On the Movement for Change within the Original Democratic Unionist Party

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A briefing note on the ‘Movement for Change’ faction within the Original Democratic Unionist Party

A historical footnote:

The Movement for Change within the Original Democratic Unionist Party is a movement that reflects the dynamism of the younger generations within the national unionist movement, who became involved in the political work of the Unionists at universities and higher education institutions during the last quarter of the twentieth century, and in the early years of the first quarter of the twenty-first century. This period was characterised by the expansion and proliferation of Islamist movements within higher education institutions and amongst intellectuals, the educated and professionals; The qualitative shift lay in the creation of a movement capable of countering this expansion, employing the very same tools in intellectual, substantive and media-based confrontation, whilst operating under extremely difficult circumstances: the previous generations’ lack of conviction regarding the necessity of establishing political organisations within universities, owing to their idealistic conviction that universities should be devoted solely to academic pursuits, and their failure to recognise the gravity of the ongoing and escalating recruitment of male and female students by extremist Islamist movements, as well as their reluctance to spend funds on intellectual, propaganda and political work through university associations, in contrast to the expenditure by Islamist movements. These generations then faced, first-hand, a thirty-year period of the Islamist movement’s coup led by Lieutenant General Omar al-Bashir, which deprived them of scholarships abroad and employment in the civil service, owing to the availability of detailed information about them from groups of students and agents of Islamist movements during their university studies, which gave rise to a deep-seated sense of resentment, These generations continued to reject the party’s political collaboration with Omar al-Bashir’s regime and sought to make their voices heard by the party’s political leadership, but found no sympathetic ear. Following the Revolution of Change in December 2018, and through ongoing discussions within the party’s groups,  these generations discovered an intellectual affinity amongst themselves that naturally led them to form a ‘Current of Change’ within the Federalist Movement,  which manifested itself in groups based in Sudan and in various diaspora communities frequented by Sudanese people, particularly in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Arab Gulf states. .

The movement’s leadership:

The cadres of the Movement for Change comprise the fourth generation of Unionists, representing broad sections of the population in the Middle Nile, the Eastern Coast, Al-Batanah, Al-Jazirah, Northern Kordofan and Darfur regions of Sudan, They include graduates of higher education institutions and universities in Sudan, the Arab Republic of Egypt and other Arab states, as well as professionals and workers in various sectors of the Sudanese economy, particularly distribution, agriculture, mining, trade and various service sectors, and they occupy a wide spectrum of middle-ranking and supporting leadership positions within the original Democratic Unionist Party, including many expatriates, migrants and experts in various scientific fields, as well as investors in various sectors. .

The rationale behind the Movement for Change and its objectives:

 The Movement for Change presents itself as a corrective to the course taken by the Federalist Movement Party, particularly against the backdrop of the revolutionary spirit of change amongst young people, which dominated the period following the fall of the Islamist government in 2019, in light of:

1. The party’s failure to carry out its work and activities, hold conferences, and keep its rank-and-file informed of the party’s various positions on ongoing developments. .
2. The party leadership continues to fill leadership positions by appointing those close to the leadership, whilst preventing various leadership cadres from assuming their roles in directing party affairs through election, which is contrary to the party’s constitution and the Political Parties Act, and, in particular, to the sentiments and aspirations of the Unionists. .
3. The party has adopted positions that deviate from its historical principles and run counter to the message to the masses through which it has earned the loyalty and support of its grassroots. .
4. The party has overlooked large sections of its core, strong and committed cadres who believe in and adhere to the party’s principles, constitution and regulations. .

The Movement for Change has sought to play an active role in shaping the reformist current and steering it towards restoring the party’s momentum and character, as well as regaining the support and loyalty of its broad base of supporters—which has waned due to the current leadership’s extremely poor performance, and its consistent appearance as a supporter of the existing authorities, without taking into account the views and direction of the grassroots, and its persistent adoption of positions that do not reflect the concerns, problems, demands and vision of these grassroots supporters. The Movement for Change has steered towards reform and shared its manifesto with the party leadership, but has met with nothing but disregard and threats of expulsion and exclusion, despite the fact that large sections of the party’s youth factions had already preceded the Movement for Change in breaking away completely, and formed their own federalist parties; they lacked the patience and courage that the Movement for Change possessed in remaining within the party’s ideological and organisational frameworks (however weak they may be), and in attempting to reform this mass-based and very broad organisation from within. .

The Movement’s Manifesto:

The Movement for Change drew up a preliminary draft of its principles, which it has named the movement’s ‘Manifesto’. This summarises the findings of questionnaires distributed to the historic leaders of the Unionist Movement, from which it has distilled the vision and the fundamental and general ideological principles of the Unionist Movement, alongside the demands of the younger generations for change and for the improvement of conditions in the country and for the various sections of the population, whilst looking ahead to an economic, social and urban renaissance. These aspirations are expressed in the manifesto in general terms, representing the agreed minimum standard, The Manifesto also embodies the necessary revolutionary spirit, reflecting the generations of young people associated with the movement and channelling their energies towards a rational programme and the scientific and practical approach that characterises the movement’s management of its internal activities. .

The Movement’s vision for Sudan’s foreign relations:

 The Movement for Change within the Federalist Movement views Sudan’s foreign relations, first and foremost, in terms of the special nature and priority of relations with the Arab and African regions, and emphasises the need for these relations to be based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, The Movement for Change also emphasises the special nature of Sudanese-Egyptian relations and considers it its duty to reflect the true depth of these relations and the historical and ethnic interconnection between the two peoples, particularly as the Federalist Movement has historically espoused the doctrine of the union and unity of the Nile Valley since its foundation, to the extent that it derived its very name from that thesis. It is the movement that championed and disseminated these concepts deeply within Sudanese society, to the extent that the Federalist Party has remained the ruling majority party in most of the parliaments formed through (fair) in Sudan. There is no clearer evidence of the role played by the Federalist Movement in promoting the deepening of Sudanese–Egyptian relations, and deepening and strengthening their bonds, through coherent ideas and narratives that have genuinely won popular support, thereby enabling it to secure seats of power through voluntary, electoral means free from coercion, rather than through bloody coups or totalitarian rule. .

The Movement for Change also views Sudanese-Arab and Sudanese-African relations as being rooted in a shared history, and an overlapping geographical and social sphere; and believes that the development of these relations must be based on positive principles that preserve each other’s sovereignty and integrity, and respect their choices regarding culture, society and the systems of government appropriate to them, enabling them to resolve their differences through dialogue, enable them to utilise water and natural resources for their own benefit, provide the necessary protection for their wealth, and achieve the highest levels of growth and prosperity for their peoples. .

The Movement for Change