Hon. Paulino Lukudu Obede, Deputy Governor of Central Equatoria State - Courtesy

The Deputy Governor of Central Equatoria State emphasized the need for political socialization of South Sudanese to deepen their understanding on democracy.

Paulino Lokudu, the leader of United South Sudan Party (USSP) made the remarks on the commemoration of the International Day of Democracy on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview with Eye Radio, Lokudu said he encourages the citizens to actively participate in politics through rallies and petitioning their representatives.

He added that the South Sudanese people should freely discuss issues related to the governance of their society.

“In our scenario, there is need for political socialization to understand democracy. When you look at the aspect of politics that we have, you will not see people alone without political leaders sitting in one place to discuss and coming up with resolutions on political environment in the country,” he said.

Lokudu said South Sudanese should be open and free to take part in political discussions, joint political parties and write petition letters to their representatives in government.

“In our case, the political culture shapes political participation, and for us to have a political culture, it has to start with the people organizing in a political setups, joining political parties and participating in political activities.”

“The political rallies, joining political parties, also writing petition letters to their representatives in the government. Here, if the political participation is not effective, then democracy will be injured and democracy will suffer in a country of this type.”

The United Nations General Assembly resolved in 2007 to observe 15^th September as the International Day of Democracy. The event is annually marked to promote and uphold the principles of democracy and contribute to raising public awareness.

This year’s theme is: “Ensuring effective governance of Artificial Intelligence at all levels.”