WHICH
WAY OUT, SOMALILAND?
Shame on our dysfunctional political system that has failed time and
again to abide by the basic principles of mediation in time crisis.
Yesterday our political parties and the government signed on to the
proposal of the inte rnational community without any
reservations; today, it is rendezvous with politics of the
spleen-public incitement; mass demonstrations; and mob rule.
Desperate leaders resort to desperate measures to create an
atmosphere of chaos and confusion. May we remind the two opposition
leaders that the votes of the capital region sustains their own
political survival. The blood of the citizens is sacred; you can not
have it both ways. In todays' call for the repetition of what
transpired on September, 2009, the Chairmen of the two opposition
parties will bear full responsib ility- be it loss of life or
property. You creat the problem, you own the outcome. We can not
have two governments operating in the country at the same time.
Look at our parliament. The house of deputies is converted into a
rustling arena; periodic eviction notices puts the presidential
mansion in serious dispute. Where is the demarcation between public
and private property? Running for an elected office is not an
automatic ticket to stake a claim on any piece of state property.
The current occupant came through the ballot, whereas the claimant
demands immediate payment of the overdue rent for the past sixteen
months, or else.
THE LOT OF THE DISILLUSIONED POLITICIANS
If our pseudo-politicians are incapable of settling their
differences at the negotiating table, then it is up to the
traditional leaders to intercede, lis ten to both parties, and at
the end prepare the best possible compromise under the circumstance.
The role of thetraditional leaders has been part of our culture for
centuries and it is highly appreciated. To question the fairness of
these leaders is a disgraceful precedent. Setting preconditions and
meaningless posturing via the media destroys the essence of the
mediation effort and indicates that one party is bargaining in bad
faith.
THE TICKING TIME BOMB
Are we hostages of election schizophrenia? The timing or
rescheduling presidential elections ignites a sensitive detonator
that sets off a series of shock waves intended to derail Somaliland
for good. This time , however, the magnitude of the tremors is much
higher and it triggered a set of closely intertwined domino effects.
A serious power struggle in a simultaneous process of elimination by
substitution. This chain reaction, if successful, will change
forever the political landscape of Somaliland. First the Chairmen of
the House of Representatives, with the tacit support and
collaboration of the Chairman of House of Elders[Guurti], have
attempted to pass an impeachment bill through the House of
Representatives sets.
This sets the stage for the eventual removal of the President and
the Vice-President based on the assumption that the opposition has
the appropriate documentary le evidence that warrant the proceedings
of a high treason case. Once this hurdle is cleared, the Chairman of
theHouse of Elders parachutes to the presidency; the Chairman of the
House of Representatives becomes the Vice-President; and the First
Deputy-Chairman of the House of Representatives takes over the
Chairmanship of the lower House.
THE AFTERMATH
This satisfies the oppositions' incessant cries for a
Care-taker/Transitional/Coalition government. The support of the
opposition parties is predicated on the agreement that in six
month's time, fair and free presidential elections, based on the
annulled results of the fraudulent voter registration, will take
place. The era of re-scheduling election is gone for good. This is a
very sweet deal and a win-win situation for all.
Are we heading towards self destruction? Toying with impeachment
puts the nation on a virtual stand still. Although the political
uncertainty associated with the process is daunting, the impeachment
of the President and the Vice-President is incorporated in our
Constitution. Those who deem it fit to exercise this option as a
short-cut to the presidential mansion have every right to do so
provided the proper legal procedures are followed.
THE SOURCE OF THE BICKERING
Unless we seriously re-evaluate our election laws, the endless tug
of war between the government, the opposition parties and the
National Elections Commission, the very existence of this nation
will be in jeopardy. There is a perpetual struggle between survival
and self preservation, on the one hand, and the life time dream of
self-actualisation on the other. The Presidency is the embodiment of
our collective national identity and a testament to our unity and
cohesiveness. The current occupant came through the ballot box and
the same thing applies to any aspirant. God forbid it! self-actualisation
through human blood and violence is very distasteful.
However, the combatants pretend to be oblivious to the cumulative
neg ative impact of their kamikaze politics on the very existence of
Somaliland. Locally,mobilising and shutling bus loads of armed
unemployed youth to the vicinity of parliament was a reckless
attempt that should never happen again. The recent loss of life, the
destruction of private and public property, as well as the looting
that took place is the sole responsibility of Kulmiye party. The
blood of Our major cities
RESPECT FOR LAW AND ORDER
The right to peaceful demonstration is guaranteed under our
Constitution and it should be exercised within its legal limits. The
encouragement of civil commotion does not constitute an exercise of
any political freedom. To demonstrate peacefully, one needs to
obtain the permission of the concerned authority with following
stipulations:
The date and the time of the demonstration;
Duration and the specific location of the demonstration;
Peaceful dispersal of the participants within the proscribed time;
Written surety against any vandalising, looting, or sabotaging of
any public or private property;
Police presence to maintain the law and order.
Once these minimum requirements are met, the government has no valid
reason to withhold the necessary permission. However, the aggrieved
party has every right to deliver his message through non-violent
means within the prescribed limits of the law. Regardless of our
consternation, loathing, or vilification of the conduct government
in power, and irrespec tive of the issues under contention,
reason and logic should prevail as long as the authority of such a
government is constituted through legitimate means.
THE WAY OUT
This nation has been through numerous testing times; yet we have
succe eded in resolving our differences through dialogue and not
through confr o ntation. This has been a unique character of
our society that has attracted the admiration of the international
community. The ugly events of September 12, 2009 have put a damper
on the credibility of Somaliland.
To conduct a fair and a free election, the results of the voter
registration should be
re-assessed properly so as to eliminate all the bogus registrants.
The current voter list are completely unreliable and can not form
the basis of a transparent election. The magnitude of the fraud
rendered the utility of the information untenable.
However, if the donor nations are prepared to salvage the voter
lists, a new independent party should be tasked to complete project
with speci fic time lines to deliver the result.
Sooner or later, we have to deal the issue of the formation of
political associations. The current three political parties should
not monopolise the politics of the nation. The sooner we address
this problem the better off we are in the long term. The current
bickering should stop somewhere. We created the monster and we need
to tame it once and for all.
Ahmed Ali Ibrahim Sabeyse
September 25, 2009
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