He calls on the members of the public to work in the good interests and cohesive solidarity and unity of the nation to reach aspirations of the country
By M.A. Egge
The third president of the Republic of Somaliland H.E. Dahir Rayale Kahin has called on the populaces to concertedly work in cohesiveness towards the good of the interests of the nation and country of Somaliland such that tangible progress may be realized in all fields.
He made the appeal as he made an unprecedented visit by a past president to the headquarters of the Ministry of Information, Culture and National Guidance, where he was welcomed the Minister Hon. Ali Hassan Mohamed, the directors of the various departments and sectors, and the employees of the ministry.
After the reception, the Minister of Information conducted the former President to a tour of all the different departments of the Ministry, where they listened to briefs from the specific officials.
The minister thanked President Rayale for his visit to the Ministry of Information, and reminded him of the historical background that he had played in the establishment of the main public national television, the Somaliland National Television Station and the various historical contributions he made while in power.
The minister also praised President Rayale for his actions of wisdom as a senior statesman who always strived for the good and benefit of the country, mentioning his latest move in detonating political tension by striking a chord and coaxing the political parties to round-table rapports and parleys of taking the nation ahead in its progressive journeys.
He welcomed the former head of state by addressing him, “The ministry of information, culture and national guidance is happy to receive the nation’s 3rd President H.E. Dahir Riyale Kahin.
“Mr. President, it is a great honor for us, as a ministry, as worker, and as leader, for you to visit us at the headquarters of the Ministry of Information.
In the Ministry of Information, you have a great and special history in the inception of the National Television that you founded while as President, the developments of government institutions, the initiatives of the democratization processes you made and the fledgling and bolstering of the security sectors of the nation.
“Your history with the ministry has a special place given the initiating of the television under difficult circumstances at a time that the audio-visual media was limited”.
The minister further stated that the statesmanship depicted by Dahir Rayale is one of eminence especially since he left office given that unlike other African states he has constantly been at hand with words, gestures and advises of wisdom to the nation while fronting the best interests of the country.
He gave the example of Somalia past presidents and premiers engaging in perpetual malicious political tags-of-war pitting them against each other and the incumbent one to-date.
The presidents of Somalia leave office in the morning, the next morning a car pulls up to pick up the other, what are fighting now are former presidents and prime ministers, it is our different cultures that are our honor.
On his part Mr. Dahir Rayale Kaahin, thanked the officials of the Ministry of Information for the cordial reception, and highlighted the progress made by the ministry.
The former president of the country, Dahir Rayale Kahin gave a recup of the way they established the National Television, while the circumstances were difficult at that time.
He called on the populaces to work for the benefit and the unity of the nation to reach the country’s aspirations.
He said, “It is an honor for me to visit you here, where I was once the president and once the founder of television.
He continued, “One of the things that nudged me into starting the TV station was when former Somali president the late Abdillahi Yusuf was being elected and installed as president in Mbagathi (Kenya) in 2004, I was viewing the live happenings by watching a foreign station with the then finance minister Awil, that it then dawned to me that we imperatively needed our own TV as we rebuild the nation”.
He recalled that even as the station was being put up he could not allow minor technical hiccups to stunt its installation and sought experts to get it launched.
He said that the media industry has now fledged with the cyber-age hence everyone is in proximity to the digital information readily
He said that they archived all documented state functions in a pool.
H.E. Rayale revealed that he aspires to write a book and document many issues for fear that some may escape the mind.
He said that he was happy that the station now reaches far and wide across the globe and that the state is at least funding it remarkably.
He equipped that he first met the minister Hon. Ali Hassanas a young man in Burao during a pacification mission, when he was the vice president of the nation.