truth will come out. The challenges we are going through are normal, and it is also the right of those who feel that the court is the right body to determine what they are saying.”
“It is all good, even though it may make us look awkward in the eyes of the public; we will learn from it and improve,” Oyet added.
He said the union will emerge stronger.
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