Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members,

It is always a great honor to be addressing this House and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so once again. Parliament is one of the key institutions of the Transitional Government. It is playing a major role in the re-establishment of the rule of law in the country. And let me make it clear from the outset. I have great respect for Parliament. It symbolizes the hopes and aspirations of the Somali people and the future of our country. I know those hopes will be realized.

The past few weeks have been difficult, I believe. I much regret the long drawn out debate we have been having. I am sorry it has not been brought to an end sooner. I hope it will come to a conclusion today, and we can put the issue behind us. I need not rehearse the details again today. But I would make one specific point: the discussions, however vigorous, have been within the right tradition, within the framework of government and administration, within the Charter, within a rule of law long absent from Somalia. It has all been part of the process of re-establishing a functional government in Somalia, of bringing back structure and authority, bringing an end to the statelessness with which Somalia has been afflicted for so long.

I mentioned the rule of law. The importance of this cannot be over-estimated. It provides for the very foundation of the state, whether it be the xheer, and the role of the elders, or national and international law and the place of government. Law is the foundation of civilization and the basis on which all else must rest. I believe profoundly in its importance. This indeed is why I am appearing before you, in conformity with the rule of law as laid down in the Federal Charter, within which all government operations must be carried out.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members,

Disagreements are the hallmark of a democratic government, and many of you have disagreed with me from time to time. But while we have had our differences, it is easy to exaggerate these. And they should count for little in the wider frame of achieving stability and peace in Somalia. For this we all need to work together: President, prime minister, ministers, parliament and administration. We should stop blaming each other at every available opportunity, inventing causes for quarrelling. It does not do any of us justice. We should be above such petty distractions. We do after all have the same aims: the re-establishment of a functional government for all Somalia, and along with this, and more important, the restoration of a culture of government and administration within which Somalis can create a just, democratic and functional state.

Parliament’s role, of course, as one of the major Transitional Federal Institutions, is of crucial importance in the Transitional Government, in the operation of the Federal Charter and in the re-establishment of the rule of law. You are, I know, all aware of the symbolic significance of the creation of the Transitional Government. It was the first genuine effort to provide representation for the Somali people after sixteen years of anarchy and conflict. We may not have yet succeeded in all our intentions, but the most important factor is that we have a government in Mogadishu. That is a major dividend, a real advance. We should not continue to try and put it down with false reports. The Transitional Government has been, and remains, a major source of hope for the people of Somalia. I am proud of that. So should you be.

We have rebuilt the foundations, re-laid the tradition of government, and begun to restore the culture of democracy and law, a culture virtually destroyed in the last years of Siad Barre. As we know some have benefited from the anarchy of the last years. Some have wanted it to continue. Over the last sixteen years, they have tried hard to prevent the re-appearance of any functional government and have done their best to try and stop the Transitional Government and its institutions taking root. We have faced formidable opponents. It is much to your credit that we have managed to resist this.

Indeed, parliament has played a significant, though if I may also say a sometimes controversial, role in establishing the functionality of the Transitional Government. You have also taken a critical role in the restoration of government and administration. For this reason alone, I have always wanted to have cordial relations with you. This is why I am always happy to appear before you, as I do today. I am acting in conformity with the rules of law that I regard as the most important single facet of the Transitional Government.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members,

These last three years have certainly been difficult ones for the Transitional Government, and the Transitional Federal Institutions set up by the Federal Charter to which we agreed at Mbagthi. We are all aware of the problems we have faced and are still facing.

It is of vital importance that the Transitional Government should succeed. It is the recognized and acceptable government of Somalia. It is not perfect, I have to admit, but it is the best we have. We have to make it work to the best of our ability. For all its imperfections it provides a blueprint of the way forward for the creation of a new state and for the development of Somalia, the possibility of putting the last sixteen years behind us. In this spirit, I ask you all to stand firmly behind the Transitional Government, to work for the objectives of the charter. There is no alternative to either the charter or the Transitional Federal Institutions. We have not made as much progress in creating these institutions as I would have liked, but as you, yourselves, can bear witness, we have done a lot.
Indeed, we have, I believe, begun to turn the corner in the last few months. We have successfully, if belatedly, established ourselves in Mogadishu; we have re-opened school and police stations, and begun the creation of a functional administration in the city. We still face almost daily terrorist attacks, and more, of course, needs to be done, but, with the aid of our friends, and despite all the efforts of enemies like Eritrea, we have laid a sound foundation for progress.
Somalia, we know, cannot stand alone, and it has not. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my own personal appreciation to all our friends in the region and in the international community. The Transitional Government has benefited immeasurably from the support of our partners. We are very aware of the need to work for regional co-operation, just as we understand the necessity to be part of the international community. We continue to need assistance to help in peace-building here at home and for development. Equally, we know that we have a responsibility to address the concerns of the international community; a responsibility to contribute to regional stability, not to its instability.

I have always fought against terrorism, and we have had some notable successes, not least in the last year. We have, I believe, made it impossible for any handful of terrorists to seize power illegally and by force in Somalia. This can never be the way forward for Somalis. We have demonstrated that the ideology of terrorism is unacceptable to us all.

Now it is necessary to build on this. We need to continue the struggle to achieve a complete victory over terrorism. Without this we cannot achieve the objectives of the Federal Charter. We cannot create the just, peaceful and democratic Somalia that we all hope and pray for. I appeal to all of you to continue this struggle, a struggle upon which the future of Somalia as a democratic state depends.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members,

We have, in fact, reached a point at which I believe it would now be appropriate for someone else to take over the job that I have held for the last three years. I have come to this conclusion after long consideration. I believe it is now right for someone else to lead the government forward in the next stage of development, during which time the Transitional Government will become permanent, the charter will be reorganized, a census carried out, and political parties formed for the elections in 2009. I hope my successor will have sufficient time for these onerous tasks. I believe we have created a platform on which he will be able to build.

It is in this spirit, Mr. Speaker, that I have therefore offered my resignation to the President today.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members,

I have resigned today in the belief that my departure will best serve Somalia. I am going without rancor, and sure that you here in parliament will co-operate fully with whoever is my successor as prime minister. I, certainly, will be quite prepared to make my experience available to the new prime minister; indeed, I will be happy to serve in whatever capacity I can to contribute to the success of the Transitional Government and the development of Somalia, to co-operate with the President and the Parliament in whatever ways may be appropriate. I would add that I have greatly appreciated working with President Abdullahi Yusuf and all of you. He has proved a notable politician and a formidable and courageous leader.

I believe I can truthfully say that I have tried to discharge the responsibilities of my position to the best of my abilities, both as a politician and a patriot. As a patriot, I believe the country should always transcend the individual. I have sacrificed a lot, as has my family, in the past three years. I am not intending to go into that now, but I can say that I am, myself, prepared to sacrifice anything for Somalia. I will spare no effort in the future, professionally and in any other capacity, to help Somalia. Anything I have is at the disposal of the Somali people, and, indeed, I hope I will be able to resume my political career in the future.

Mr. Speaker, Honorable members,
I thank you for your co-operation during your leadership of the Parliament. You have my fullest support in the aim of restoring the Somali state and the rule of law, in creating a functional government. May I offer my best wishes for success to you all, and to my successor?

I thank you very much for your attention