Ibrahim Mead Ottawa, Canada in view of the situation Somaliland is in intervention is the only option there is I would like to say a small prayer first: Oh Lord, save us from our selves Oh lord, we are lost in a long distance, lead us and set our feet on the right path. Oh Lord, they divided us as to manipulate us for their sinister end, save us from them Oh Lord, unite us again and bestow your mercy on us for we are sinners and you are most merciful. Oh Lord, we have wronged our selves and if thou not forgive us, for certainty we are lost. “Whom Allah leaves straying, never will any body else find for him the way” (Al nisaa) If we choose evil deliberately and double it down by corruption, fraud and deception we do not deceive Allah, we deceived our selves. We deprive our selves of the grace of Allah and are left straying a way from the right path. In that condition who can guide us and show us the (right) way? Our true instincts become blunted. Our fraud makes (our leadership) us unstable in character. “For his mercy Allah especially chooses whom he pleaseth” (Al Omraan) Our government has an anemic standing in the relationship with her people and with the neighbours, all for the ineptness of the leadership who collected follies and distanced the best and the brightest of the nation for reason the normal mind can not understand!!. I am saddened, ashamed and embarrassed and many people are of what is happening and what is not happening in Somaliland where thousands and thousands died for it! If not intervened and sooner rather than later, Somaliland as we know it will not be there! Intervention in this context means National dialogue and Consultation-“Talo Qaran” in which the government and none governmental civic groups and personalities meet and start dialogue. That is consultation and correction Intervention “Intervention is a conscious process by which change is introduced into peoples' thoughts and behaviors. The overall objective of an intervention is to confront a person in danger to himself and to others in a persuasive manner and allow him to see his self-destructive behavior, which affects him, and the people around him.” It is to confront our leadership in danger to her self to our CAUSE, to our people and to our country in this context. Many people believe that President Siilanyo is in a similar situation as far as governing is concerned. We believe that he needs help for the sake of his legacy and for the sake of the nation even though the President is in an absolute denial! Many people believe that he is in a total delusional state of mind and if he is not so then he is a demon in a journey to do harm to (his legacy) him self to his country and the people of Somaliland. I hope that is not the case and I don’t believe the president intends to do harm but harm is already done! Is Mr. Siilanyo delusional then, or intentional in his infamous actions? That is the question many people are asking and wondering! He must be one or the other. He is not governing honestly nor does he effectively let alone morally?! How many times the Siilanyo administration dragged Somaliland in the dirt and in the wrong direction? They consistently did that and yet they insist and continue insisting that they didn’t do it!? There was precedence in intervening Mr.Siilanyo’s leadership An intervention act in Mr. Siilnyo’s administration happened in 1988 in his SNM administration! We solved the problem he created in that said period, for that said administration by way of intervention. We were a committee of nine personalities, we were called “intervention committee of nine” I was the vice chairman and the secretary of the designated interventionists who came to Ethiopia to save SNM from Siilanyo and save Siilanyo from Siilanyo! We saved a beleaguered (Chairman Siilanyo) leader and a troubled (SNM) Organization by means of intervention It was a win, win situation even though it was a short term remedy! We did not solve the real problem for we did not have the time to do that at the time. Siilanyo’s ineptness and disregard of the consequences of the problem in that (1987-1988) period led president Halo Maryam of Ethiopia to lose trust with SNM under Siilanyo and made a deal with Siyad Barre! As we all knew the two dictators reached an agreement of compromise. It was an exchange of disowning and not claiming “Ogaden, Houd and Reserved Area- the somali regions of Ethiopia” in exchange with the expulsion of SNM from their bases in Ethiopia. That infamous agreement has been reached in Djibouti. That act happened because of Mr. Siilanyo’s disregard of the future of the Organization he was leading! Unintentionally Mr. Siilanyo created this new relationship between two enemies. This caused SNM Organization to engage with the well armed but demoralized Siyad Barre’s military prematurely and entered the country earlier than planned to escape the effect of the agreement which would have destroyed them. They gambled and decided for the “do-or-die “option. This situation was created as the result of the conflict between then chairman Siilanyo and the Central Committee of SNM which caused to bring together two warring enemies, Halo Maryam and Siyad Barre. As a result of this deal, between the two, over 80% of the original Mujahedeen lost their lives. With the grace of God they defeated the enemy in the end. The SNM Mujahedeen had liberated Somaliland with out their chairman! The chairman, Mr. Siilanyo deserted them, jumped ship and fled to London-England when the day of reckoning came!! The would be interventionists, the wise moral men and women of Somaliland must clearly and unambiguously but respectfully, inform the affected government of Somaliland of the truthful information regarding the situation of the nation and how it already had affected the unity and harmony between the communities and between the ruler and the ruled. The immediate objective of an intervention is for the self-destructive person to listen and to accept help before it is too late. Like wise it is Mr. Siilanyo to listen and accept help We are talking about a dishonest and dysfunctional government, a government which divided her people and abandoned her national duty! We are talking of a government which failed her people in both domestic and international fronts yet insisting otherwise! We are talking about a government of oligarchies! We are talking about a leader who is either out-of-it and does not know what is going on in his government and his country, or a man who is pursuing an evil agenda which is dangerous to both Somaliland and the region as a whole let alone to his already tarnished legacy! We are talking about salvation of (Somaliland) a country! Mr. Siilanyo’s administration pushed the bounders of public tolerance by their out right corruption, deception and misappropriation of the public funds and public policy! The Market place of ideas seems not welcome in the oligarchy administration of Mr. Siilanyo, thus intervention by way of national dialogue and Consultation (tallow Qaran) is warranted. That is why we need an urgent “taloo qaran”and it must happen I hope Mr. Siilanyo does not see this intervention as a challenge to his ego in this public discussion but appreciates the need of this proposed Consultation .Siilanyo and Somaliland Republic What would you do when you have a camel which eats the comfort (heeryu) that protects his back from injuries which my come from the load it carries on it’s back! Our nomads (tape the camels mouth) used to put a rope round its mouth, and then the camel can not open its mouth. In that way: 1) the comfort is saved 2) his back is saved 3) and the journey moved on. I believe Somaliland must not only tape the leadership’s mouths, they must tie them to their beds to protect the national cause! Those who betray must not expect the trust of the people! When every song writer, when every poet, When traditional independent religious leaders at least some of them are sending warnings, when poets and song writers are creating songs and poetry directed on the bad situation Somaliland is in, when sheiks are delivering Godly sermons which demeans the undesirable acts of the leadership which the people believe that it is contrary to the hopes and aspirations of the people of Somaliland! This unfavourable public attitude against the Somaliland leadership unintentionally spells over to the personality of the leader and the wicked aids and advisors around him. I believe the right thing is that the leadership must open their eyes and see the writings on the wall There is a distance and disconnection in miles and miles between Siilanyo, his administration and the people of Somaliland. The people don’t understand why Mr. Siilanyo is destroying what has been built for the last 20 years by the resilient people of Somaliland!? Mr. Siilanyo and clique seem that they are in a bizarre dilution focused on wacky vision centered on matters that are destructive and incongruent to the principles and tenants of what Somaliland stands for, and what the Mujahedeen martyred for! We must not let them put the country in to bankruptcy monetarily, intellectually and politically! I think Somaliland is already in that circle. Intervention is warranted before this government destroys Somaliland. Intervention is a must if we are serious in keeping Somaliland viable. Mr. Siilanyo’s in difference in this has already damaged Somaliland. If not corrected sooner Somaliland will be over as we know it. Oh Allah save us from our selves! Conclusion The conscionable and moral sector of the society ought to intervene the administration of Mr. Siilanyo’s acts in a persuasive way but in a no ambiguous terms, they must show them how much damage they have already inflicted on Somaliland standing, locally and internationally, as well as her fundamental tenant, which is her independence, sovereignty, and integrity. The urgency of now is that our peace and stability are at stake; thus intervention is warranted President Siilanyo and his Ministers seem that either they don’t care or they do not understand the consequences of what they did and are doing! They pursue ‘belly-politics’ with out shame, with out bounds and with out regard of the consequences of their acts! Siilanyo and cabals seem that they are delusional or practice that disorder, or they are dishonest demons or they are asleep in need to wake them up! In all cases intervention is necessary now or it is over. However peace and prayers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: The author was Vice Chairman of the SNM Convention in Harrar-Ethiopia in 1987 He was Vice chairman and Secretary of the Intervention committee of nine, in Aware-Ethiopia in 1988 conflict between Silanyo and the Central Committee of SNM. The said intervention committee of nine consisted notably of: Mohamed Ali Farah: chair person. Ibrahim Mead: Vice chairperson and Secretary. Mujahed Ibrahim Maigage, Abdirahman Tuur, Osman Indooli, Ali Tuur, Ismail Boba and others.