In a what appeared to be a showdown with Kulmiye’s chairman camp and the presidential, the allied former cabinet ministers and their camp against what they described President Silanyo’s attempt to hijack the party for the chairman have gathered in Hargeis’s Crown Hotel and rejected the committee the president appointed last night to look into the issues they’re complaining about.
The Kulmiye’s fourth place candidate, MP Kanjadhe, the former presidential minister, the Kulmiye’s third deputy chairman and other ministers quitted the President Siilaanyo’s cabinet were among those gathered and spoke out the new committee preident Silanyo appointed last night.
All the speakers at the today’s gathering reiterated their position on the Kulmiye party’s division over its candidacy and strongly rejected the new committee the president Silanyo said to find a solution for the divided ruling party.
+-“Despite the president kept saying he is a neutral in the party’s contest but we have found out that we could no longer stayed in his government since he is sided with the other side, and we have lost the truth we had for the presidential” Said the former Foreign Minister Bihi Yonis explaining why they all quitted in a big scale.
“We were not attempting a coup and we do not wanted to create a situation but since he (the president) is on one side we wanted to leave the responsibility we had for him ” Said the former Foreign Minister Mohamed Bihi, the front runner of the allied camp explaining why they had to quit the government cabinet in a scale Somaliland had never witnessed before.
“I want to tell the people here today that we’re not intending to be problematic to our country and its people, I was the foreign minister and the things I was representing for Somaliland as a (nation with) peace, progress and economic (opportunities) and I will continue on pressing on that” Added the former foreign minister adamant about his candidacy for Kulmiye’s presidential.
“Since there is no fairness (in the party) and what I used to propagate was fairness in the International level and I don’t see the fairness I believe, I have decided to leave (from the government)” said in a nearly 20 minutes speech the the former foreign minister.
MP Kinjadhe who is also running for the Kulmiye candidacy spoke at the event gathered by Kulmiye’s allied candidates. “Today the gathering reminds me how Kulmiye used be with the songs sung and the energizing atmosphere we have today here” Said MP and Kulmiye candidate who is one of few members founded Kulmiye party.
“I would say May Allah help Kulmiye to return the good old ways it used to be because in reality it is deeply divided” Added MP Kinjadhe who concerns the future of his party.
“Kulmiye will not be left for current people, we care about it and we will not accept any kind of injustice (over the candidacy)”
MP Kinjadhe dismissed the announcement of new committee president Siilaanyo set up to look into the complaints their camp made. “The way things are running in the (run up to the ) Kulmiye candidacy are different than those when Siilaanyo was elected for the party leadership.
The former presidential minister, Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan also spoke at the event and explained why they quitted the ministerial cabinet. “I want to say why we left the (government) and I want to say that we left our posts (government) freely and we have chose the to leave for because of our interest and our concious and what wanted for, which is something we’re all equal for, for a justice” Said the once described as power minister who is now considered the main man that leads the revolt in president Silanyo’s government.
“Why we really left the (government) is to test the party system, the reason I left my post and I went my friends (in the government) is to evaluate the political party system but not to gauge things with tribalism and with tribal links, but with nationalistic (approach)” Said Hirsi who also sounded adamant about fighting in the party.
Showing the respect Hirsi has for president Siilaanyo despite of disagreeing with him, he warned others not to expect from him smearing the president or badmouthing.
“Some asked me why did I abandon the president, I want to say to those saying so do not insult the president and the others working with him. The president is with a government that we’v built for the last five years” Said Hirsi, telling off those accusing him of abandoning the president many people believed he rely on him so much.
“Others said to me why don’t you simply put your head down and say everything is okay to the president and continue your interest with him, I want to say to those saying that I’m not hypocrite, I’m not a lair and when I was with the president I used to share with what I believe and I still believe the something when I let.” Added the former powerful minister Hirsi.
The former finance minister Abdiaziz Samale also spoke at the Monday’s event his camp showing their might against the presidential back camp. “If the way the conference is planned is not changed before the set date on the 1oth of month we make it clear that we will not be attending it”
Speech after speech, all the former cabinet members supporting the candidates contesting for the Kulmiye party’s presidential candidacy warned against any attempted to hijack the party.
Today’s showdown with president Silanyo and his camp backing Kulmiye’s chairman yet shows the level of division and evidence that Kulmiye leadership and their founding father have a lot to do in order to put to end the crisis that tearing apart the once popular political party dominated in Somaliland’s politics.
