 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|||||
|
||||||
Dhagaxoo ilmeeyiyo “Tears of the stones and the
Simply stated; a criminal syndicate of religious zealots have waged war on Somalia and it must be confronted. Make no mistake; this was not the act of one mentally deranged individual detonating his suicide belt in the midst of a graduation ceremony, but a well planned plot with exhaustive selection process of the means, methods, timing and place, complete with the minutest details of operation and executed with perfection to cause maximum number of deaths. The death toll is climbing close to 60 with over one hundred seriously injured. We are dealing with principled criminal organization with command and control, finance and budgetary branches, intelligence group, suicide operations brigade, hit squads, and a top Consultative circle, the Shura, which ultimately gives the final authorization of whom to target and where to execute the mission. The government ministers were the high value target. In the distorted logic of the perpetrators, the students, professors and their parents and relatives were mere casualties of war, despite their promise to a public in desperate need for their irreplaceable services. If those fanatics can commit such brutal and inhumane cruelty against students, one can only speculate what they are capable of doing once they take control of the country. There Will be More Blood in “Somalistan”! If events in Pakistan and Afghanistan are any indicators of what to expect; then it is not a question of “IF” but when and where will the next slaughter take place? The ideology and modus operandi exercised in Somalia eerily reflect tactics employed in Southern Asia: Radicalism, lawlessness, incessant violence and targeting of unarmed civilians in mosques, bazaars and targeted assassinations. However; Pakistan has powerful army and an efficient intelligence service, allowing it to effectively deal with the scourge of extremism. On the other hand; Afghanistan has the whole NATO countries helping her to turn the tide against the Taliban, but Somalia is left with its own tools to die slowly in an excruciatingly painful death. Worse yet, in what is slowly transforming into “Somalistan”, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), weak and ineffective as it is, has also the unenviable title of being the most corrupt entity in the world. There is no system of government, accountability, or sense of public service among the top ranks of its different branches. Intelligence service in Somalia is virtually nonexistent. In fact, it is widely believed that Al-Shabab agents have deeply infiltrated every aspect of the TFG. Moreover; desertion and attrition rates in the armed forces exceeds 50% in file and rank. Because monthly stipends are squandered, distributed weapons and equipment are regularly transferred to the opposition in exchange for few dollars. On other cases, it is not uncommon for military personnel in uniform to brazenly erect roadblocks on highly traveled city arterials for public extortion and robbery. Meanwhile, the opposition continues to steadily grow in strength, expand territory under its control and recruit more into its fighting ranks. If this trend continues, no where is safe. Corruption and inefficiency is so endemic in the TFG, it is helplessly compromised to affect any positive change in the lives of the suffering public. Since its birth a year ago, not a single functioning ministry or government agency is in place. No judicial court system, fiscal oversight or even one functioning primary school for children is open. Public property and revenue generated through taxation and from the one port and airport under TFG control are misappropriated for private use by few individuals. As a result, the government lacks any authority to even protect its ministers, let alone the public. In fact; if it were not AMISOM forces, this pseudo government will have long been gone. The Way Out! If any hope exists, it is the outpouring national sense of deep sorrow and sympathy for the victims, and the near universal feeling of outrage and anger against those who perpetrated this heinous crime. The Somali people know, always knew, who the enemy is, but are uncertain if their government is on their side. If those bent on destroying Somalia are to be stopped, the TFG must come on the side of its people. The single most important responsibility of a government is to safeguard and protect the lives and security of its citizens. Therefore; for the security of society and the protection of life, the TFG must seriously face its duties to establish and uphold the law. For starters, it must hold those it entrusted to serve the public accountable for their actions and must enforce the law in justice and with impartiality. Corruption must end. Ministers are public servants and those ill equipped to perform their duties, not only are obstruction to efficiency and progress, but destroy their agencies or adversely affect other agencies of government, and must be removed and replaced with more competent and effective professionals. There is no shortage of learned people in our motherland. Why the worst amongst us lead us? With the support of the people, competency and accountability restored to the helm of government, Somalia can defeat the mightiest of extremists, reclaim its position among nations and preserve the lives of its people. Before anything else is done; strategies planned and a course of action agreed upon; it is vitally crucial that TFG puts its house in order and restore credibility. Otherwise; the battle is already lost even before the first battalion reaches the front. If the President, the Prime Minister and members of parliament are not willing to stand up and answer the call of the people, other more competent and more patriotic sons and daughters of Somalia will. That said may those young graduates, parents and other innocent lives so inhumanely cut down, rest in peace and may the almighty Allah reward them with Janna. Rashid Yahya Ali __________________________________________________________________________________ We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com |
