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He said "that those who believe that Somaliland and Somalia will not come together and that the border will remain closed for ever are wrong" adding that" Somaliland and Somali people share a lot of common values and that no one can be stopped from going to Mogadishu” Somaliland.org. In this short comment on the subject, the authors will briefly touch on three interrelated issues:
On Yasin’s Message: As unthinkable it may sound to some, Mr Yasin’s line of reasoning and his courageous attempts of breaking away from the status quo; an invitation to cross the divide line, is what people have welcomed. Such character of a man constitutes deep normative inter-personal expression that couldn’t have been a gaff or spare of the moment thoughtless comments, as some people may want to characterize them. This is a true character of a Somali man that an outsider can never come close to understanding its truthfulness. It is where many self-employed opportunistic foreigners and anti-Somali unity commentators such as Dr. Peter Pham, Matt Bryden, Ken Menkhaus and Iqbal Jhazbhay, men who were hired to advocate for and support the secessionists’ sentiments of some groups in northern Somalia, failed to decipher the true inner-workings and the complexity of our culture; how our clan fabric, next to kin lineages and regional relationships are so interwoven that an outsider’s eye fails to detect. It is what makes us “Somalis” and gives us a distinct geographical territory where we all call our homeland, Somalia territory. Ahmed Yasin knows that –no one can mislead him or can confuse him on the subject. Mr. Yasin’s use of a nationalistic tone was no accident but rather deliberate attempt to set the bar higher for today’s mindless and visionless politicians who are in control of the political helm in today’s greater Somalia. He attempted to legitimize his nationalist sentiment and also to set an action towards reuniting his people. He is the only political figure, thus far, to dare say what is right not because he gains political favors but rather to mobilize the nation and to help the Somali people start a dialogue on national agenda; regardless whether one supports secessionist movement, clan enclave interest or self-righteous exotic Islamic beliefs that force masses to follow their confusing agenda of so-called Sharcia Islamia. We are all Somalis and our nation needs us all. That is Mr. Yasin’s message. All powerful nations mobilize their people behind their nations’ interests in order to gain political and economic power and to safeguard their sovereignty. Mr. Yasin deeply understands that promoting individual state autonomy without much of emphasis on the public interest and economic development, in this globalization era, mounts to nothing more than mindless isolationism of empty clan chauvinism; which leads to despair and inevitable starvation of the masses. Mr. Yasin’s salient statement is proposing a reassessment of this failed clan agenda that fueled endless cycle of wars, poverty, unnecessary death and suffering of innocent Somali people—a devastating and catastrophic consequences created by endless power struggle among today’s politicians, especially those in the Southern Somalia. Mr. Yasin is challenging the so-called Somali elites and leaders to level with the Somali people and bring about social changes that can achieve economic independence and socially effective policies that can restore and protect our national interests, sovereignty and integrity among nations. His expression- of “nation first” appeal -cannot be brushed aside nor subdued, as some groups have tried already. Ahmed Yasin, a humble man, a student and a practitioner of Peaceful Sufism himself, has separated his vision from other politicians by stating what he sees as the new era and a new reality Somalis have to embrace. This is where Mr. Yasin differs from all these other oligarchs, who are here to protect their own interests and are primarily in pursuit of personal wealth; actions much less to do with nation interests. No one in their clear sense of reasoning will dispute that the circus in the South should come to an end; it is long over due. Unfortunately, we have yet to hear whether the new Sheriff in town, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has a plan to unify the clan enclaves that exist today. He has yet to show a character of man who could see beyond Mogadishu, his hometown; yet to show that he has the interest of a Somali nation in heart, let alone reuniting these multi-clan enclaves in Southern Somalia. He is busy trying to satisfy the pathetically outdated clan demands and empty slogans of crime warlords and tribal chiefs, the ever lasting demands and shameful muscle flexing of Beelaha Hawiye: How big is the pie? Today, even after the once hot topic of Ethiopian presence in Mogadishu has long subsided tremendously-- the Ethiopians are no longer there— criminal groups are still in control in most of the South and terrorizing all livelihood, including African Peacekeeping forces, while the new Shariif is wasting too much time, just like those before him, traveling between Djibouti and Mogadishu back and forth. Clearly, the veil of disguise is disintegrating no matter how much one tries to hide behind it---revealing that it was not about the Ethiopians after all. Terrorists, drug traffickers, resource pirates are occupying our coastal lines and the new president has yet to delineate his agenda for the eagerly awaiting ears to hear. All indicators, if anything, are pointing to one fact: that his efforts, if any, are clearly constrained by the same visionless policy of the symbolic and lip servicing formula of 4.5 power-sharing; always wary of self and clan interests, and that he is no different from his predecessor; those men who, just like him, were sworn on foreign lands as presidents of a nation they did not know anything about nor did care about the plight of its people; but yet, despite of all that, now leisurely retiring at different places in the world with the public money stashed away in their suite cases. Likewise, we are certain that Shiikh Shariif, even if he knows nothing else, knows his deep intensions and his future plans of where his money will be kept secretly. Not long ago, with Ethiopian troops patrolling the streets of Mogadishu, the Islamic fundamentalists-The God’s Men-, chaired by Sheekh Shariif Ahmed, seemed the obvious choice to purge out all foreign influences from the south and would provide peace and stability in Southern Somalia; a wishful thinking as it turned out. Today, However, so wretched and corrupted is Shiikh Shariif’s government close to 500 parliamentary seats that he crafted in order to win the presidency. Interestingly, though not surprising to many, he has even made pledges to work with Ethiopians and asking for more UN forces to protect him. What is new? There is no doubt that, at this point, whilst more important public matters are being completely ignored, he is busy worrying about cabinet seats and clan interests; the least of which the plight of the millions of Somalis starving around Mogadishu. Today is yet another yesterday; the Hawiye circus he was supposed to control still goes on in full gear asking forever more privileges and favors in this staggering almost 500 parliamentary and cabinet positions; their behaviors tyrannize the sanctity of our nation-state, while the rest of Somalis are asked to go about their business of rebuilding and putting their pieces back together without a government support or pre-selected cabinet positions allocated for them. One thing certain, however, and we believe rightfully justified, is that the rest of the Somalis had enough of this mindless men and women in southern Somalia, running around the world electing a new government every few months. It is about time the south realizes that they do not represent the interest of all Somalis nor their egocentric behaviors manifest any nationalistic sentiment to attract other regions, such as the suffering masses, the most defenseless, of Somaliland and Puntland. No one in these regions considers the Shariif as their president and Mogadishu has long lost the respect and national fame and status, as Capital, once bestowed on her. It is time to find another Capital for the nation. There are new realities and those in the South should join the rest of the Somalis in this new dialogue. As Mr. Yasin eloquently presented his argument, every region should start building towards a better future for their own people without spreading conflicts, terrorism or claiming on new borders that isolate Somalis from each other. Rebuilding this nation to again its status among nations, and to have equitable powering sharing and redistribution of national resource is the only way to gain national recognition or reclaim some dominance in the international economy in order to improve the lives of our people. Where to go from here? For unity of a nation and rebuilding of the infrastructures to take a root again in these different parts of the country, trust among clans has to find its way back into the hearts of the public. We should transcend our differences and the historical grievances; should stop dehumanizing each other and instead share common lineages and interests— together protecting our homeland and its people. Therefore, we propose the following:
No mater who you talk to, there is always a sense of grievances in all of us, whether real or exaggerated, when discussing what has happened to our country. However, when clear away all these grievances, no one region in certain terms can walk away without their hands with some blood on them from what happened to this country and after all that this nation has put through. It is time to reevaluate loyalties to a nation building. We cannot excuse inaction. Dr. Ali Bahar We welcome the submission of all articles for possible publication on WardheerNews.com So please email your article today Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WardheerNews |
