By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Any civil servant found actively involved in local council election campaigns will lose employment.
The warning came via a Circular released by the Civil Service Commission-CSC, which is the body, mandated with public service employee’s recruitment, training, posting and firing.
The circular signed by the CSC chairperson MR Nuh Sheikh Musa Duale, and posted at all government offices told civil servants to strictly adhere to the presidential directive N0: 0264/092012 that banned members of several institutions from engaging in any political activities during and after run up to forthcoming elections.
The CSC boss urged civil servants with intent to engage in local council electioneering to act honourably and resign thus avoid the wrath of public service law #7/1996, which empowers the prosecution of errant public officials and subsequent heavy sentences if proved guilty.
In his circular, the president H.E Ahmed Mahmoud Silanyo said that the constitution and national laws, which, stipulate that members of some institutions abstain from electioneering, is activated.
The institutions whose members are banned from election campaigning includes:
• The civil service
• Armed forces
• Non-Governmental Organizations-NGO’s
• The Judiciary
• National Election Commission-NEC
• Chief Justice and Prosecutors Offices and
• The Political Parties’ Registration and Verification Committee-PPR&VC
To this effect
To this effect, ordered the president, members of the banned institutions at all levels and legally required to be impartial as pertains to political issues should not:
1. Join any political party/group or engage in local council election campaign activities covertly or overtly.
2. Utilize public property i.e. Money, Vehicles, Time etc. for any related political or electioneering activities and
3. Display elections campaign related materials like posters, stickers etc. on Official transport, Offices and Mosques as well as on buildings housing diplomatic missions and international organizations.
While informing that Somaliland is democratic country thus the constitutional rights of every citizen to participate in election of their leaders of choice, the head of state said that the banning of the above institutions members is in conformity with some constitutional and legal stipulations.
The Presidential circular attributed the banning order to various articles of the constitution and election laws, namely:
1. Articles 90 and 12 section two of the constitution
2.
I. Article 14 0f the Political parties and groups law #14/2012
II. Article 12 of Local councils and presidential law #20/2011
