Canadians are going to the polls in the next couple of weeks. Tens of thousands of Somali-Canadians are eligible to vote in this upcoming federal election. The question all Somali-Canadians must ask, before election day should be: what are we going to do this time around and what should our strategy be?

What will determine our collective communal interest is how fast we grasp, understand and analyze the opportunities and challenges that this surprise national election poses to us.      

One cannot dwell on discussing the action plan for the forthcoming election without looking back our performance in the past elections. Without mincing words, I am sure we all agree our past performance was pathetic to say the least.

Suffice to say we Somali-Canadians neither have much credibility in the Canadian policy making circles nor do we wield any political clout which we can promote or prevent preferable or pernicious policy options.

The staggering proof of our previous pitiful performance is the fact that even though we are the largest African community in Canada, yet Somalia, which is the most devastated and foreign-assistance-deserving country in the world, is not among the core 25 countries that Canada has earmarked for the bulk of its foreign aid.

On the other hand, our next door neighbor, Ethiopia, is among Canada’ s core 25 development partner countries.

As a consequence, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) website states, "From 1995 to 2000, Canada's official development assistance to Ethiopia totaled $160 million” whereas the same website says about Canada’s commitment to Somalia, “Somalia is one of the most food-insecure countries in the world. The United Nations estimates that between 1.2 and 1.8 million Somalis will require food aid and humanitarian assistance over the next six months to prevent increased malnutrition. Child malnutrition rates in Somalia, which range between 17 and 33 percent, are already two to three times higher than standard emergency levels. In response to this, the World Food Programme (WFP) has increased its appeal for donor contributions. Canada has responded by providing $2.5 million through the WFP for emergency food rations to help Somalis in need of assistance re-establish household food security and rebuild their livelihoods.”

The simple reason that our adopted homeland - Canada- abandoned our devastated motherland - Somalia - is that most of us who have been running around as activists / leaders failed miserably to plan or make a compelling case for Somalia or even understand how the Canadian political system actually works.

In addition to the gross incompetence among our self-appointed flag-bearers, we are also plagued by internal division to the extent that whenever a Canadian politician meets some Somali-Canadians individuals or organizations, another group shows up with completely different agenda discrediting the previous group. This shameful and childish culture resulted in the across-the-board indifference of Canadian politicians to the Somalia’s plight? Who can blame them? No one has time for quarrelsome new immigrants.

This is our status quo and it is not tenable. I think we must change course.

We should come up with a better strategy so that we ensure this time around that Canada helps Somalia. Forging a new pact among the Somali-Canadian community and charting smart election action-plan is the only way forward. This is an appeal to this end, and at the end of this article I shall present practical steps that could help us raise to the moment.

The fact that the political temperature of the Somali-Canadian community is nearing the boiling point, make this simple, important and above all doable task a daunting undertaking.

The difference between the leadership of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government has also affected, infected and somewhat paralyzed our collective efforts. Some of us support the Jowhar camp of the government, while others back the Mogadishu wing; many others are disappointed with both groups, whereas a good number of the Somalis in Canada are preoccupied with their own daily struggles and are oblivious to the whole Somalia question.

I would like to propose that we put aside our differences this time around and we resolve to vote with one voice. This might seem a tall order to many, but if we pause a moment, and reflect what precipitated the upcoming Canadian federal election, I am sure you will agree with me that we too can agree.

The election is being forced on the ruling Liberal government led by Prime Minister Paul Martin by the leaders of the other three Canadian opposition parties, namely Stephen Harper of the conservatives, Jack Layton of the left-leaning NDP, and the separatist Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois. We all know that these three men and their three parties differ with each other on almost every policy issue, and yet they sat together and decided that there is something that unites them - forcing an election on the Liberal party. 

If these three leaders / parties could agree, I think we Somali-Canadians who have much more in common should vote with one voice and vote en masse in order to have meaningful say in our national affair - and at least how Canada threats Somalia - our motherland.

I therefore propose that three principles should guide our election strategy.

• First of all, we should vote strategically, that is to say, we vote for federalist candidates that have fifty per cent chance of winning.

• Secondly, where we have numerical superiority we must vote en masse and we must establish voter mobilization machinery; as for where we do not have the numbers, we should volunteer our time, vehicles and resources so that we make real difference and win the respect of the candidates (the traditional bombastic and bravado pronouncements to the candidates would not cut it).

•  Thirdly we must begin to educate the candidates about the plight of the Somali people and Canada’s appalling response to the legitimate humanitarian needs of this assistance deserving country; we should resolve to only vote for the candidates who are willing to work for the immediate inclusion of Somalia among Canada’s preferred core development partners.

If we take these three agreeable and basic strategic positions, I am certain we can effect change and ensure Canada includes Somalia among the core countries it provides assistance.

What would make this task easy is the fact that ours is a just cause and Somalia needs and deserves Canada’s help. The fact that we too are tax payers and that other immigrant communities also demand and get similar consideration from Canada’s policy makers, should make our demands attainable.

In order to ensure we move as fast as the Canada electioneering parties, I think the easiest way we can go about this new vision is to form an ad hoc informal Somalia Canadian Election Mobilization teams in each city / constituent. Anyone who wants to participate should be allowed to join this task force. In every city, the election mobilization team should meet, and elect steering committee, which should appoint media team led by a one spokesman, research team (who should advise the electorate which candidate we should vote or which one has a chance to in, etc) and we would also need a logistics committee that organize our campaign resources.

If we succeed to ending Canada’s ongoing ostracizing of Somalia, this would be a win-win for the Jowhar camp and the Mogadishu wing, as well as Somaliland, Puntland, as well as other Somali regions, and the nascent universities, other Somali civil society initiatives in the health and education sectors.

In short, if we vote en masse, and with one voice, the outcome will be a win-win for all of us and history will forgive us. Don’t you agree?

Abdirashid K. Hashi
E-Mail:rashid2025@yahoo.com

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