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Jamal Madar
Faisal Ali Warabe, the leader of the Welfare and Justice Party known as
UCID by its Somali acronym, illegally and undemocratically sold the
party’s presidential candidacy for the 2015 presidential elections to a
former banker named Jamal Ali Hussein. A lot of money changed hands,
according to the Somaliland language daily, HAATUF. Not only did Faisal
illegally sell this candidacy to Jamal at a price ranging from $350,000
to $1.5 million according to the local press but also he acted illegally
without the approval of, and consultation with, the central committee of
the party.
The agreement reached by the two sides clearly states that Jamal is the
“official UCID presidential candidate” for 2015 presidential elections
even though he was not approved by any member of the party other than
Faisal himself.
The former banker who bought the party has already given himself
excessive powers. He nominated his running mate for the 2015
presidential election and also nominated the secretary general of the
party as well as the party’s shadow secretary of internal affairs.
Furthermore, Jamal insisted that he should be given the power to
nominate his own 100 members of the central committee whereas UCID will
retain 100 members. An additional 51 members will remain as a reserve
just incase. This means that Jamal will be voted by the newly-formed
central committee as the unopposed presidential candidate of UCID for
the year 2015 if the elections go ahead as planned.
How can someone who has not even been approved by the central committee
be able to nominate himself as the official presidential candidate of
the party, pick his own running mate and appoint the secretary general
of UCID as well as the shadow secretary of internal affairs?
Obviously, Jamal was not approved by the congress which is the highest
authority of the party. His nominations are therefore illegal.
Faisal who failed his presidential bid twice repeatedly refused to step
down voluntarily and make way for someone else. As a result, supporters
left UCID in droves as it lost credibility in the eyes of the people.
Most of UCID’s supporters joined WADANI, which is a splinter group of
UCID.
In a press statement, Faisal publicly whined that he spent everything he
had [time, money and effort] on this party [UCID] and that he had no
property of his own in Hargeysa. Jamal quickly deciphered Faisal’s
message, and paid him a princely amount of money to buy the UCID party.
However, Faisal still clings to the leadership of the party just in
case.
Earlier, Jamal officially paid $350,000 into the coffers of the former
ruling party UDUB so that he could be officially nominated for the post
of the party’s presidential candidate for 2015. However, the former
Somaliland president Dahir Rayale Kahin, who was not in the country at
the time, rejected the move and took the case to the Supreme Court,
which ruled in his favor. As a result, Jamal was kicked out of UDUB
following the Supreme Court ruling.
Politics have entered a ludicrously new stage in Somaliland where
everything is for sale- even the presidency. Jamal is spending vast
amounts of money in an effort to persuade the voters to buy his unique
“product” – “The Presidential Candidate Jamal” — on election day. This
is insanely laughable.
Jamal has already written a book called “The Book of Laughter”. Perhaps
he could add this funny chapter to his next edition- a chapter titled:
How I Bought The Somaliland Presidency and Made Everyone Laugh.
Jamal Madar
adammadar@yahoo.com
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