The minister in charge for national planning, Dr. Abdirahim Osman Abdi aka “Shibin” has gone abroad for seeking medical treatment. The local media in Somaliland have speculated that the minister responsible for finance is running the ministry of planning behind the curtain. Although the presidential palace has not issued statement of the minister running two ministries at the same time. Many have questioned why the deputy planning minister did not assume the duty of running the daily day operations of the ministry in the absence of the minister. To put all of these rumors to rest, the minister of finance, Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire flanked by the deputy planning minister, Husein Ibrahim Buni have held joint press briefing to clear the fog. The Assistant planning minister, Mr. Buuni has said that the minister of planning has traveled to overseas for medical grounds. Mr. Buuni added that the daily day operations of the ministry is being run smoothly by him and the Director General. The deputy planning minister further stated that having the current finance minister served as the planning minister for five years during Silanyo’s administration that they sought for his hands on experience and to offer his advice on the best way for running the ministry which has a tremendous duty to perform for the public. He added that the finance minister’s role in the planning ministry is to provide tips on how to run the ministry but ruled out that he has no other role to play. The deputy planning minister has told the public at large that there is no point to politicize the national duty that the ministry is supposed to provide to public and urged the populace to differentiate clannish from the statehood. Mr. Sa’ad Ali Shire, the current finance minister has took for instance that ex-president Silanyo delegated him to run the ministry of posts and telecommunication on temporary basis. He said that this is just the same scenario. He repudiated that he is running the ministry but added that the young deputy minister is fully in charge of it. The next kin of the deputy minister from the outcast Somaliland community have reprimanded the president saying that they cannot be trusted to lead a ministerial portfolio.
