SOMALILAND AT THE VORTEX OF DYSFUNCTIONALISM

The father of unification of Germany, Herr Otto Von Bismark, once remarked, " A politician thinks about the next election; a statesman thinks about the next generation." Where does the leadership of Somaliland fit in that description? Procrastination and indecisiveness have no place in real politics; therefore, our government is a miserable failure on both counts. The dichotomy in the two perspectives or view points is the the element of vision and that is exactly what our leadership is missing-the vision to lead a nascent state through turbulent times.


Our president has smeared the credibility of the nation; betrayed the electorate that voted him into office; and effectively put the country on the road to damnation. In spite of the widely held perception that our president had never been receptive to the sovereignty of Somaliland during the war of liberation and he has never changed his stand since; the electorate granted HE Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud a fresh mandate to lead the nation according to the Constitution. " I am handing you over a united and a functioning nation.." Said President Dahir Riyale Kahin to the future president of Somaliland on the occasion of power transfer! Are we getting more than we bargained for, or are we in for more surprises!


Under the current situation, the president has either to resign; face impeachment proceedings; or wait, watch, and wonder, till the flames of civil war consume Somaliland. I hope, our president will have the courage to do the right thing. It took us twenty-one years to raise the phoenix from the ashes of the inferno; are we ready to raze to the ground one.


In national crisis management, the appointment of ad hoc committees, is the worst and the most ineffective option to diffuse the situation. There is no shortage of advisers under the president's disposal; their sole function is supposedly is to deliberate on matters of national urgency and provide the appropriate policy options at short notice. The situation in Taleex and its twin sister in Awdal have exposed serious flaws in our governments ability to size up to any national issue-domestic or otherwise. As of today, the frontiers of Somaliland shrank to Hargeisa, Berbera, and Burao- The Sunni Triangle of Iraq as per the label of detractors!


The current administration has failed miserably to formulate any coherent policy towards what is unfolding in Taleex and tomorrow's President's speech at the joint session is highly unlikely to ease the public anger let alone come up with a credible plan of action. At best we can expect an unjustifiable excuse for the postponement of the municipal and parliamentary elections. Nothing less, nothing more. Any breach on our sovereignty is a treasonable act according to our Constitution and other domestic laws; therefore, the Permanent Committees of the two Houses of parliament should immediately start the proceedings of impeachment. Our late President Mr. Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal narrowly escaped a frivolous impeachment- Coincidentally, our current president was pushing the parliamentary motion from behind the scenes. The same thing was applied to President Dahir Riyale Kahin on the pretense of delayed elections!


The dismantling of Somaliland was a multi-pronged, well orchestrated campaign. In December, 2009 the first episode take place in Washington, D.C. in the Office of Honourable, M. Donald Payne, then the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs and Africa. In June of that year, the then government of Somaliland rightfully declined an invitation to participate a prelude session for Somalia Peace and Reconciliation forum.


Within a short span of eighteen months, the nation's territorial integrity has suffered a series of fatal blows. On October 10, 2010 an ONLF terrorist group of 250 well armed men came ashore on the western sea-board of Somaliland, and made a run for for the Ethiopian border.


The next stop was Wilton-Park, a three day symposium billed as SOMALIA: BUILDING PEACE, ACCEPTING REALITY, that last from February 7-9, 2011, and to the surprise of the international community, Somaliland participated as a regional administration of Somalia! There, the government of Somaliland deliberately and unequivocally has renounced the reclamation of its sovereignty as of May 18, 1991. Once again, Somaliland participated a convention on "Global Challenge, Regional Responses: Forging A Common Approach to Maritime Piracy" held in Dubai, UAE 18-19 April, 2011.


There was no civil war or any other crisis in Somaliland at the time and as far peace building is concerned in Somaliland nor was the scourge of piracy an issue. Under what conditions are we participating these conferences? Such national issue require the consensus of the opposition political parties. A unilateral merry go round approach is a non starter.

The first phase of Somaliland's peace and reconciliation process took place at Burao in April-May, 1991; followed by the Borama Conference February-May 1993; and finalised at the Hargeisa conference of 1997. That chapter was closed at that point in time. The second stage was the crystallisatin of the democratic process, beginning with the Referendum on the Constitution on May 31, 2001.

The United Nations Political Office for Somalia,other United Nations agencies, and a plethora of international and Local Non-Government Agencies have high jacked the foreign as well as the domestic policies. The United Nation's special envoy for Somalia Mr. Augustine P. Mahiga, within a short time of a year and a half, have succeeded in parceling Somaliland into Bantustans- the future basic political units of a federal Somali state based on the United Nations mission of maintaining the territorial integrity of Somalia at any price.

Beloved Somalilanders, welcome to civilisation-The Vortex of dysfunctionalism at its best!