As some law makers are arrested and demonstrations rock Burao town where one protester dies.
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The recess of Parliament’s low chambers, the House of Representatives has been extended for a further two days.
This move facilitated by the elders from the upper chamber of Guurti helped deter the tabling of a motion of no confidence on speaker Abdirahman Irro fronted by lawmakers from the ruling party of Kulmiye.
The trio of Guurti elders led by their Chair Suleiman Aden, his deputy Saeed Jama Ali and Elder Haji Abdikarim Hussein AKA “Abdi Warabe” managed to pursued an all ruling party members session at the house to cease business since recess has been extended until next Tuesday.
While it is not yet clear as circumstances that led to a house session chaired by deputy speaker Bashe M Farah with an all Kulmiye party members only prescience in which the motion of Speaker Irro who also doubles as the leader of opposition party Wadani and presidential aspirant was to be tabled, the Guurti trio managed to prevail.
But the drama at the house where a full quorum was in session ready for business as summoned ensued when speaker Irro refused to conduct affairs since the agenda was in possession of the in-custody Clerk of the house thence subsequently pulling out all lawmakers from the two opposition parties UCID and Wadani.
The house which was supposed to reconvene after normal recess on November 8th had the occasion extended to today by the Speaker Irro and his two deputies Bashe Mohamed Farah and Ali Yusuf in jointly signed statement that attributed incomplete business agenda as reason.
On the hand riot police intervention in an anti-establishment demonstration that rocked the Toghdeer’s regional capital of Burao saw one female protester die from an alleged stray live bullet.
At the same time security personnel are detaining legislators from the Wadani opposition party following their arrest together with some journalists at a city hotel where the opposition lawmakers were holding a press conference on the day’s dramatic incidents.
The three other lawmakers at CID hqs are presumably MP Bashir Tukale, MP Mohamed Saleh Ige and MP Jama Hasan Aden.
The whereabouts of the two journalists from Bulsho TV and Hadhwanaagnews are yet to be verified.
Prior to his entry at the House buildings the security detail of Speaker seconded from the police remained unarmed after orders from superiors in a move that comes in the heels of the withdrawal of the security detail assigned parliament that was subsequently replaced with members of the crack Rapid reaction Unit-RRU.
The security withdrawal and disarming of the speaker’s constitutional protective detail might be seen to verify earlier claims by opposition politicians that machinations were in process for an administration fronted coup-de-tat at Parliament.
While yet to be verified information indicate that 5 members of parliament were arrested at the Imperial hotel Somalilandsun can only ascertain two, MP Ibrahim Mahdi Bubaa and MP Saeed Elmi Roble.
MP Bubaa who is chair of the powerful house Permanent Committee (Oversight) together with colleague Saeed Elmi join , in state sponsored rest, the secretary of their chamber Abdirizaq Saeed Ayanle who was arrested on Friday.
Meanwhile the drama continues in an aping of what is going on in Mogadishu where it appears the Somaliland leadership in entirety takes its cue from, as usual, citizens are wondering of what happened to the Voters registration bill pending Guurti approval as a prelude to mid 2015 scheduled presidential and parliamentary elections.
