11 March 2013
Prime Minister calls on Puntland to be a role model for the new Somalia
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon has called on the regional administration of Puntland to be a role model for good governance in the new Somalia.
On a three-day visit to Garowe, part of his Listening Tour to the regions of the country, the Prime Minister gave a long and wide-ranging speech to the Puntland parliament. In it he focused on the need for national unity within Somalia and discussed the constitutional role of the federal government in the regional administration of Puntland. The Prime Minister praised Puntland as a good example of how regions can manage their internal disagreements.
Puntland is a foundation for the federal arrangements in Somalia, he said, calling the multi-party arrangements a step forward and encouraging the region to adopt a one person one vote electoral system. The Prime Minister also praised Puntland’s role helping the nation emerge securely from the transitional process.
Discussing the security situation, the Prime Minister touched on the arms embargo and welcomed its partial lifting by the UN Security Council.
“It’s good for Somalia that the arms embargo has been lifted,” he said, “but if there are some people with anxieties about this, I tell them the arms will only be used for the defence of the sovereignty of Somalia and will only be used in a defensive way.”
The Prime Minister urged the people of Puntland to institutionalize good governance and democracy in the region. Patience was required to resolve minor differences between communities, particularly during democratic elections due to be held at the end of this government’s four-year term.
Travelling with his ministerial delegation, the Prime Minister, accompanied by regional President Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamed Faroole and Vice-President Abdi Zamad Ali Shire, visited the regional justice and health ministries, the central prison and the presidential palace.
Today the Prime Minister and regional President Faroole visited Camp 54, a key military base in Puntland, and took the salute from army of Puntland and custodial corps.
ENDS
Ahmed Adan
Prime Minister’s Media Office
Email: media@opm.gov.so
Mobile: +252 (0) 616 440 028
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