South West State proposes 135 member Upper House but only if it’s necessary

The creation of an Upper House in Somalia is a redundancy and serves no purpose, the South West state has said in its position brief to be presented at the National Consultative Forum in Kismayo, Goobjoog News can reveal.

The state also posits the creation of the House based on the 1991 districts (18) as contemplated in the Provisional Constitution is ‘an extension of the tribal civil war and domination by big clans through other means other than armed conflict’.

However, the state notes it is open to discussion on the possibility of ‘designing an Upper House only if it serves a clear purpose and adds value to the national democratic institutions’.

In a departure from the Provisional Constitution, the state proposes a 135 member Upper House consisting of elders who participated in the election of president in 2012.

Article 72 of the Provisional Constitution provides for a 54 member Upper House based on the 1991 regions which are 18 in total. It also acknowledges of the Federal Member States which shall have equal number of representatives.

It is not however clear how South West state would deal with cases where those elders are no longer alive or incapacitated to serve since it does not state in the brief.

Regarding the Lower house, the state strongly advocates for the 4.5 clan based system castigating any attempts to opt for the district electoral college system. It contends the districts as they exist in Somalia were curved out by former leader Siad Barre along clan lines particularly to benefit his clan.

The state further argues the districts are purely administrative and not reflective of the respective population density in each region. It notes the only alternative to the 4.5 system would be creation of districts based on population. The plight of internally displaced persons, IDP is not taken care of in the district electoral college model, the state argues.