Speech of the New Chairman to the Waddani Party Convention

In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficiet, the most Merciful
Peace be upon you!
Dear Party members,
I convey my heartfelt warm greetings to all convention participants. I would like to
thank the Organizing Committee and all who participated in preparing this
beautiful convention venue. I would also like to thank the delegation that chose me
to be the Party Chairman. I also, honorably, thank the guests of honor who are with
us here, especially Chairman Abdirahman who is also the founder of the Waddani
Party, and honorable Abdulkadir Jirdeh who is the wise elder of the Party. Both of
them deserve to be the Party Chairman much better than I do but they gave me this
valuable opportunity after weighing in the current considerable circumstances and
the greater interest of the Party.
First of all, it is by Allah’s will and fate. Second, this did not happen because of
some kind of entitlement or reward for my good deeds in the past but because of
your open mindedness. To be afforded an opportunity like this does in any way
mean that someone is better or more deserving than all others. Thank you very
much, and may you, by the grace of Allah, achieve the fulfilment of your vision.
May you never get disappointed in the high expectations you have for me. I have
no enough words to describe the respect I have for you. I will try to capture that
feeling with a poem at the end of my speech.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Waddani Party, the only party which in 2012 qualified for being the only
genuine party in the country, so far participated in three general elections and I
believe that the party achieved great results in all three elections, when compared
to the current governing party. It is true that the Waddani Party did not succeed to
win the 2017 elections. Similarly, the Kulmiye Party did not win the elections of
2003. Neither won Kulmiye the second elections of 2005 but was the UDUB Party
that instead commanded most mandates. Taking that into consideration, in the
second combined elections, it was Waddani Party which led in both the parliament
and the municipal elections, taking both the parliament Speaker and the most
Mayoral seats from the governing party.
On the other side, in the 2017 elections, the Waddani Party defeated the governing
party in three of the regions that voted for that party since its inception; Togdheer,
Sool, and Sanaag. All that remained in the hands of the Kulmiye Party was the
Maroodijeex region only. Even the Mayorship of the capital city fell to the
Waddani Party! This shows that the Somaliland population are eagerly seeking
change up to the highest echelons. In addition to that, Waddani Party has prepared
very well for the next elections.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What the Party has achieved so far, becoming the largest party, after Allah’s will, it
is you and the many Waddani supporters who are sitting here today that made it
possible. This was also achieved by the sound leadership of the party officials and
it gives me great pleasure to have been among them. We did not still achieved our
ultimate goal and I firmly hope that the journey will reach its destination in due
time with blessed progress, positive change, and realizing the better days our
people have been waiting for long time, including sound and inclusive governing
system that could change their lives and livelihoods and make them take their
deserved front row among progressed nations with dignity in this world and
here-after.
It is the realization of this vision that the party was founded upon and that is why
we congregate here today, to restore the hope of the people towards governance.
Our aim was not to replace a person with another but to change the system of
leadership for the better. It is not only leadership change but political change that is
what the people of Somaliland are waiting for from us. We have to make sure that
we achieve political change and come up with sound policymaking to lead the way
to a brighter future for our country and people. This is how the Waddani Party will
deserve to be the servant of the citizens, the protector of the nation, and the
developer of the country.
What really compelled me to appear Infront of you and make myself available for
the Party Chairmanship position is solely that I think I am suitable to be the
Chairman that will make the Party achieve its above mentioned goals. I have the
necessary education, three university master’s degrees, more than twenty years of
tangible and tested leadership experience, in addition to more than 10 years of
practical awareness, having been part of the Waddani Party leadership in the last
six years. Also, I served the previous government in higher official capacity for
more than five years, in addition to my experience in working with the Somaliland
National Electoral Commission and the biggest commercial companies in the
country.
I believe, since I am blessed with both experience and know-how, that I am ready
to take this responsibility and can lead the Party or any other bigger organizations.
It is obvious that here sit the cadre of the Party and the leadership elders whom I
worked with before and can surely attest to my leadership abilities, which I hope
has triggered this occasion of being elected. I will never forget the role played by
both elders, Abdirahman Irro and Abdulkadir Jirdeh, in the capacity I served in the
Party. The constructive consultations and the encouragement they afforded me in
order to fulfil my leadership dreams gave me the confidence to appear Infront of
you today.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Since you have seen me adequate to become the Party Chairman, I promise to lead
you according to the policies of the Party, to follow the laws of the country, to
prepare the plans, agendas, and the programs of the Party in consultation with all
different levels of the Party leadership. I will try all leadership steps within the law
that could improve the Party. I will perform my duties honestly and proactively and
I hope that both the Party and the people of Somaliland will rejoice in positive
results of our unity in serving our country and people.
I request that we unite mind, power, and resources and support me in my endeavor
to take care of the task you have chosen for me. I seek no prestige but to become a
leader who brings positive changes for our people who are not only waiting for
political changes where one official from a certain clan replaces another from a
certain clan but the possibility of real positive change which changes their lives,
their economy, their education, and their way of thinking.
Towards such endeavors, our role, as an opposition party, is to have mutual
feelings with the people, to highlight the wrongdoings of the current government in
power, to closely observe their circumstances, and present a report to the public in
the most constructive way possible. The principal role of the opposition is to
correct what has not worked, pinpointing what the government in power has
mismanaged, the agendas and the programs that were supposed to be implemented
but were not realized, and to audit the government in power against its
performance. This means that the government is answerable to the people it serves;
it must work and deliver on the promise and the mandate it was elected for and the
opposition is the counterbalance of the government in power. That is why the
constitution made the political parties very important for the politics of the nation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
If we look closely at the this country and people we are trying to change, what is
obvious is the lack of growth of the democratic system in general, institutions of
government becoming empty shells, destructive practices burdening the
governance system, and the weakening of the society’s values and norms. Our
economy is also in deep trouble, particularly the livestock sector which is the
backbone our economy is completely in danger of vanishing. This is not just my
estimation but the last World Bank report states the underperformance of our
economy. In fact, most of our people live in very difficult circumstances.
Therefore, our aim is not just positional changes but a complete institutional
change. The government in power must put great emphasis on making sure to
develop and strengthen the pillars of the state. We have to work together, now and
later, on building and strengthening the government institutions, the political party
system being among the first to be taken care of.
To look back at the problem of the weaking societal values, let us take an example:
Honorable Abdulkadir Jirdeh gave up his candidacy for the Party chairmanship, in
which he deserved more than anyone else. He needs no mention of how long he
was in politics, his signature being literally on the Somaliland constitution
document, and there is no debate either about his merit of being a national hero.
What is astonishing is that some people claimed that he gave up on his candidacy
in exchange for money and other cheap nonsense. What is missing is a constructive
evaluation and well-wishing for those of us who chose to forfeit their personal
opportunities for the greater good. It is said that values are more expensive than
any price.
The Hadith in the Sahihul-Muslim collection, by Abu Hureirah, narrated from the
Prophet Mohamed (peace and blessing be upon him) says: –
عن أبي هريرة – رضي هللا عنه – عن النبي صلي هللا عليه وسلم – قال :” أتدرون مالغيب
، قالو هللا ورسوله أعلم –
قال : ذكر أخاك بما يكره – قيل أريت إن كانا في أخي ما أقول؟ قال : إنا كان فيه ما تقول فقدا
” اغتبته، وإن لم يكن فقد بهته
Ladies and gentlemen,
If I briefly describe my plans and the leadership style I will be relying on in the
future, first: my political vision is not secret since it is openly mentioned in my
books; it is to deliver for my nation the best living condition possible and the
highest honor attainable based on the notion of wanting my people to get the
most benefit out of their lives. Dear colleagues, we cannot build our future on
dreams only but we have to struggle to realize a united common goal for the
benefit of all. There will always be obstacles and difficulties in the way but we
have to face them with courage and conviction to reach our main goal. Keep in
mind that humans are affected positively or negatively by the decisions they make
and reap the fruits of their efforts.
When it comes to the branding vision I have for Waddani Party, it is, as I
mentioned above: Waddani is the server of the people, protector of the
nation, and the developer of the country. At the same time, the vision of our
Party is this: Waddani’s mission is to see the Republic of Somaliland forever
united as people and country, cementing its place among world nations,
and becoming a democratic nation living in peace and prosperity. If you
agree with me, I would rather state in brief: Waddani represents the protection
of the country, the people, the religion, and building a civilized society and
modern government system.
I will take part in every step towards building the country, strengthening the public
relations, cooperation, unity of the country, strengthening and developing the
economy, protecting the religion and culture, rule of law, and safeguarding basic
freedoms. Building robust good governance beginning at the Party level up to the
Waddani government, where priority will be given to training and developing the
education level and awareness towards party membership and putting enough time
and resources on the production of party cadre who are ready to take an important
role in the democratic process and the Waddani Party’s endeavor to win the
government and implement its political agenda.
The Party’s political agenda carries it’s near and future political ambitions. In
cooperation with party leadership, the executive, and other important figures, we
will transform and complete the Party’s political agenda. After the preparation and
the completion, I will build a coordination system between the Party agenda and
election strategies and prepare the necessary tools. Every official who wants to
communicate must base his or her debate on the Party agenda.
To ensure that, I will put in place a management system that connects between
different levels of the party leadership, a bottom up management system clearly
showing the organizational chart structure, and report on the responsibilities and
duties of every functionary.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to make sure that our actions towards disposing our duties are based
on reality and that our critiques must be constructive and based on verifiable facts
and research. That will consequently attract mutual understanding of our people
and at the same time could become evidence against the government and will serve
as an opportunity for corrections since our main aim is to right possible wrongs and
to win the support of our well-wishing people. This will constitute in my capacity
to create the office for research and development where Party functionaries will
find enough information to use for their respective duties.
Another similarly important office will be the Office of the Intelligence and
National Asset Surveillance which will work on obtaining critical information,
protection, and surveillance of the national assets and resources. The information
collected by this office will be a great service to both the Somaliland people and
Waddani Party. That will be where the Party officials will get enough information
to use for the advocation of justice and in the case of injustice used as reference
points by the public, the Waddani government, or any other government after. This
means that Waddani is the real friend of the people in all situations and
circumstances.
Waddani Party will always be on the side of good deeds, peace, and security. We
are against every things that causes disorder, extremism, terrorism, and will fully
cooperate with the security forces when needed. Waddani Party will keep a careful
eye on the changes happening in the region and we will encourage the government
to have good relations with neighboring countries and the world which will be key
to furthering the Somaliland cause. We will always put our best efforts forward to
make sure that this country fully takes its respective place among world nations.
Therefore, to make Somaliland reach such heights and realize the hope the public
have for us, it is necessary to convey our best advice to the presidential and vice
presidential candidates and enable them with reformed political agenda and
governing strategies they need to rule the country. Since we are the leadership you
chose to lead the Party, after careful study of tasks before us, we will report to the
executive committee our daily operation plans for the different management levels
and chapters of the Party. We will seek high and low to make sure that this is
implemented to the end. We therefore request all the Party members and supporters
for their help in this endeavor.
Ladies and Gentelman,
Though we are facing many obstacles that are limiting both political party
development and governance in general, to put it briefly, as we share with other
parties in the country, the current structure of the political parties seems to be
missing the foremost aspect necessary for their maintenance and longevity of a
political party. What is missing is political ideology which is not easy to establish
in the situation and circumstances we are in today. In any case, we will and must
try to build a new way to reach such political maturity by improving the education
of the Party functionaries, come up with focused training for the party membership,
and reforming the Waddani Party offices in the country and abroad.
To all of you who have political aspirations, particularly the youth, I say to you
this: we are ready for you as leaders of the Party. We will struggle with you and
prepare you for the role you will play if you put in the required efforts. All of you
with future leadership ambitions must consider adjusting your current behavior for
a better tomorrow. Mass media visuals should not guide your standard for
achievement, instead real results must be your yardstick for measuring your
performance. Ask yourself how much did you accomplish towards your goal?
What did you do for the country?
Let me remind you the five descriptions that Imam Shafi’i attributed to attaining
leadership:
1) A culture of truth telling.
2) Safeguarding secrets.
3) Keeping promises.
4) Advising people to do good deeds.
5) Trustworthiness.
– The book of Siyaru-Calaam Anubalaa – Imaamu Dahabi.
Be conscious that your desires are not all right, therefore you should not believe
your falsehoods. Transform your dreams to a mental picture and follow them
through with actions to realize them. It is then possible to achieve all your high
goals, with the help of Allah.
In conclusion,
Speaking in the name off the party and the representatives of Wadani who are here
today who given me their vote and confidence in this new role as a Chairman of
Wadani, we suggest and declare the next few points;
We call for the government to maintain the peace and stability in Somaliland and
the unity of the people.
We request from the National Election Commission to hold the election on time,
we are ready as a party to give them the assistance and help they need from us in
doing their job.
We ask the International community to respect our people’s determination for a
better future and the will of the people for independence.
To the people of Somaliland, I say: be patient with us and we will make sure to
deliver on the hopes you have for us. By Allah’s will, we will live to see better
days than today. Keep being united and let us face our enemies together. Don’t be
confused by the political scuffles between politicians but evaluate them by their
deeds towards fulfilling the duties you elected for. Our future is bright and you
need not to worry, by the will of Allah. I beg Allah to shield us from the bad deeds
of those leading the current government and lead those coming in the future to the
right path.
All thanks to Allah and thank you very much,
Hirsi Ali Haji Hasan
The Waddani Party Chairman