Somalia's transitional parliament speaker has strongly defended his position, saying he is only answerable to the people of Somalia.
 
Sheikh  Adan Madobe argues that his opposers have hidden agendas and want to lead the country to the lane of destruction and insurgent rule.
 
“I will not relinquish my position, am holding this high office for the people of Somalia, so I will not act on some suggestions from lawmakers who are Al-Shabaab sympathizers,” he said.
 
A meeting between Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the speaker and a delegation from Djiboutian government has set Sunday as the official day for the reopening of the parliament in order to vote for the vote of confidence speakership.
 
However, Sheikh Madobe said he would be presiding over the sitting, casting out any doubt about his failure to retain the seat in the voting
 
“I am chairing the parliament sitting on Sunday,” he said.
 
To the surprise of many, Sheikh Sharif is said to have told the Djiboutian delegation, led by Minister for Religious Affairs, Hamud Abdi that he will step aside if the speaker loses his seat in the vote of confidence, a move that raised concerns.
 
The change of heart between the two Somali leaders is said to have been largely influenced by Ethiopia, which was involved in behind-the-scene talks to retain Madobe as a speaker. However, Djibouti wants current speaker out.
 
Sharif’s decision was lambasted by some lawmakers who accused of deliberately overstepping the constitution.
 
“The term of speaker has expired, and Sharif violates the constitution by allowing Sheikh Madobe to retain his position,” said lawmaker Mohammed Qanyare Afrah.
 
“Defending an official whose term of office has expired with the warning of stepping down as a president is a total disregard to the constitution. And we will not accept that because it will lead to collapse of the government,” he added.
 
Since its inception in early 2009, the government of Sheikh Sharif, which controls only handful of territories in Mogadishu, has been sailing into turbulent waters with almost daily internal wrangles between officials.

GAROWE ONLINE