ON Saturday, 15 November 2014, Somaliland Parliament ( House Of representatives) has been occupied and seized by 400 security forces. It was the 20th anniversary of Somaliland’s own civil war. The government of Silanyo ,headed by the GANG OF FOUR ordered it’s troops to take over the full control of the elected Somaliland Parliament and arrested the General secretary of the house of Reps, Abdirizak Said Ayanle who is responsible of the general management and the admin of the house. They saw him as an obstacle to their ill calculated and unconstitutional measures to be taken by the security troops. These troops consisted of different forces including the Military,the Custodial or prison guards, different units of the police force namely:- 1).The notorious and much feared RRU ( RAPID REACTION UNIT) created,trained and managed by The British for Anti- terror operations.
2) The SPU ( SPECIAL PROTECTION UNIT) responsible of the security of International NGOS and UN Agencies.
3) The special Branch UNIT of The Criminal Investigation Department.
We, the Members of Parliament from the apposition WADDANI Party were stopped and refused entry to the houses of Parliament by the deputy police commander after telephoning some higher ranking person which I suspect was one of the following:- the minister of presidency, Mr Hersi Haji Hassan Ali, the Police commander, Abdillahi Fadal or the vice minister of Interior, Mr Ali Gadheere (the long chin).
Five opposition Members of Parliament were arrested,live bullets were shot at them and badly beaten by the police led by colonel Mohamud Duale and ordered by the deputy police commander.This is a direct breach of Articles 49 and 79 of the Somaliland constitution and Silanyo will be held accountable. The speaker of the house of representatives was also stopped and refused entry to the houses of Parliament ,his body guards were ordered to disarm and surrender by the commander of the RRU, Major_Abdi Ahmed Tiir with two land cruiser pick ups full of highly armed RRU solders.It was a deadly confrontation but the tension was defused by the ex-minister of interior and other elders who were on the site , then the speaker and his guards drove back safely to to his residency.
The government backed deputy speaker whom Silanyo wanted to promote to a speaker by means of military coup has illegally convened or opened the 26th session of the house of Somaliland representatives without a full quorum while the the speaker is at Imperial Hotel less than half kilometer from the Parliament buildings.
THE GOVERNMENT OPERATION ON SATURDAY,15th November 2015 was a Military Coup against the elected house of Somaliland Parliament. It was the final demolition of the Somaliland democracy process nurtured and implemented by the third Somaliland president his excellency Dahir Riyale Kahin.
The Somaliland people showed their grievances and frustration through simultaneous and peaceful demonstrations in every region of Somaliland Republic. The above mentioned government security forces dispersed the demonstrating by firing live bullets at the peacefully demonstrating unarmed civilians. As a result of that security forces brutality, several people were killed and scores were injured. Hundreds were beaten and detained still being held without trail.
The Silanyo adminstration is beating the drums of war by dividing communities and organising government workers ,prepaid figures and so-called tribal leaders to say nasty remarks about other tribes and creating tensions and instability in Somaliland in order to to extend his term without elections using the House of Elders as usual. The Somaliland constitution contains a provision to cancel elections in emergency circumstances, such as war, internal instability, or severe national disasters. If it is not possible to organize presidential election due to security considerations, the House of Elders can extend the term of the president and the vice president.Within the past ten years, these clauses has been utilised to delay both legislative and presidential elections.
The Military coup of Silanyo’s administration against the elected Somaliland Parliament on 15 November 2014 is the beginning of the extension process of the term of president and vice president in pretext of Security and internal instability to be fabricated and premeditated by the government of Silanyo and his inexperienced bunch of confidantes, particularly the GANG OF FOUR. Surely this will be the beginning of the end of Silanyo administration and the election and democratic process SPOILERS will be dealt with severe sanctions including travel ban and asset freezes.
The government of Ahmed Silanyo lost the support of Somaliland people and also lost hope of winning a free and fair election. It is using all types of delaying tactics and every trick in their wicked books to postpone the presidential elections .Silanyo is desperate to cling on power in any cost and extend his term by asking the House of Elders to use security as an excuse.
The current members of the House of Elders (Guurti) were indirectly elected or selected by tribal means for a six-year term at the Grand Conference of Somaliland Communities in 1997 and have extended their term three times (I.E 4 terms times 6 years = 24 years ) and never been elected on one man one vote basis in a ballot paper as in the case of the house of representatives in which I’m a member.
Seats that became vacant in the House of elders are filled or inherited by close relative of the former member, with no formal approval beyond the House of Elders and the president and not approved by elected house of representatives like the government ministers when appointed by the president.
As I said earlier, Silanyo is using delaying tactics to avoid conducting elections on 26 June 2015 and used every trick on the book as we already lost 3 valuable months . The delaying Tactics already used include the following:-
1) The government of Ahmed Silanyo has intervened the legislative powers of the House Of Representatives by falsely blaming the speaker that has changed some clauses of the amended voter registration bill that has been passed to the House of Elders and Silanyo ordered the Chairman of the GUURTI to return the bill to the House of Representatives without the approval and the debate of Members of the House of Elders. This personal decision and action taken by the Chairman of the House of Elders, Sulieman Mohamoud Adan is illegal and unconstitutional and direct breach of article 78 of Somaliland constitution.
2) On 25th November 2014 while the Parliament was in recess, the speaker of the House of Representatives has convened an extra-ordinary session in which the MPs would have approved the New members of the National Electoral Commission ( NEC ). Unfortunately Silanyo ordered his loyal group of MPs nick named Mooshin- Quutayaal in Somali language (literally Motion eaters) not to attend the session and not to approve the new members of the NEC.
3) On 26th October 2014, was also the day that the speaker has invited the minister of Finance to do representations of the budget at the house of representatives. Silanyo also ordered his loyal MPs known as Moshin-Quuteyaasha to boycott the session and not to approve the budget which contains the funds to facilitate the elections of both the President and House of Representatives.
Written by an elected member of Parliament armed with the Somaliland constitution+ a pen and an IPAD
