President Musa Bihi Abdi has resorted to a countrywide tour in what analysts view as a mission to consolidate support amid dwindling popularity and waning public confidence on his government and ruling party Kulmiye amongst the populace.
The president has made unannounced visits to regional capitals that started off at Borama, Awadal region, earlier during the week initiating projects.
In one of his tours when he initiated a dam project in Gabilay , the president said: “Cooperation is the key to development – large or small.”
“This here ‘dam’ is not at the greatest site available for similar projects in Somaliland,” he said,“but it represents how the people in these areas found the best they could for the purpose intended and handed it over to the engineers to build a dam that stores runaway water for them to say when other sources dry up”.
He said other areas that had spots far more suited to catch runaway rainwater blocked the effort for personal or other petty purposes.
“A community can be its worst enemy when it cannot agree on its priorities,” he said, adding that water remained a top priority in semi-arid countries such as Somaliland.
President Bihi’s government and ruling party Kulmiye has seen dwindling fortunes with growing pressure from opposition parties to have the presidential elections held in November.
The Kulmiye party suffered a telling blow in the parliamentary and municipality elections last year with the opposition Waddani and UCID parties garnering majority seats in both levels.
The president has been accused of planning to extend his term in office.
