Mogadishu Domestic Service radio (in Somali) – aired 1725 GMT
President’s Address
In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate. I think it is important today that I tell you that the new prime minister, Omar Arteh Ghalib, has brought me the list of the new ministries in his government and I have approved it, and he will read it to you here now. I think it is an indisputable fact that Omar Arteh is known by everyone. He is a man who has a good historical record in the country and he has done much. I do not want to revise history. It is a well known fact and nobody can deny it. I hope the new ministers and the government, and the workers and the military, and every party will work with him. He also wrote that he should have responsibility as prime minister and minister of defense.
I hope that you, as Somalis, will work with him. For my part, if I look back I think that for 21 years and over, or a little under 22 years, there was the revolution. For the most part of this time Omar was among the ministers, especially the heavyweight ones with a lot of responsibilities in the country. He played a good role then. Now I have confidence that he will proceed well even though the times are difficult.
After this I would like to go over the history of the country. We saved the country from a dangerous point. For some time things proceeded well. Later there was much regression. Much was achieved in the foreign, internal, economic, educational, and communications fields. On the side of construction, only Mogadishu can show the extent of its achievements. I do not want to waste time on the history of this country. This is because it is said that history never forgives anyone. I think that there are some Somali people with a clean heart who have no complexes or evil who write and will write the history of the nation.
I conclude by saying that Comrade Omar Arteh and his men should be cooperated with fully. I think his ministers were not in the former government and were also not in the last one. They have been selected by him and most of them are young and educated. I hope that good work will be done and complexes will be done away with. Somalis are human and there are bound to be conflicts always. If they remember the past and they do not think about the future and do not build, the nation will be useless then. But if the past is forgotten and the future is thought of well and planned, implemented, that is the nationalist view.
As I said earlier if there is a cease-fire, I will leave this job and I do not want to repeat this. I say let there be a cease-fire. If the shooting stops, I will hand over my job and leave. I am only concerned about the meaningless shedding of Somali blood. I have handed the responsibility to the prime minister. I thank all those who had worked with me very much and hope that they will continue with the work. Thank you.
The Somali History Archive 