As the legislator also urges citizens to deter from tribally oriented politics during November presidential elections
Somalilandsun – unless we want to wait another 26 years before Somaliland attains international recognition as a sovereign nation, a rethink is imperative
This is according to the chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, MP Ahmed Abdi Kijande during a briefing to our sister paper Geeska Afrika in Hargeisa where he also touched on issues related to forthcoming elections cum race for the Somaliland presidency, battle for airspace control as well as foreign affairs policy.
On the imperatives of an alternative quest for recognition policy , in which fears over the gradually diminishing opportunities were raised and subsequently attributed to the lackluster efforts and none effective path pursued by the Administration of President Silanyo , the legislator said
“Unless we as a nation review our foreign affairs policy thence change the way we engaged international, then nobody should be surprised if our quest to join the United Nations not only stretches for another 26 years but becomes nothing more than a dream”
While stating that the international community both in Africa and outside acknowledge the righteousness of and sympathetic to the Somaliland quest for sovereignty recognition , our policy is major deterrence to frutation.
Said he, “in o dear to harness the goodwill and sympathy towards our sovereignty recognition we need to seriously review the manner in which those charged pursue the issue.
While alluding failure to harness the now diminishing recognition opportunities to poor policies put in place by the administration of president Silanyo and ruling Kulmiye party, the chairperson of the house select foreign affairs committee pointed to the airspace control saga with Somalia as a government as a good example .
Stressing on the absurdity of Somalia assuming control of Somaliland’s airspace, MP Kijande said the imminent change of hands from that ICAO to that of the government in Mogadishu is “simply because Somalia is recognized internationally while Somaliland is Not”
“The absurdity I mentioned related to the fact that since we withdrew from union with Somalia in 1991, the United Nations has through ICAO been managing the Somalia and Somaliland airspaces, on behalf of the two countries”
This turn of events in which the UN after 26 years of managing our airspace now throws its dice with Somalia thence imminent managerial authority handover to Mogadishu this coming October, is due to our lackluster engagement internationally.
“The diminished statures of Somaliland within international corridors of power are directly a responsibility of the poor foreign policies elected by the Kulmiye party and president Silanyo administrations” argued the MP
On the race to occupy the Somaliland presidential come elections this November, MP Kijande said that prevalent trends indicate a very tribal oriented contest which he termed as not worthy to none.
Pointing out that three political parties of Kulmiye, Wadani and UCID respectively are contesting the presidential elections in which they have nominated individual citizens as candidates namely Muse Behi, Abdirahman Irro and Feisal Ali Warabe under nomination without basis to clan.
“If our three national political parties were not formed and are not structured tribally, the why should their respective presidential candidates be clan associated thus turn the presidential election campaign from a purely political issue to a tribal one” wondered MP Kijande
The parliamentary foreign affairs committee chairperson who reminded that Muse Behi, Abdirahman Irro and Feisal Ali Warabe are cousins, that have personal differences thence those prevalent are politically based, urged citizens to vote for a president not based on clan but on ability to advance the diverse Somaliland sectors further.
Turning to the country’s three political parties MP Ahmed Abdi Kijande stressed upon the imperatives of a brotherly presidential election campaign devoid of verbal attacks thence an apt outcome that reflects not only wishes of the citizenry but the maturity of Somaliland’s democratic principles.
“With such a campaign outcome of our presidential elections shall surely avoid the mayhem surrounding Kenya” said MP Kijande adding that such success in apt democratic prof ices also hinges on full support by the international community
