The Republic of Somaliland ruling party – Kulmiye, today, clarified its stand on the forthcoming elections and its view on any delays to it in a grand meeting of supporters that overflowed the largest conference hall of Maansoor hotel, Hargeisa, bringing together more than six thousand party officers.
Today’s show of force followed repeated calls that came from a group of ex-politicians and SNM fighters leading the elected opposition political parties to commit folly after folly the last of which was the threat to stage country-wide demonstrations against the government and its ruling if so much as 100 people came together on Thursday, today.
His Excellency the Minister of Interior, Ali Waran Adde, first, spoke at length of how the government was in no way to blame on a delay to the elections as it has drafted and submitted all requisite bills to the parliament, paid its share of the costs, and publicly announced its readiness for the polls whenever the National Electoral Commission (NEC) slate it for – the sooner, the better.
Echoing a public suspicion placing some leading members of the Madasha and the political parties on the Mogadishu pay list, the Minister said it was high treason to sabotage the development and sovereignty of the Republic of Somaliland serving a sworn foe of the nation.
The Minister also revealed that the contributions of the donors to the voter registration process was yet to come, as the Bill for election of parliamentarians scheduled to be concurrently held with the presidential elections was yet to be passed by a parliament led by the now Chairman of Waddani opposition party. He said it was not acceptable that the opposition hold back the elections and then ‘cry wolf’.
The Minister said the government was bound to follow the law and the constitution to the letter and that there was no room for anything else which would be viewed as illegal and unconstitutional and, thus, unlawful beyond the least doubt.
The Deputy Chairman of Kulmiye, Mohamed Kahin, reeled off a long list of MOUs that the three political parties jointly signed all relating to the elections. He eloquently established that in none of the MOUs the ruling party reneged on but, on the contrary, how each and every one was so clearly violated by political parties whose legitimacy was being constantly parodied and compromised by an illegal body leading them by the nose – the so-called Madasha.
The Deputy House Speaker of Parliament, Bashe M Farah, sent the nation a message saying that The Republic of Somaliland has never before been placed in a power vacuum and it was not going to happen this time around, too.
The DP said there were at least 55 Kulmiye members among the 80+ House, and if, as the House Speaker Irro, himself, called, if anybody was to be dissolved or in desire to resign, it would be the minority opposition MPs he led astray.
The Chairman of Kulmiye Party , Musa Behi Abdi, called the opposition parties to, instead, look out for what was good for The Republic of Somaliland where, now, their whole energy is concentrated on bringing it down to its knees.
The opposition, he said, should be defending the nation from a myriad of enemies and detractors that are led by the weak government of Mogadishu.
The Chairman stated that there was a national body mandated to oversee election related activities , and it was correct and proper that none undermine the laws of the country for own gains and superficial cares.
“The issues that we share and have a common view on are more than those that we have different views of,” he said directly addressing the opposition.
The Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland, H.E. Abdurrahman Abdullahi Sayli’I, concluding the event called the opposition not to sacrifice the common values of decency, nationalism, integrity, national sovereignty, national image and unity for ephemeral, short-term goals based on political ambitions.
“We are receptive to the advice and the good intentions of opposition parties but we cannot betray the nation and the electorate by humoring people who are bent on disemboweling the very constitution that has made our self-governance, peace and stability possible with the help of our faith,” the VP said.
Today’s gathering was the largest the ruling party organized since its last general assembly a year or so back.
Browse below for more pictures of the event.
