By M.A. Egge
The Chairman of the ruling WADDANI Party, Mr. Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan, said that the salary increase made by the government for all the arms of the security armed forces as a whole as part and parcel of the plan to reform, build and develop the sector, was in advance, the party’s political program.
The chairman expressed the remarks while speaking at an event where the new police chief Brig Gen Abdirahman AbdillahiHassan was taking over office as the new Commander of the Somaliland Police Force.
The Chairman praised the President for his swift step in increasing the salaries of the general armed forces, while stating the importance his party attaches to improving the prestige of the security sector.
“The increase in the salaries of the security arms was one of the main points of the Wadani Party’s charter. The two hundred and fifty percent (250%) increase in the salaries of was not something that was merely jotted down but it was indeed a decree issued by the president to implement it, hence the fulfilling of the task, that includes and involved in the reforms and modernization, reconstruction and development of the security sector,” he said.
Chairman Hirsi pointed out that the police force needs to become a law enforcement agency that serves the community fairly, and avoids any abuse and injustice, so that its reputation is not tarnished.
The Chairman highlighted his party’s stance on the security sector leadership, saying, “When we were not in the opposition, we held that, and now I hold that the Police Force should not be militarized, but rather should be built as a Police Force, and the military should be built as such. This does not mean that I am ranking the two forces, but rather that their work styles are different. The police are taught the law and protect the people, while the military is taught defense and how to protect the country from the invasions. Both are our forces and deserve honor.”
The Chairman of the Waddani Party also recommended that the citizens of Somaliland should practice the rule of law, and to achieve this, the government and its party should take responsibility for building a legal culture in society.
He noted, “We need to build a society based on the rule of law, and this task is expected of the government and it’s the party”.
The Chairman said that the opposition parties will be treated equally tolerantly.