Stanislaus Paysama
Encyclopedia
Stanislaus Paysama was one of the founders of the Liberal Party
in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
a few years before Sudan
gained independence in 1956.
in South Darfur
and was captured by Baggara
slavers around 1904. He was taken to Kafia Kingi
, where he was abducted by a professional Fur slave dealer. Later he was freed and taken to Wau in what today is Western Bahr el Ghazal state, where he was educated, converted to Christianity and gained employment as a clerk in the British administration. Between 1933 and 1943 he worked in Rumbek
and Yirol
.
.
Within a few months the committee had created branches in Malakal, Wau and other Southern towns.
The original aim was to form a "social society" of clerks and bookkeepers, but the committee soon took on a political role, and became active in promoting the Southern cause.
In 1951 he was a co-founder of the Southern Sudanese Political Movement, with Abdul Rahman Sule and Buth Diu
. The party was later renamed the Southern Party and then the Liberal Party.
As of 1953 the party leaders were Benjamin Lwoki
, Chairman, Stanslaus Paysama, Vice Chairman, Buth Diu, Secretary General and Abdel Rahman Sule, Patron of the party.
The objectives were to work for complete independence of Sudan, with special treatment for the south.
The party was officially registered in 1953. At first it had widespread support from the southern intelligentsia and from the bulk of the people in the south of Sudan.
The party did well in the 1953 elections for the pre-independence transitional government.
The major religious sectarian parties, the Umma and the National Unionist Party (NUP), both needed the support of the southerners to form a government, but the southerners failed to remain united.
Many members crossed the floor to other parties, reducing the size of the Liberal party to 20-25 members.
The party chairman, Stanislaus Paysama, said that the Liberals almost held the trump card, but "The money was there, a great amount of money, from the Government and the Umma Party, and every time elections [votes] came, they [the southern politicians] are destroyed like this".
Stanislaus was one of the three ministers from the south of Sudan to be appointed to the government after independence in 1956. A few months later he was dismissed and accused of subversion, meaning that he had called for a federal structure with a degree of autonomy for the south.
Stanislaus's Southern Front worked underground during the military regime. After violent riots in 1964, Abbud dissolved the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and appointed a transitional government in November 1964, with elections scheduled for April 1965. The Southern Front under Payasama contested the elections in the south with the Sudan African National Union
(SANU) led by William Deng.
Stanislaus Paysama advised Deng not to form a new party but to join with the Southern Front in reviving the Liberal Party, which still had widespread grassroots support. However, Deng refused and his SANU candidates ran independently in the elections.
Liberal Party (Sudan)
The Liberal Party, at first called the Southern Party and later the Southern Liberal Party, was formed in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan before the Sudan became independent in January 1956....
in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom.-Union with Egypt:...
a few years before Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
gained independence in 1956.
Early years
According to his autobiography How a Slave Became a Minister, Stanislaus was born into the Fur peopleFur people
The Fur are an ethnic group from western Sudan, principally inhabiting the region of Darfur where they are the largest tribe....
in South Darfur
South Darfur
South Darfur is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the three states that compose the region of Darfur in western Sudan. It has an area of and an estimated population of approximately 2,890,000 . Nyala is the capital of the state. The State was affected by the 2010 Sahel...
and was captured by Baggara
Baggara
The Baggāra Arabs are a set of communities inhabiting the portion of Africa's Sahel between Lake Chad and southern Kordofan, numbering over one million. They have a common language which is one of the regional colloquial Arabic languages...
slavers around 1904. He was taken to Kafia Kingi
Kafia Kingi
Kafia Kingi is a community in South Darfur state, Sudan.The Kafia Kingi enclave is a mineral-rich area on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. It was due to be returned to Raga County of Western Bahr al-Ghazal state, South Sudan, under the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement....
, where he was abducted by a professional Fur slave dealer. Later he was freed and taken to Wau in what today is Western Bahr el Ghazal state, where he was educated, converted to Christianity and gained employment as a clerk in the British administration. Between 1933 and 1943 he worked in Rumbek
Rumbek
Rumbek is a town in South Sudan.-Location:The town of Rumbek is located in Rumbek Central County, Lakes State in central South Sudan. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in that country. Rumbek sits at an elevation of above sea level...
and Yirol
Yirol
-Location:It is located in Yirol West County, Lakes State, in central South Sudan. Its location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the largest city in South Sudan and the capital of that country. The coordinates of Yirol are: 6° 33' 36.00"N, 30° 30' 36.00"E .-Overview:Yirol is a small...
.
Early political career
Stanislaus was the first president of the Southern Sudan Welfare Committee, founded in November 1946 in JubaJuba
- Locations :* Juba, the capital of South Sudan* Juba, Estonia, a village in Võru Parish, Võru County, Estonia- People :* Juba I of Numidia * Juba II of Numidia * Juba of Mauretania...
.
Within a few months the committee had created branches in Malakal, Wau and other Southern towns.
The original aim was to form a "social society" of clerks and bookkeepers, but the committee soon took on a political role, and became active in promoting the Southern cause.
In 1951 he was a co-founder of the Southern Sudanese Political Movement, with Abdul Rahman Sule and Buth Diu
Buth Diu
Buth Diu was a politician who was one of the leaders of the Liberal Party in Sudan in the years before and after independence in 1956. His party represented the interests of the southerners....
. The party was later renamed the Southern Party and then the Liberal Party.
As of 1953 the party leaders were Benjamin Lwoki
Benjamin Lwoki
Benjamin Lwoki was a politician from South Sudan who was an early activist in the movement for autonomy or independence from Sudan.Benjamin Lwoki belonged to the Pojulu people, as did Aggrey Jaden....
, Chairman, Stanslaus Paysama, Vice Chairman, Buth Diu, Secretary General and Abdel Rahman Sule, Patron of the party.
The objectives were to work for complete independence of Sudan, with special treatment for the south.
The party was officially registered in 1953. At first it had widespread support from the southern intelligentsia and from the bulk of the people in the south of Sudan.
The party did well in the 1953 elections for the pre-independence transitional government.
The major religious sectarian parties, the Umma and the National Unionist Party (NUP), both needed the support of the southerners to form a government, but the southerners failed to remain united.
Many members crossed the floor to other parties, reducing the size of the Liberal party to 20-25 members.
The party chairman, Stanislaus Paysama, said that the Liberals almost held the trump card, but "The money was there, a great amount of money, from the Government and the Umma Party, and every time elections [votes] came, they [the southern politicians] are destroyed like this".
Stanislaus was one of the three ministers from the south of Sudan to be appointed to the government after independence in 1956. A few months later he was dismissed and accused of subversion, meaning that he had called for a federal structure with a degree of autonomy for the south.
Later years
The Sudanese parliament was dissolved in November 1958 after a military coup by General Ibrahim Abboud.Stanislaus's Southern Front worked underground during the military regime. After violent riots in 1964, Abbud dissolved the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and appointed a transitional government in November 1964, with elections scheduled for April 1965. The Southern Front under Payasama contested the elections in the south with the Sudan African National Union
Sudan African National Union
The Sudan African National Union is a political party formed in 1963 by William Deng Nhial and other Sudanese exiles in Uganda. In the late 1960s the party contested elections in Sudan seeking autonomy for South Sudan within a federal structure. The exile branch of the party meanwhile supported...
(SANU) led by William Deng.
Stanislaus Paysama advised Deng not to form a new party but to join with the Southern Front in reviving the Liberal Party, which still had widespread grassroots support. However, Deng refused and his SANU candidates ran independently in the elections.