By Ahmed M. Farah (Nurradin)
Since the conflict between the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, alias Culusow, and the Prime Minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon, alias Saacid, came to the fore, in public, for all to see, Somalis – politicians, elders, civil society members and common folk – expressed derision and sense of loss towards both politicians. As the reality and enormity of the conflict set in, people started accusing these two leaders of subterfuge, cowardice, ineptitude, and lack of respect for the real stakeholders of Somalia, its citizens.
And as if this calamity was not enough, worse was the behavior of the citizens themselves. More disappointing was the citizenry’s gullibility and wavering around the two leaders, such that it was hard to discern who was the boss: the citizens or the politicians. In the citizens’ loss of the upper hand against the politicians, one is reminded of the renowned Somali novelist, Nurradin Farah’s depiction of the dilemma the citizens face. In his play, A Stone Thrown at the Guilty, a stone thrown at the guilty hits the innocent. In this case, Culusow and Saacid have gored the Somali people’s ox.
The media did talk about what could happen to Culusow or Saacid for “dropping the nation’s ball” with regards to their official responsibilities. It seems that they’ll get only “a rap on the wrist.” Suggestions in the media have been, among many, that the parliament will intervene and sort the dispute; their respective clan elders could organize a powwow between the two leaders; a fixer could be engaged to pay off Saacid to withdraw; or to let Uganda or IGAD , as the effective power in Somalia, to talk sense into them (may be to send one or both of them away, somehow, like they did to Ghedi, Abdullahi Yusuf, Omar Abdirashid and Farmajo).
However, many people have other ideas. I talked to 30 Somali adults, men and women, since the start of the dispute. This was by no means a structured or scientific study; it was nothing more than conversations, an attempt to brainstorm and explore ideas with acquaintances and strangers that I met with on the street to gauge “to what extent people were passionate about this issue?” I avoided talking to my friends to give the conversations a semblance of objectivity.
The people I had the conversations with said that it was time to stop the lies, malfeasance and corruption of our leaders. They cited the Jubaland dispute, the six-region state in Baidoa, the spats about the constitution, or the claim that Somaliland is a sovereign country, as examples of the Somali politicians’ over reach. The fantasies, quarrels and the get rich schemes of Somali politicians is so irrational and egregious that the English proverb: “if wishes were horses beggars would ride them” comes to mind. What is happening now is that the president and the prime minister are taking the acquiescence of the people for granted. It is time to show them who is boss. They said: “let us raise the stakes a little bit higher, in our favor; this is the last straw; let us take a stand, demand our pound of flesh and make an example of these two hapless leaders, so that no Somali politician will ever dream off repeating this gambit again.”
Results of the Conversations
So what did the Somalis that I have talked to say about what is to be done with their Excellences, the President and the Prime Minister? Three suggestions succinctly emerged from the conversations I had with the group:
First, 47% of the group suggested that the wisest action that could be taken against Saacid and Culusow to redeem the honor of the Somali people is to impeach the president and fire the prime Minister. This will concentrate the minds of Somali politicians, they said. It is no longer things as usual as it used to be; No more rap on the wrist. Rather, people are saying accountability matters and it matters now. If someone makes a political mistake there should be consequences.
Second, 30% of the group said they would like that both the President and the Prime Minister be shamed for their actions and ineptitude in front the Somali Citizenry. They suggest that these two worthy gentlemen confront each other in wrestling match as in the World Wrestling Federation style or if they, so desire, the Somali Legdin. The loser will give up his position and the winner will form the new government. Somalis will pay $100 to watch this wrestling match and the proceeds will go to the Somali Army. It is hoped this match could generate $10 million on the initial match-night and $20 million in subsequent re-runs. Not bad for two middle aged, over the hill grandees.
Third, 23% of the group that I interviewed suggested that the President and the Prime Minister be made to square off in one of the Somali debate forums (Doodwadaags) on the Universal TV, Royal, SNTV, or the Somali Channel TV, moderated by one of Somalia’s respected newscasters, while 10 Somalis from diverse communities ask questions. Somalis, in Somalia and the Diaspora, will vote for the winner who will keep his job. The loser will bite the dust.
Lack of Sense of History
The thirty people that I had the conversations with doubted that the President and the Prime Minister had any sense of history with regards to where the country they were chosen to lead is going. Somalia is in a bad place right now and leaders with sense of history know that they don’t have time to engage in histrionics.
According to the group, Culusow and Saacid rather than show a political backbone, informed by a sense of history, argued about who travels to what conference, meets foreign dignitaries, or signs what official paper. They were supposed to double down on their day-to-day responsibilities, instead. Most of the time, it seemed, they were doing the work of their underlings. They projected a sense of hopelessness that the country lacked technocrats to keep the government humming. It seemed as if the country had no permanent secretaries, diplomats, department heads or heads of sections. Everything fell to the president, the prime minister and some key ministers. What were they thinking? Probably, they never heard of the phrase separation of powers.
Comparison with Tarzan
The group that I had conversations with felt that the President and Prime Minister, unlike some other politicians who like them were new to the system, did not learn much from their one-year tenure as custodians of the most important institutions of the Somali Government.
They said that Culusow and Saacid compared badly with the likes of Tarzan, who could give them pointers on how to govern. As the Mayor of Mogadishu and the Governor of Benadir, Tarzan has shown pluck, creativity and hard work during the short time he was administering the Capital. He has started his tenure with chip on his shoulders as a fiery supporter of his clan action group, but has learned to roll with the punches and transformed himself into a true statesman in the making. He has a grip on issues, governs well and promotes inclusiveness, as much as is possible, in the one-clan administered Somali Capital. And Mogadishu City is better for it.
Within the last year, although they were in positions of power with higher responsibilities and complexities than Tarzan’s and had the same opportunities that he had, Culusow and Saacid were unable to leverage their experiences and skills for a better Somalia. Their insecurities blinded them to a mutually beneficial pathway to national governance and success for both of them.
Finally, with their irrepressible resiliency and tenacity Somalis will triumph over any spats between any two politicians. Many people are angered by the triviality of the current conflict, more so because it was harmful to the body politic of Somalia. Somalis should not be engrossed in the depressing escapades of their leaders. However, when these same leaders sleepwalk into a national catastrophe, there should be consequences. Culusow and Saacid were chosen to do no harm to the Somali body politic, but they choose to do otherwise. In consequence, it is incumbent on the Somali Parliament to use this opportunity to redeem its honor from “all the cheap talk of how corrupt parliament is” and use the constitutional checks and balances under their disposal to punish these two leaders. Literally, they should send them packing.
Ahmed M. Farah (Nurradin)
Email:[email protected]
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