By Mukhtar M. Omer
Editor’s note: Peaking into the rich WDN archives full of ten years of rare collection of historical pieces, news, commentary, opinion as well as cultural and poetry analysis and writing from across the globe, we come upon a jewel, a rarity, a genius piece of writings, honest and true and free of bias. Indeed, it could be called the past calling with glaring disappointment. As we approach our tenth anniversary, we reflect and share with our readers, esteemed and staunch a series of articles from the past. This article, discusses what many missed when President Hassan was selected and the hope that may lost in particular unknown selected president.
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Rituals we seem not to outgrow
There are some irritating political idiosyncrasies that we, Somalis, simply seem not to outgrow. As soon as Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected as the new president of Somalia on 10 September 2012, the fawning industry started its work with searing efficiency. Artists, the flag-bearers of this industry, composed stirring songs and obliging media-men started colliding chins for catchy paragraphs from the newly elected President.
There is nothing wrong with this evanescent buoyancy. A nation that has endured two decades of turmoil and national despair deserves brief moments of national catharsis. Leaping in joy with maudlin optimism when new men are sworn-in for national leadership, only to be followed by immediate vilifications as soon as these leaders start governing, is an abiding and ductile feature of our national politics.
Not only that. We also have this absurd habit of transforming otherwise promising leaders into human political deities through servile flattery and hyperbolic applauses. Pseudo-events and choreographed appearances, sound bites and headlines from newsrooms create a hero out of an ordinary and untested individual, simply on account of his ascent to power, defying the widely held view that leaders are not heroes at the beginning. They become heroes at the end, through their work, their sacrifices, their triumphs, and their accomplishments.
The songs, colorful billboards and effusive felicitations soon get into the psyche of these leaders and insulate them from reality. They quickly forget that they are only fallible beings that need other men and women, and more importantly strong institutions, to deliver. They soon get infected with indispensability syndrome and start to think of themselves as the magical Elixir that will single-handedly cure their nation’s chronic illness.
Soon enough, these synthetic heroes come face to face with ugly reality. The profligate cheerfulness and euphoria that usually accompanies the election of these new leaders dissolve in a span of months, if not weeks. Having burdened a mere mortal with responsibilities much too onerous for one single man, and having propelled this man beyond his capabilities and appropriate station in life, the cheerleaders soon realize the facileness of their initial exuberance and expectations. The anticlimax sets-in hurriedly, as it becomes apparent that solving Somalia’s problems need more than the wisdom and effort of one man.
Then, deja vu’! Faced with mounting discontent and scrutiny, the national leader feels besieged and political survival becomes his sole preoccupation.
Good man not always a good leader
So far, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has received positive reviews. “He is a good man”, some say. “He is the right man” others agree. Yet, to be a good man or the right man doesn’t necessarily translate to becoming a good leader. For the president to be a good leader, he must first disabuse himself of any messianic complexity. He cannot save Somalia alone.
He must be prepared to let other branches of the government do their work in the manner stipulated by the law of the land – the constitution. The President must pick a competent Prime Minister. Who he picks, is his prerogative and all Somalis must respect and support the decision of the President. All he needs to ensure is that his nominee is in line with the President’s political doctrine. After all, the political doctrine of the president will have an indelible bearing on the overall policy framework of the government.
But once he picks an able Prime Minister (PM), the President must allow the head of the government to do his functions independently and without interference. It is expected the head of the government (the PM) will be consulting the head of the state (the President) for major decisions. But the PM need not consult the President on every action and step he is taking. Otherwise, the PM office will be nothing more than a secretariat for the office of the president.
Read more President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud: Not yet a Hero!
Mukhtar M. Omer
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