Do Somalis Political issues make Enemies to themselves ? By: Abdiwali Gooni

 

The politics of Somalia have gone through various periods of change. Following the outbreak of the civil war and the ensuing collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre regime in the early 1990s, Somalia’s residents reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, consisting of civil law, religious law and customary law. A few autonomous regions, including Somaliland, Puntland, Galmudug, Jubbaland and South-west State that have emerged in the north and some south regions in the ensuing process of decentralization.

 

In 2006, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), an Islamist organization, assumed control of much of the southern part of the country and promptly imposed what they called Shari’a law. The Transitional Federal Government sought to reestablish its authority, and, with the assistance of Ethiopian troops, African Union peacekeepers and air support by the United States, managed to drive out the rival ICU and solidify its rule.

 

On 8 January 2007, as the Battle of Ras Kamboni raged, TFG President and founder Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, a former colonel in the Somali army and former Puntland President since 1998-2001 who was respected as a war hero, entered Mogadishu City for the first time since being elected to office. The government then relocated to Villa Somalia in the capital from its interim location in Baidoa. This marked the first time since the fall of Siad Barre regime in 1991 that the federal government controlled most of the country.

 

Following this defeat, the Islamic Courts Union splintered into several different factions. Some of the more radical elements, including Al-Shabaab, regrouped to continue their insurgency against the TFG and oppose the Ethiopian military’s presence in Somalia. Throughout 2007 and 2008, Al-Shabaab scored military victories, seizing control of key towns and ports in both central and southern Somalia. At the end of 2008, the group had captured Baidoa but not Mogadishu. By January 2009, Al-Shabaab and other militias had managed to force the Ethiopian troops to retreat, leaving behind an under-equipped African Union peacekeeping force to assist the Transitional Federal Government’s troops.

 

Between 31 May and 9 June 2008, representatives of Somalia’s federal government and the moderate Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) group of Islamist rebels participated in peace talks in Djibouti brokered by the former United Nations Special Envoy to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. The conference ended with a signed agreement calling for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops in exchange for the cessation of armed confrontation. Parliament was subsequently expanded to 550 seats to accommodate ARS members, which then elected as President of Somali federal Republic Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a former Chairman of Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and the former ARS chairman, to office.

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed shortly afterwards appointed Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, the son of slain former President Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, as the nation’s new Prime Minister February 13, 2009, On February 14; lawmakers approve him as Prime Minister with a vote of 414 in favor, 9 opposed and 2 not voting. However Prime Minister Omar has resigned 21 September 2010, after Political tension between him and President Sheikh Shariif,  Mr Sharmarke said he had decided to step down in the national interest.

 

 

Another new Prime minister

 

On 14 October 2010, President Sharif appointed former First Secretary of the Somali embassy in Washington, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, as the new Prime Minister of Somalia. A row between the President and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, the Speaker of Parliament, then developed over whether the scheduled vote of confidence on Mohamed’s nomination should be decided by a show of hands or a secret ballot.

 

Sharif Ahmed favored hand-raising while Sharif Aden preferred a secret ballot, ultimately postponing the deciding voting session. The Supreme Court of Somalia subsequently ruled that the vote should be conducted by a show of hands, consistent with how previous confirmation votes in parliament had been decided since 1960. A delegation from the UN, AU and IGAD, including the Special Envoy to Somalia, also flew in to attempt to help resolve the impasse. On 31 October 2010, the vote of confidence was held, with lawmakers overwhelmingly approving Mohamed’s appointment as Prime Minister. Out of the 392 Members of Parliament, 297 endorsed the selection via hand-raising; 92 MPs voted against and 3 abstained.  United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon also issued a statement commending the Somali leadership for having reached a consensus on procedural arrangements that facilitated a transparent and consultative confirmation of the new Premier.

 

Kampala Accord

 

After months of political infighting between President Sharif  and the Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan over whether to hold presidential elections in August 2011, the two politicians struck a deal in Kampala, Uganda on June 9, 2011 to postpone the vote for a new President and parliamentary Speaker for one year in exchange for the resignation of the Premier within a period of thirty days. Overseen by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the newly appointed U.N. Special Envoy to Somalia Augustine Mahiga, the signed Kampala Accord would also see the well-regarded technocratic Cabinet that Prime Minister Mohamed Farmajo had assembled in November 2010 re-composed to make way for a new government.

 

Abdiwali Mohamed Ali, a former Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, was appointed as Acting Premier later the same day. A few days later, on 23 June 2011, Ali was named permanent prime minister. Abdiwali is a Somali American economist, professor and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Somalia from June 2011 to October 2012, and briefly afterwards as an MP in the newly formed Federal Parliament. During his time as Premier, Ali is credited with having devised the formal “Roadmap for the End of Transition”, a political process which provided clear benchmarks leading toward the establishment of permanent democratic institutions in the country. On 8 January 2014, he was elected the 5th President of Puntland.

Presidential elections in Somalia

 

In August 2012, Sharif Ahmed presented himself as a candidate for re-election in the year’s national presidential elections. On 20 August, Ahmed’s term as President of Somalia officially ended, concurrent with the conclusion of the Transitional Federal Government’s mandate and the start of the Federal Government of Somalia. He was succeeded in office by General Muse Hassan Sheikh Sayid Abdulle, who had been serving in an interim capacity.

 

Sharif Ahmed was among the top four presidential candidates who made it to the second round of voting. Two of the four finalists subsequently dropped out, leaving Sharif Ahmed to contest the presidency with the eventual winner, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

 

Is politics preaching about tribalism? Is politics taking Country resources? Is politics killing people in interests ?

 

Logically, what I have visualized in the Federal Republic of Somalia is that, most of the politicians joined politics when they have not known the principles of politics. Well any one can defined the term “politics” in different way. To my own understanding politics meaning; is the practice and theory of influencing other people on a global, civic or individual level? More narrowly, it refers to achieving and exercising positions of governance, organized control over a human community, particularly a state.

 

Furthermore, politics is the study or practice of the distribution of power and resources within a given community as well as the interrelationship(s) between communities. A variety of methods are employed in politics, which include promoting one’s own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force, including warfare against adversaries. Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modern local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level.

 

His Excellency Former Somali Federal Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said:

 

“However successful we have been on the battlefield, we recognize that the best way to persuade young men that they have options in life that go beyond blowing themselves up and killing innocent Muslims in a perversion of our great faith is to provide them with jobs. And as any country with a Somali population will know, Somalis are a highly commercial people, imbued with a dynamic entrepreneurialism. Give Somalis security and they will thrive.”

 

Politics

 

But for the case of Somalia, politics is not practice in good way and ninety percent (90%) of the people don’t know what a politics is all about in Somalia context. Very disappointing scenario and complex issue that need to be observe very well, I don’t know whether it is because most of the people who are in the system are not well educated or not? Something needs to be study by researchers for further consumption in Somalia.

 

Moreover, coming to the politics of inciting other groups to kill other community like what happened in many regions in Somalia since 1991 up today, Somalis have killed themselves Tribalism, religious issues and also personal interests, what happened in many regions in Somalia. The only best term to describe Somali politics it can be call “Consumers Government” on earth, because when politicians start to encourage local tribes they use a common word which is “ Lets defend the enemy” (Aanu iska celino Cadowga).

Who are Somalis

 

Somalis in the Horn of Africa are divided among different countries (Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya) that were artificially and some might say arbitrarily partitioned by the former imperial powers.

 

They are Muslims 100%, they speak same language (Somali language), same culture and share with many things but what are making them enemies are politicians who need to see only their political interest, and it is good for them to understand Pan-Somalism which is an ideology that advocates the unification of all ethnic Somalis in one.

 

Each and every one knows that, at first there was killing based on the tribalism beginning from 1991 up today in Somalia where by tribes fought each other which has not still being succeed by any tribe.

Important issue

Somalis must ask themselves, Is there a Somali tribe which has been total removed the state or has been out of Somalia, since the civil-war?, The answer is not, still they live in same place and the country can’t be divided in political issues, Somalis have still together in big businesses in most Somali regions they are brothers, sister, uncles, aunts, grandmothers and grandfathers together.

 

Sometimes, I also urged that, most of the Somalis who claims calling themselves politicians and moreover they are not. I always say, people don’t know politics at all, What is in people minds are the ideology of Tribalism, corruption, nepotism, misunderstand of religious issues and lack of education, where some people minds are low or narrow minded and more interestingly their psychological black boards lack intellectual dynamism. Very contagious situation!!!

Well, illiteracy is the major problem that had caused the current civil war in Somalia.

 

Most of the people, who work in government institutions , are all semi-illiterate. Most of politicians are instructed the killings of innocent civilians in Somalia, are illiterate. How would you expect someone who has not study well to lead the Nation or direct people in one way or the other? I only see this in Somalia, in the whole world no illiterate politician, President or semi-illiterate who is leading intellectuals. Most of the people who studied well, they know the value of human lives and observing democratization processes.

Drs . Hawa Abdi Foundation is good example with Somalis, since she runs her self as Drs. Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe and her two physician daughters, who followed in their mother’s footsteps to support Somalis, She offered at no charge, Drs Hawa operates several fishing and agricultural projects within the compound to inculcate self-sustenance. The hospital also contains a small plot of land, where vegetables and maize are grown and later in part sold to cover some of the facility’s maintenance costs.

 

The DHAF compound includes a hospital, school and nutritional center, and provides shelter, water and medical care to mostly women and children in Mogadishu.

 

In my conclusion Somalis need to get educated politicians who can understand the worsen situation of the country, also at least everyone who is going to be member for the government should have with Bachelor Degree and above also when that person holds a Degree and above, he/she is very mature enough in term of thinking intellectually, coming up with programs that might benefits the entire Nation and the world.

 

International support is also needed because the truth is that Somalia has turned a corner and there is no going back, and educated people must support the reforming the government that is restoring Somalia to the community of nations and also recognize the best way to encourage Somali educated youth to be member for Federal institutions, We have to forget what is called we are enemies to neighboring countries such as Ethiopia,Kenya and Jabuti, No country in the world is against to see United Somalis, but our politicians are the once who are against to see peace and security in our country.

Unity for all