Sudan needs new national path

Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi Khartoum - Abedalgoum Ashmeag Former Sudanese Prime Minister and head of the opposition Umma Party, Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi has said: “Sudan now needs a new national path that starts a new regime".  “Political parties in Sudan are strangled with freedom-limiting laws in addition to violations by state bodies,” he said during an exclusive interview with Arabstoday.  Al-Mahdi said: “Sudanese parties, through their general conferences, need to analyse the Sudanese situation and set appropriate recommendations in the interest and direction of the current national aspirations. This can achieve a new system that takes the country to a national path, and establishes an understanding of peace and complete democratic change.”  Al-Mahdi revealed to Arabstoday that his last call for a peace conference in Sudan “has reached advanced stages”.  He announced that his party invited all Sudanese political parties to participate based on their historical and national responsibility.  The opposition leader expressed hopes that such participation would help in resolving issues surrounding Sudan "now that the armed conflict in Blue Nile involves South Kordofan and Darfur.”  When asked about the reality and future of relations between Sudan and South Sudan, Al-Mahdi said: “South Sudan is like a twin, and any animosity towards it harms the interests of the two countries. That’s why there must be an agreement with South Sudan through dialogue to solve the problems that the transitional period was not able to solve”.  Al-Mahdi revealed that his party’s project for peace “devotes much attention to relations with South Sudan to resolve the outstanding problems with the two countries so that bilateral relations will be based on complementary and mutual respect of state sovereignty”.  On the role of political parties in the government and opposition, and his constant references that Sudan was "facing threats that threaten its own existence", Al-Mahdi said: “Political parties in Sudan are strangled with freedom-limiting laws in addition to violations by state bodies.” He described the violations as harmful to national work: "That’s why these parties live in an environment that is hostile to freedom and human rights, so we want this situation to change”.  Al-Mahdi said that “it doesn’t work to talk about a new permanent constitution for the country or anything else, unless there’s a free agreement”.  The Umma party leader stressed that a free agreement, "did not necessarily happen except within a free framework".  "That’s why we look forward to an atmosphere that enables everyone in Sudan to contribute in transforming the country from being polarised to a unified national path, which is what we aspire”.  He added that “we believe that if the right environment is provided, political parties will flourish, and civil society organisations will also flourish, or else they will fight for rights and freedoms, to be able to take part in political life”.  Al-Mahdi reminded the government of “the necessity of giving attention to the suffering of most Sudanese people due to wrong economic policies that impoverished broad sections of society”.  He pointed out attention to agricultural work and increased production as “the shortest way to solving many current problems”.  The veteran politician also called for “rationalising government spending, focusing on setting correct strategies, and limiting participation in setting them to people of expertise and knowledge”.  He also hinted that the ruling party “followed an erroneous approach in tackling Sudanese issues including fatal problems and thus the country entered into a very dangerous circle for itself and others.”  The former prime minister shrugged at the “covert rejection of the ruling party Hizb Al-Mutamar Al-Watani (National Congress Party) for any national effort aimed at helping the country out of its political, economic and security crises”.  Al-Mahdi concluded his interview with Arabstoday saying that “the path which Sudan is taking now indicates that the government alone cannot do anything, that’s why we must intervene because history is known to record stances”.  Al-Mahdi filled the position of prime minister for more than once. He was prime minister prior to President Omar al-Bashir’s seizure of rule in a military coup in 1989. His relation to the government has been fluctuating since that date. His son, Colonel Abdelrahman, is an advisor to President Bashir while his other son Boshra is an officer in the security and intelligence agency.