Somaliland:Waddani Chairman Addresses the Party Faithful in Manchester

By A Special Reporter for Horn Diplomat

Horndiplomat- As a part of visits to strongholds of Waddani party supporters in Britain, Chairman of the party, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, paid a visit to the Northwest England city of Manchester. Attended by Waddani  supporters from Greater Manchester and Merseyside, the event, held at a venue in Longsight ward of the city on 27 October in the last evening of autumn season before clocks changed, featured Koranic verses, poetry by a female poetess and party activist  extolling the party, and speeches by representatives of Northwest England chapters of the party, senior officers of Waddani, the King of Gaboye clan, and the Chairman of the party.  Mohamed Farah Shirdon, head of Waddani chapter of Greater Manchester, welcomed the Chairman’s delegation to the city famous for downpours. In his speech, the Waddani Chairman thanked Greater Manchester Somaliland community for organising the event. Boqor Ahmed  Iman said he had wondered why Somaliland electorate gave the ruling party a second term mandate given its record of corruption and failure to deal with runaway inflation among other challenges.

Waddani Chairman in Manchester

Waddani Chairman delivered a short speech rich in policy details. He said the party had conducted a post-election review that culminated in formulating a strategy to reform the party ahead of forthcoming parliamentary elections in Somaliland. “We have not only focused on our strengths as a party but we also discovered the party’s weaknesses partly caused by an incumbent party using public resources to win a second term”, Mr Abdullahi said. Waddani Chairman said the party had adopted the policy to widen its consultative fora  to devise policies and strategies to move the party forward. “The party welcomes input from members. I urge you to visit the party website where you can find the party literature and the six pillars on which our political programme is based in addition to your regular meetings”. The party aims to increase members,  and views this plan a solid strategy to counter a ruling party allegedly making use of public resources for electoral purposes.

“Waddani is ready for parliamentary elections. Replacing members of the National Electoral Commission is the party’s proposal rejected by Kulmiye” Waddani Chairman said. The ruling party  of Somaliland endorsed  election observers’ report that faulted Somaliland political system for being “over-reliant on a customary system to solve problems, and with representative electoral institutions not yet fully capable of supporting the transition to a stronger nation-state.” With this verdict Waddani’s case for the electoral commission reform remains stronger, a party member told Horn Diplomat reporter.

© Horn Diplomat 2018