Somalia: I am not going anywhere, Deputy PM tells off Senate speaker

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The decision to declare the senate seat vacant was unconstitutional and irregular, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Salah Ahmed Jama has said, faulting the House leadership for failing to stick to the law while making pronouncements on Saturday.

In a rebuttal, Salah maintains that he has been following the senate procedures without flaunting any, adding that the move to remove him was illegitimate and should be disowned by peace-loving Somalis for the sake of stability.

“This decision is unconstitutional and goes beyond the powers vested in the Speaker. The notion that my seat can be declared vacant based on attendance is baseless.” He stated, adding that such actions could only be taken through proper legal and parliamentary processes.

Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, the speaker of the senate, said Jama had failed to attend four consecutive sittings of senate proceedings thus necessitating the decision to kick him out of the senate. Standing Orders of the House require that senators should not abscond chambers for four consecutive sittings.

The announcement however sparked controversy with several lawmakers challenging the legitimacy of the decision saying that the move was “unconstitutional” and “illegitimate”. Senators maintained that Jama's schedule at times could be unfriendly.

Already, there were plans to install Ibrahim Suleiman Idle as his replacement but senators insisted the Deputy Prime Minister should be given a second chance due to involving duties at the national level.

However, Senate Speaker Abdi Hashi defended his decision, emphasizing that it was in strict adherence to parliamentary procedures. Jama comes from the breakaway of Somaliland which is fighting for independence from Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE