Somalilandsun: The tussle for leadership of the Somaliland ruling Kulmiye party is acquiring multifaceted faces ahead of its planned national conference come October this year.
If late the country has been gripped by this leadership tussle that has seen President Muse Bihi declare interest in retaining the post he currently holds of party top honcho.
This intent has seen main contender and former presidency minister Mahmud Abdi Hashi thrown into political oblivion thus subsequent backlash in which he accuses Bihi of dictatorial tendencies.
While the showdown between Bihi and Hashi has been anticipated by both Kulmiye party adherents and rest of the citizenry the impromptu departure from the country of former president Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo has raised eyebrows.
The ex president and members of his family including Mrs. Amina Haji Mohamud Jirde (Amina-weris) and his son-in-law Bashe Awil Omar are at their second home in the United Arab Emirates following a departure from the country in which the former first family was not seen off by any government official as is the norm.
Though the Silanyo family has been Hargeisa based for the last couple of months they have lived in Dubai since they handed over the presidency in 2017, following the election of President Muse Bihi Abdi.
The eyebrows on this impromptu departure are related to the ongoing preparations for the holding of Kulmiye party national conference this October when all leadership positions go up for grabs but as it stands now only the post of 4th chair currently held by vice president Sayli is being contented while those of 1st, 2nd and 3rd chairpersons are not thence automatically retained by current holders
While reasons behind this abrupt and almost incognito departure are not yet clear what is poignant is the fact that it comes at a time when contraversy surrounds the new leadership of the Kulmiye Party which Silanyo is founder and first chairman of.
According to Geeska Afrika sources the Silanyo’s shall not be participating in the 4th Kulmiye national conference having refused to accept invitation cards send by the organising committee.
“As a measure of his statesmanship the former president apologize after returning the invitation cards” revealed the source
Back home where , there is currently a major political rift within the Kulmiye Party disgruntled Mahmud Hashi who is a protégé of Silanyo is refusing to bow out quietly as exemplified by his latest press briefing in Hargeisa.
In the presser that came a few days after he was locked out of contention for the Kulmiye party chairmanship Hashi, a former Mayor of Burao, accused Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi of breaking with the tradition of relinquishing chairmanship of the party once the party wins presidential elections.
This argument by Hashi emanates from the fact that his mentor Ahmed Mahmoud Silanyo handed over the party leadership to now President Bihi, immediately he, Silanyo was elected president of Somaliland.
“Upon being elected president Ahmed Mohammed Mohamud gave up chairmanship of the party thus President Bihi did not become Kulmiye chairman through the vote said Mahmoud. Hashi while stressing on the fact that President Silanyo honoured a tradition and agreement to allow for other members to contest the party chairmanship.
While revealing that he shall not participate in the fourth conference of Kulmiye Hashi went to with his attacks in which he accuses President Bihi if micromanaging appointment of the appointment of the party’s conference organising committee for purposes of ensuring that he , Bihi and his cronies retain positions unopposed.
The politician went on to argue that the continued tenure of Bihi as party chair is illegal because he Bihi should not be a President of the country and party chairman at the same time. He should give up one”
Though the former all powerful Somaliland presidency minister in the immediate past administration of his mentor Silanyo had his day to vent anger the very loyal president’s men did not take it lightly thus came out breathing fire.
Kulmiye party spokesman who is incidentally Hashi’s clansman and current Somaliland planning minister Hassan Gafadhi refuted Mohamud’s claim that President Muse Bihi had resorted to dictatorial practices to keep the ruling party under his control.
“I am not going to respond to insults but I challenge Mohamud Hashi to share with us any promise made to him by President Bihi that he (Mohamud) will become the chairman of Kulmiye” said Kulmiye spokesman.
Kulmiye is the one of the oldest Somaliland political parties. It won two presidential elections — in 2010 and 2017. A row over the chairmanship of Kulmiye might affect plans of the ruling party to cling to constituencies won during the 2005 parliamentary elections.
As the end game of this leadership tussle within the ruling Somaliland Kulmiye party remains uncertain what is certain is the fact that the long term political career of Mahmud Abdi Hashi is glaring for the simple reason that his past due hard Kulmiye activism has completely alienated him from the opposition parties of UCID and Wadani
The only course open is for him, Hashi, to expend all his clout in the country and more so among his clan which is main backbone support of Kulmiye for purposes of ensuring that the party he helped found loses in the forthcoming parliamentary and local councils elections thence have his nemesis join him in the political coldness.
A STRANGE HAPPENING INDEED !!!! Having Mahmud Hashi campaign against the success thus failure of his dear KULMIYE PARTY
