By: M.A Egge
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – There is more than meets the eyes at Hargeisa Town Hall going by the way internal accountability wrangles has split the councilors at the palour in the middle into two factions.
When ten councilors assembled for a public press conference revealing that they had by majority voted to shoot down the Mayor’s motion that was coercing the permanent committee to endorse the executive undertakings, there arose a serious politically charged mal-administrative wrangle within the council.
“In a session that saw 19 councilors seating, 10 of us voted to refuse endorsing past undertakings as wanted by the Mayor”, charged Cllr Shahar of the permanent committee.
He continued explaining that no single project was referred to the permanent committee as per regulation for perusal and endorsement.
Saying that it was not for them give a ‘blank cheque’ that would coerce them hence explained further, “for the past two years there has not been a committee in charge of tenders that was constituted by the assembly of councilors” apart from having the mayor appointing fellows contrary to the by-laws of the civic body.
The embattled Mayor, councilor Abdirahman Soltelco is on the receiving end of his colleague’s wrath at a time the city residents have been crying foul of the service rendered by the council.
Heaps of rubbish, garbage and hazardous heaps of fifth which has been littering the city has had a lot of coverage in the press lately.
The councilors’ wrath on Thursday which affected their business of the day reciprocated the same when the mayor ordered security personnel to lock them out of the palour yesterday, only adding more fuel to fire that is blazing at the Town Hall.
The civic leaders who amongst them were councilors Hassan Shahar, Ahmed Ali Heibe, Osman Wahar, Mubarak Abdi Malow, Dogoh, Qaile-weine, Mohammud Qowdan, Mohammed Aw Aden, Ina Afqalo’ etc shed light on the fact that their second seating of the council’s eighth session was brought to a halt following the Mayor’s refusal of adding 2 agendas that they had on the four he had tabled.
Much of their grievances that accuse the mayor of sidelining the tenets of collectiveness and depicting dictatorial tendencies in the manner he operates brings a serious tag of war in the council.
“We urge you to come back to the fold lest we impeach you,” the Cllrs threatened the mayor in the name of giving advice.
They claimed that top amongst their list of grievances are annual reshuffles of committee heads and/or their constitution, follow-up of suspect funds, road naming, tendering procedures, structure of duties etc.
They refuse the way a “lone-wolf’ system of governance is operating at the town hall.
They similarly took issue with the mayor’s refusal to table for debate the 2014 budget and at the same note they wonder what happened to the money (1.5m) budgeted for social services (bridges, schools, roads etc) which have not been established as per projects.
