Ruling SPLM threatens to shut down social media

By Oketayot Santos

South Sudan`s ruling, Sudan People`s Liberation Movement (SPLM) on Tuesday threatened to shut the social media in South Sudan following rumors.

Speaking at a press conference in Juba, Peter Lam Both, SPLM`s Secretary general accused unmade officials of creating negative propaganda campaigns against the SPLM and causing confusion.  

“SPLM is for freedom of expression and speech but when it is abused it becomes a crime, we have the capacity to shut social media in South Sudan, we have and don’t dare people, we are the ones saying don’t shut social media as SPLM but if we put our hands up, if the social media becomes an anti-SPLM, we will put our hands up and we will allow those who have the capacity to shut it down to do that,” Lam said

“Even in the region here, you don’t have access to social media like the way you have here in South Sudan, even Ethiopia here you don’t have it am not even talking about big countries like China so let us not push the button, let us not abuse the freedom of speech it will end up with you by being locked out you cannot use any of these social media outlets you may remain with your phone” he added. 

He also rubbished recent social media claims that Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, Presidential Advisor on Special Programs is now the acting president and that President Kiir intends to go for a six months medical leave.

“Another dangerous rumour has again surfaced that Dr Benjamin Bol is now the acting president of the Republic of South Sudan they went and brought up a picture that was used when Dr, Bol took oath of office as special envoy of the president and they now use it as it was the picture that was taken during the time when Dr. Bol was made acting president” he added.

“I want to assure you it’s a false, there has never been such kind of handover and handover of governments is done through legal means, there is a process for that, you first must become the chair of the SPLM for you to qualify as a President and so this kind of rumours was meant to create problems within the leadership of our party,” Lam said.

“This has never happened and it has never been anticipated to happen, our president is healthy, and he is not going on medical leave for six months, there is nothing like that so we want you to treat that as a rumour”

He also rubbished claims that Dr. Mel has ordered for the audit of accounts of members of the first family.  

“Even yesterday another rumour came out circulating in social media especially WhatsApp and Facebook that Dr Bol in his capacity as Special Envoy of the President wrote a letter to the governor of the Bank of South Sudan Dr James Alic Garang to disclose the bank account balances of the family of the president this again is false it’s not true, no one has the legal authority to ask the bank to release statements about their clients and by law the bank of South Sudan does not open individual accounts it only open accounts for corporate entities.” he explained

For his part, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, First Deputy Secretary general for Political Affairs, Organization and Mobilization and the Presidential Advisor on Special Programs advised South Sudanese to refrain from negative use of the social media.

“I would like to advise our people that our country cannot be built through the internet, social media or Facebook or ticktok, this is total destruction when you use such media to destroy the nation and set up confusion and one of the issues that were actually causing almost war that was the circular that came out about the army the issue of confusion between the Chief of Defense Force and the Chief of Military Intelligence, that is very negative we need to be very careful about what we say in the media” he said

“The country cannot be built by those people whose work just revolves around negative media propaganda, I will advise you to stop, people like us if you don’t know us we have reached this position because of respect, respect for our country, respect for the system and respect for leaders you should respect your superiors, I respect my superiors and I am intact I don’t go about people so if you don’t know me you just have to know me today through this that I do respect my superiors and I am not jumpy” he added