Chaos and misunderstanding has on Saturday erupted in the Federal Parliament of Somalia amid disagreements over a motion tabled on the agenda. One of the contentious items raised for debate was the NCC’s Agreement, leading to division among members and resulting in uncertainty and loss of control over the parliamentary session.

Accusations were hurled against the Standing Committee by Members of Parliament, who alleged violations of parliamentary bylaws and the government accountability process.

Hon. Abdirashid Jiley, a Federal Member of Parliament, expressed deep concern, highlighting that the actions of the Standing Committee were offensive to the parliament’s integrity. He emphasized that the committee should have presented a list prepared by the government to the council.

“The agenda for today was to hold the ministers accountable by bringing them before the parliament. Specifically, we were expecting the Minister of Security to appear before us,” MP Abdirashid Jiley stated.

“The standing committee held a meeting with the prime minister and requested that he prepare a schedule for ministers who are expected to appear before parliament. This is unacceptable. The standing committee must not take action without consulting the members of parliament,” he added.

Hon. Abdullahi Sanbaloolshe, another Member of Parliament, expressed concerns regarding the lack of independence within the Parliament, highlighting that decisions have been consistently made by the executive behind closed doors for quite some time.

“For quite some time, interference with the independence of the parliament has been prevalent, resulting in decisions and parliamentary agendas being influenced by individuals operating behind the scenes. This interference has led to the chaos witnessed today, as members of parliament sought to introduce their own agendas, contradicting what had been tabled before them,” MP Sanbaloolshe said.

The controversy arose when the secretary of the prime minister’s office submitted a schedule to the parliament outlining how the ministers would appear before the parliamentary session.