LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

 

After two tumultuous years interspersed with rancour, periodic tirades and politics of the spleen, at last the reigns of power has been officially and legally transferred to the leader of the opposition party, the Right Honourable Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud. The occasion was historic in that nothing unforeseen has transpired. The departing President signed the official document with a dignified aura; while the incoming president was looking on in a distraught mood-distant and absorbed in his own thoughts and oblivious to this historic moment. After all, the Right Honourable Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud was in pursuit of this office for the past twenty six years. Perhaps, the election victory is incomplete in some way. For sure, a crucial link is missing here and we leave it at that.

From now onwards, The United Democratic Peoples' Party (UDUB) will be on the opposition Aisle of parliament, along with the Justice and Welfare Party. Although UDUB will not employ the mean spirited tactics of Kulmiye, partisanship is a handy tool of the art of politics and they will avail themselves the advantages of the tool as the opportunity arise.

In a democracy, the victors in an election enjoy and celebrate the spoils of their campaign; while the vanquished seek solace in the bitterness of the defeat. However, the celebrations of the victor are short-lived: The reality sinks in immediately. In the case of Kulmiye party, the rainbow coalition has no coherent, long range political vision, national economic plan, or at least a contingency plan to hold the party unity in tact for the long. Therefore, the festivities of the coronation will not be for ever.

For those at the highest echelons of the party hierarchy, securing a ministerial position is the primary aim-Nothing more, nothing less. Once the characters and the composition of the cabinet is made official, irreparable fissures and fracture will appear along untenable fault lines. The oncoming political earthquake will unravel the structural deficiencies of the party.

As promised during the campaign, the first order of business is delineation of the government and the party. In o other words, the transfer of the party chairmanship to Mr. Mousa Bihi Abdi who handily delivered the largest block of votes as well as a substantial chunk of the campaign finances. Without Mr. Bihi, the party's victory would have been impossible.

The second sticking point is the deal made with Qaran association on 2nd November, 2008. Since there is no constitutional basis for barring the formation of political associations, the leadership of Qaran Express might settle for cabinet posts, or else.

This puts the new president in a very precarious position- The twin combination of a national party in a turmoil of its own creation and addressing the pressing national issues will certainly test the adeptness and the decisiveness of the president. As the old adage goes, "Welcome to civilisation."

The road ahead is not paved in gold, and Kulmiye has to prove otherwise. At least the country will enjoy a real respite from the acrobatics of the incumbent.

 

Ahmed Ali Ibrahim Sabeyse
July 27, 2010.