freepalestine
10th April 2012, 10:54
ARAB WORLD:
Sudanese Communist Party Looks for a New Leader
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Sudan_Communist_pic_1.jpg
A Sudanese mourner holds a poster of Ibrahim Nugud, late leader of Sudan's Communist party, as people gather for his funeral in Khartoum on 25 March 2012.
(Photo: AFP - Ashraf Shazly)
By: May Ali (http://english.al-akhbar.com/author/may-ali)
Published Sunday, April 8, 2012
Following the death of Secretary-General Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud two weeks ago, Sudanese Communists are facing the challenge of preserving the unity of their party.
Khartoum – Secretary-General of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud passed away in London two weeks ago, where he was being treated for brain cancer.
After more than 40 years at the helm of one of the oldest Communist parties in the Middle East, he had become a symbol of resolve and temperance.
Among the crowd of supporters and admirers that flocked to Khartoum to commemorate the life of the Communist leader was his high-school classmate, Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan al-Turabi, who came to pay his last respects to a man who was exhausted by years of searching for democracy and social justice.
However, it appears that the loyalty of this Islamist leader for his childhood friend did not spare him the ire of the Communist party, who began to heckle him as he stepped to the podium at the eulogy.
The sheer number of supporters in Nugud’s funeral shows that the Communist party is a force to be reckoned with.They repeated chants of “Oh Khartoum, rise against the military and the kaizan [nickname for ruling party].”
The leader of the opposition PCP advised the comrades of the deceased leader Nugud not to succumb to in-fighting following the death of their leader. He said Nugud’s passing should be a cause for unity and not division.
Al-Turabi said that there is no need to fear for the future of the Communist party. It is an organized party which is not based on inheritance like the other traditional parties in which positions are passed from father to son.
The Sudanese Communist Party distinguishes itself in Sudanese politics by being free from the ills of tribalism and regionalism that govern many of the other parties.
Yet, this does not prevent speculation surrounding the future of the party. Internal divisions that threaten the unity of the leftist party have been public since its fifth convention in 2009.
Nugud had planned to step down and make way for new blood. But the sharpness of the divide between the leading candidates to succeed him, al-Shafi Khidr and Suleiman Hamid, forced him and the members of the central community to backtrack.
Nugud was reelected to the position of Secretary-General. Observers saw this development as simply a postponement of an inevitable conflict over succession, and perhaps the party’s sixth convention slated for 2014 would provide the space for such a battle.
However, the sheer number of supporters in Nugud’s funeral shows that the Communist party is a force to be reckoned with. The Sudanese Communists have a chance to rally around their deceased leader and even reincorporate some factions that had previously splintered off.
A source in the SCP told Al-Akhbar that when Sudanese Communists realize their many misfortunes, it will motivate them to unify within the mother organization once again.
Meanwhile, despite speculation over who Nugud’s successor will be, SCP members have thus far maintained silence and secrecy in their actions. It suggests that the selection of Nugud’s successor could be going smoothly.
Despite their great loss, the apparent stability within the central committee of the party suggests that everything is under control and the party’s affairs are being organized and agreed upon with a fair degree of consensus.
Since Nugud’s death, the members of the central committee have been involved in continuous meetings carried out in complete secrecy, the latest of which took place last Friday.
the number of candidates for a new general secretary is down to two: Suleiman Hamid and Muhammad al-Khatib.The party’s constitution stipulates that the central committee has the right to nominate the party’s next head in the event that something should happen to its leader before the party’s sixth convention is held in 2014.
According to leaks from within the committee, the number of candidates for a new general secretary is down to two: Suleiman Hamid and a member of the central committee from the workers of the city of Atbara in north Sudan, Muhammad al-Khatib.
Observers indicate that a new secretary-general will most likely be named during the next meeting of the central committee, who are likely to meet in one month since the members of the committee are dispersed throughout Sudan and abroad.
In the first public message following the funeral, SCP Spokesperson Yusuf Hassan assured members of the party who came from various provinces of Sudan and abroad that the party would remain united and committed to the revolutionary plan laid-out by the late secretary-general.
Likewise, the central committee confirmed that the party’s decisions would be implemented democratically, institutionally, and through collective leadership as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
However, the similarity between the majority of the Sudanese parties in rallying around a historic leader have not dispelled concerns about the unity of the Communist party and its ability to carry on.
This is what political analyst Kamal al-Jazouli indicates as well, pointing out that Nugud left behind a deep intellectual inheritance with regard to the country’s political issues.
Jazouli said that Nugud had his own special way of thinking and methods tied to his personality. The leadership of the Communist party must contemplate this legacy and whoever will succeed Nugud must try to understand these methods and styles.
Likewise, Jazouli expressed his belief that many colleagues and students of Nugud are conscious of this and will continue to carry on with their movement.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sudanese-communist-party-looks-new-leader
Sudanese Communist Party Looks for a New Leader
http://english.al-akhbar.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/5cols/leading_images/Sudan_Communist_pic_1.jpg
A Sudanese mourner holds a poster of Ibrahim Nugud, late leader of Sudan's Communist party, as people gather for his funeral in Khartoum on 25 March 2012.
(Photo: AFP - Ashraf Shazly)
By: May Ali (http://english.al-akhbar.com/author/may-ali)
Published Sunday, April 8, 2012
Following the death of Secretary-General Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud two weeks ago, Sudanese Communists are facing the challenge of preserving the unity of their party.
Khartoum – Secretary-General of the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) Muhammad Ibrahim Nugud passed away in London two weeks ago, where he was being treated for brain cancer.
After more than 40 years at the helm of one of the oldest Communist parties in the Middle East, he had become a symbol of resolve and temperance.
Among the crowd of supporters and admirers that flocked to Khartoum to commemorate the life of the Communist leader was his high-school classmate, Popular Congress Party (PCP) leader Hassan al-Turabi, who came to pay his last respects to a man who was exhausted by years of searching for democracy and social justice.
However, it appears that the loyalty of this Islamist leader for his childhood friend did not spare him the ire of the Communist party, who began to heckle him as he stepped to the podium at the eulogy.
The sheer number of supporters in Nugud’s funeral shows that the Communist party is a force to be reckoned with.They repeated chants of “Oh Khartoum, rise against the military and the kaizan [nickname for ruling party].”
The leader of the opposition PCP advised the comrades of the deceased leader Nugud not to succumb to in-fighting following the death of their leader. He said Nugud’s passing should be a cause for unity and not division.
Al-Turabi said that there is no need to fear for the future of the Communist party. It is an organized party which is not based on inheritance like the other traditional parties in which positions are passed from father to son.
The Sudanese Communist Party distinguishes itself in Sudanese politics by being free from the ills of tribalism and regionalism that govern many of the other parties.
Yet, this does not prevent speculation surrounding the future of the party. Internal divisions that threaten the unity of the leftist party have been public since its fifth convention in 2009.
Nugud had planned to step down and make way for new blood. But the sharpness of the divide between the leading candidates to succeed him, al-Shafi Khidr and Suleiman Hamid, forced him and the members of the central community to backtrack.
Nugud was reelected to the position of Secretary-General. Observers saw this development as simply a postponement of an inevitable conflict over succession, and perhaps the party’s sixth convention slated for 2014 would provide the space for such a battle.
However, the sheer number of supporters in Nugud’s funeral shows that the Communist party is a force to be reckoned with. The Sudanese Communists have a chance to rally around their deceased leader and even reincorporate some factions that had previously splintered off.
A source in the SCP told Al-Akhbar that when Sudanese Communists realize their many misfortunes, it will motivate them to unify within the mother organization once again.
Meanwhile, despite speculation over who Nugud’s successor will be, SCP members have thus far maintained silence and secrecy in their actions. It suggests that the selection of Nugud’s successor could be going smoothly.
Despite their great loss, the apparent stability within the central committee of the party suggests that everything is under control and the party’s affairs are being organized and agreed upon with a fair degree of consensus.
Since Nugud’s death, the members of the central committee have been involved in continuous meetings carried out in complete secrecy, the latest of which took place last Friday.
the number of candidates for a new general secretary is down to two: Suleiman Hamid and Muhammad al-Khatib.The party’s constitution stipulates that the central committee has the right to nominate the party’s next head in the event that something should happen to its leader before the party’s sixth convention is held in 2014.
According to leaks from within the committee, the number of candidates for a new general secretary is down to two: Suleiman Hamid and a member of the central committee from the workers of the city of Atbara in north Sudan, Muhammad al-Khatib.
Observers indicate that a new secretary-general will most likely be named during the next meeting of the central committee, who are likely to meet in one month since the members of the committee are dispersed throughout Sudan and abroad.
In the first public message following the funeral, SCP Spokesperson Yusuf Hassan assured members of the party who came from various provinces of Sudan and abroad that the party would remain united and committed to the revolutionary plan laid-out by the late secretary-general.
Likewise, the central committee confirmed that the party’s decisions would be implemented democratically, institutionally, and through collective leadership as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
However, the similarity between the majority of the Sudanese parties in rallying around a historic leader have not dispelled concerns about the unity of the Communist party and its ability to carry on.
This is what political analyst Kamal al-Jazouli indicates as well, pointing out that Nugud left behind a deep intellectual inheritance with regard to the country’s political issues.
Jazouli said that Nugud had his own special way of thinking and methods tied to his personality. The leadership of the Communist party must contemplate this legacy and whoever will succeed Nugud must try to understand these methods and styles.
Likewise, Jazouli expressed his belief that many colleagues and students of Nugud are conscious of this and will continue to carry on with their movement.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/sudanese-communist-party-looks-new-leader