Ciidansuldaan, Somaliland is not sending the army to south. If the there is a union the amount of solders allowed under this agreement. they don't need to go immediately, there could be a period were they could still remain in Somaliland Also you said Somalia could be the same in ten years. Actually there won't be any union unless the south and Mogadishu are stabilized. It is peaceful Somalia join already peaceful Somaliland. You may even share the first five years only currency, foreign policy, trade( flights and vehicle traffic), . you may even see growth, jobs and harmony. We will spend our money in infrastructure instead of security. Dalmer, after ten years of business, economic growth, direct modern airline travel and strong nation that can't be bullied by the neighbors, The Somaliland people will vote to stay in this Union.

Puntland and Jubba states will exist as part of the federal system. Puntland minus Sool will exist. Xaaji you must remember the international community have a big stick. they are not forcing any bone but they are not begging veither. agreements must come through them. They give a lot of aid to both sides so they must haave some leverage.

ALso, the nationalists must swallow their pride. If they want a strong united Somalia, they must yield and accept concessions for Somaliland, otherwise they may not be a genuine nationalists. THe Eritrea model is too tasky for Somalia. The ten year period, in the 21st century of information highway and inter-commerce may change the hearts of the Somali people in general. They may realize or taste the advantage of the unity.

Xaaji, the way international types operate is there has to be a starting point. They can't say okay to separation, but a guideline. In south Sudan John Grang wanted autonomy and federalism, but he died accidently. The new leader said : separation is dignity:. For you where you start the process. You can't declare unilaterally so some kind of negotiation has to happen

I have been sitting with this information for a while. The changing conditions of the Somali Government in terms of security and internal squabbling last year made it difficult if these memorandum of understanding will ever be implemented. This Information is coming from the federal government side. The main issues discussed were security, financial corporation, parliamentary sets and international agreements between Somalia and international organizations. Turkey unlike me and you or other governments, explained or understood the Somali issue in their own terms. They said after the collapse of the Somali state, warlords and bad leaders took over the state and the neighboring powers took advantage on the situation. Somaliland was the only Somali entity that survived the mayhem. So, in order to bring back the state, the country must be rehabilitated and Somaliland should be encouraged to the union. They did not dwell about old history or Islamist groups or the so called factions. Rather than understand 4.5 or tribal machinations they started from common denominator. 1- Both sides agreed that to keep meeting on Ministerial levels and avoid languages that may harm the goodwill among the partners. 2- The process of merging must be preceded by confidence building measures and multilateral agreements. 3- The leader of Somaliland should be the President of the Union, while the Somali President becomes the Prime Minister. In this scenario Siilaanyo or his successor will be the head of state. Hassan Sheekh is gearing as the prime minister. Probably after he wins the next election. 4- All international agreements that connects The Somali Nation to the united nations mandated organizations must be brought under the control of Somalia, Among them International Air Traffic Control will be relocated to Hargeisa. That process has already started. 5- All agreed to reconfirm the London memorandum of understanding which state that: The Somaliland administration Shall be the only legitimate government that represents the Somaliland people. 6-The Siilaanyo government should work closely with all other communities that reside in Somaliland and resolve all outstanding issues peacefully. The "D" community are pushing Hassan Sheekh daily on Khaatumo, but, he can not break his promise. Their won't be Khaatumo or Awdal state. 7- relieve and development aid must be given directly to Somaliland. Europeans already have implemented the London Agreement. 8- Somaliland army will join as whole during the merger. up to 20,000 are agreed to come from Somaliland. Immediately after Siilaanyo signed this agreement, he gave Somaliland Military officers their ranks. He promoted about three dozen officers from Lieutenant to general. 9- the number of seats in the parliament, will be determined by census in Somaliland. That process is already underway and some of logistical issues have been studied by the donors. Somaliland demanded 40% the federal parliament. 10- A referendum will take place in Somaliland ten years after the union. The referendum was demanded by Somaliland in London and agreed that it should be after the union. 11- Turkey will start implementing major projects in Somaliland. 12- The merger agreements shall be ratified by both parliaments and the senate. There is no senate in Somalia, they must mean "Guuritida" Somaliland. !3- The seat of the Somali capital will be discussed further. 14-- both sides shall cooperate on all security matters and will fight terrorism together. Some may say, where is the document?. folks these are the samples of the conversation I had with a member of parliament who is well connected. They could be summed up in to six or seven major agreements.

Xaaji if the conditions do not change, the Mogadishu guys are the ones who have the logistical advantage. First Puntland Does not have the capacity to help khaatumo economically or financially, second the international community do not want any war in the region, they want to keep the status quo. On the issue of Mogadishu, Siilaanyo will not allow a northern to get that job. Galaydh want to try one more time, I don't know how he would achieve that, but he knows if Siilaanyo is ready he could take the whole thing without a big a effort.

Ditoore, mararka qaarkood waad asiibtaa. Galaydh is looking for the top job. He is un opportunist. If he want to help Khaatumo, he could have chosen to be " madaweyne Khaatumo". He is not interested to settle Taleex or even if Laascaanood was under Khaatumo. Also everyone is tired of "reer Koonfurka Qori isku Dhiibkooda" Mar Shariif, Maena Hassan Marna Baadiyow mise geedi, inta kale ma rootiyaa. Everything depends on the health of Siilaanyo. We all know Siilaanyo is a player, but if his condition doesn't improve Galaydh will have hard times. Khaatumo will not fly any where according to the guidelines of Igad, EU, Turkey and others. One of the first conditions Somaliland demanded in order to continue the dialogue with south and other multilateral agencies were that The Siilaanyo administration must be sole representative of that region. In order to push for united Somalia, Khaatumo was one of sacrifices given to Somaliland. Ali Khaliif finally realized these conditions.

Maybe I went too far, not everyone will be able leave. There will be always Somalis in east Africa for business and other purposes, but, you must have a base and a nation. If the Somali state is strong and stable, Somalis will be respected and their property safe guarded. common sense tells us that the total relocation of Somali business to Kenya was not sustainable.Hadii laguuuri karo ma ahan waa laguuri karaa. dalkii meelo badan ayaa nabad ah. I have seen Somalis who took their children from Canada and settled in Nairobi. or some who took their families there and came back to support them. Why not take them to Hargeisa. There are many safe places in the country. over fifty Somalis are killed in South Africa, if safety is an issue why don't they move back home or safer places.

It is not silly . If I were Hassan Sheekh I will keep the pressure on the Somalis in Kenya. Some of the business people were acting =like Somalia will never come back. Even those who made the money from piracy have built skyscrapers in Nairobi. Why not invest inside Somalia. Also the political class have settled. a year ago even "xildhibaanada" used to spend three weeks in Nairobi one week in Mogadishu. They are filling the hotels. all hot shot politicians have boat houses. Even Djiboutians are now buying homes, Siilaanyo family members are buying houses. Well this money should came back. If you keep playing with fire eventually you will catch the fire. Some of these businessmen were sympathetic with al-shabaab just few years ago before they switched allegiance. Stop the Meru khat and stop flying there for vacation or other visits. Let the Kikuyu manage their economy. Nairobi is not the center of Somali universe.

Dalmer, about ten years ago i even met some puntland's who want to secede like Somaliland. Puntland have a lot of potential like most Somali regions. One thing I respect about them is they do not occupy other peoples lands or initiate conflict in their land. They live and let live.

Apophis, economy is what what creating prosperity around the globe. The business community, if supervised may not rob as much as the government. If you have a restaurant and some company asks you to provide 100 plates of lunch a day or every few days, believe me , you would be happy to provide that services and you do not need to cheat. Even if they steal 10%, the job will be done. If you give that simple task to a government guy he may cut the lunch half, give some bribe to the businessman and deliver only 25 plates. They are stealing the salary of the solders by falsifying the names. Can you imagine these guys can not even deliver the soldiers o

I do not think there will be a war on that part. It has been quiet for 20 years.

I think puntland can't afford a war with Galmudug, so they must make peace with qaybdiid and work with them. This Dittore Osman is just putting fuel on fire. He must stop "booto".

Dittore, since you are saying the power stays with regions including the power to deal with international issues, why not advocate the dissolution of Somalia. You are an educated man who can understand that the regional states could have great stake on the internal economic growth, infrastructure, healthcare, education and other related matters. At the same time you need a federal government to unite and control the whole nation. If I were the president I would ask all military personnel in Galmudug, Puntland and Jubba must be incorporated. Hassan sheekh s not asking that which reinforces that the government is a Mogadishu based. Bahashan waxaan u malaynayaa in lakala diro ayaa la rabaa.

Dalmar, why are you advertising that your leader Cabdi qaybdiid committed genocide. you said he buried 500 people alive. don't you think he could be charged crime against humanity and taken to haig. That is serious business. I believe galmudug should get another leader who doesn't have tha kind of background.

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Absolutely, we can't have a centralized huge system that can build things like china or other centralized nations. THat era was from 1970-1977, were people feared the system. Also in this day and age fragmentation, it is hard to establish, find or organize a highly efficient bureaucracy that can implement government projects. You could contract out almost everything, from procurement to highway building and other services. Electricity in most cities today is run by private enterprise. they are cheaper and reliable, there are possibility of some government employee stealing the fuel. I believe less than ten years you could have some of the most modern services in electric, phone, internet and cable. You could have private companies building roads, ports and housing.

Doctor Kenedy, your proposal is really the only way to combat corruption. Libertarian free market economy is the only way. We already have a culture of free enterprise among the people. The role of the government in running the economy must be minimized to curb the looting. The stake of the citizens hold on the country will rise. The only way losers, criminals, thieves and others could make a living is by joining the government. They have no hope in the free market or others parts of the economy run by honest hard working entrepreneurs. The young educated Somalis must push for reforms or bring these new ideas in the sun.

I think it is a tradition among Somalis. In the eighties, you could see a guy will get a job in one of those places where they literally rob, and after a year or two he will build a big house which every one can se. Friends and family will praise him for his looting and he sends his mother to the Hajj. Except " man raxama Rabbi" it is part of the culture. What people do not realize is corruption eats the progress, and the poor will suffer.

Homunculus, I agree, no body is boss to anybody. it is their choice. Usually Suldaan and Garaads do not make this can of decisions easily. Some times they are wiped by the politician. Siyaasiyiin ayaa iska sii hormarisay, probably Galatdh and company. that does not mean Somali baa kala goysa. It is the only way to challenge Southern politicians.

Holac, what does these hedge fund managers do?. Aren't they suppose to manage other people's money. How come they are making all these millions ?.

These are the students of the Kacaan. There were more than five elections in most of the major government branches, like parliament, presidency and the city counselors. Of course it is democracy and change is taking place democratically. Having said that, the method they operate, and the government system is not different from the late Somalia of nineteen eighties. There are city counselors and a mayor, but they do not have schedule to follow or work with, no agenda to implement or , budget issues to deliberate. Cities and towns where where most of the people live, there is no system of government to follow. He may have been elected, but he works for the party in power, and he could be fired if does not follow. As long as these mayors play by the rule in the palace, they will not be touched. Here in Borama, the mayor printed a forgery invoice from India to steal money from the biggest cash cow of the city, the Slaughter House. Built by Kuwait, it processes every goat, cow and camel slaughtered in the city. it charges two, seven and ten from these animals. It makes about nine hundred dollars a month. They stole about $90,000 worth of money before the officials discovered. The Awdal attorney general accused and asked the removal of the Mayor while the trail takes place. The interior ministry in Hargeisa shut down the proceeding and the mayor kept his job. The system is static and will not change another ten years. They are not meant to be changed. We have passed the era of seventies where you experiment different kind of systems. in the 21st century, you do not need to reinvent the wheel. There are universal ways that governments throughout the world work, especially on the municipal level operate and collect taxes. . Governments, other than the national security of their citizens, most of their works concentrate on two major things, " Registry and Regulation" ( Kama soo hadho labadaas). You record the birth, the death, the property, the citizen and his identity whether it is number ID's, their income and their residency. If you don't do none of these, what you are is a group of people who settled in a community and decided to police themselves and create some form of government to in order to get along and survive. THroughout the Somali territories , it has always been like that. You may go the city and register your house and have some ownership in order to keep others from claiming your house ( in lagugu qabsado), but there are no property assessment or value. If you live in $300, 000 house or if you live a $10,000 house you may pay the same amount. THe biggest revenue and tax base for every city around the world is "property tax", can you imagine every house in Hargeisa or Borama paying his dues?, that could be millions. The problem is, before you collect money, you must set up a system that safeguards the tax. When I visited the Mayor in Borama, there were not one single computer in the age of the information highway, yet the business community have computers everywhere. There will never be a change even for another ten years. First, the diaspora propagandists who support the party in power or others who campaign to discredit any logical idea are everywhere. When you tell them a problem that could be fixed or corrected, they will tell you the usual " dadku weli ma bisla". THe assume the people are not ready for change. The fact is, the people have never been challenged or shown new way of doing things. The people are smart and adaptable easily, especially on technology and other changes. They pay their bills with their phone. YOu put money in your phone, and like a credit card use everywhere you go. IT is not the people , it is the incompetent managers who do not have the creativity and the imagination to experiment new ideas. I remember, a friend of mine who visited Dahir Rayaale, he said when you point to him easy things that could be implemented, he used to say " waar hadaan intan ka adkanay oo nabadii sugnay" , or similar things. How long do people wave the flag and talk about the peace that Somaliland gained. It is more than twenty years, you can not hide behind the peace issue or compare Somaliland by the standard of the south Somalia. Second, there are both and educated diaspora members who have joined the government in different capacities and losers who left their " mafrushes" in the diaspora who gained high positions through nepotism or by being the organizers of the party. The educated class of the diaspora are in the cabinet. The biggest issue within these group is they are not interested to implement or reorganize major departments that deal with fundamental issue of reform and rule of law. These jobs need meticulous and painstaking work to achieve. None of the them are interested to spend time and energy to implement these reforms. MOst if not all of these ministers from the diaspora are involved ministeries that may bring some foreign investment or donor aid. They do not want to be bean counters in an obscure ministry to deal with registration or other headaches. It has been over twenty years and so far there are no any mechanism to register people and their properly. Every five or ten years they must wait a foreign donor agency to release the money for voter registration or the election itself will be delayed. Are you telling me you can not find a group of highly organized Somalilanders specialized in data entry otr other sciences to do this job ?. As I noted before, there are doctors and other educated people of high caliber, but they are not in the government. Do yo remember during Kacaanka, government posts were dominated by people with questionable qualifications, well it is here. Last week or so in the news there was a doctor called Macow, who came to Hargeisa to cure people and make some money, the vice minister who were accused of cancelling the visa and overruled health minister Xagla toosiye, was a guy from Seattle Washington, who used to sell Khat in the city. Third, these changes can't be implemented by one or two people. It must be participated by the people, government and media. A system, micro managed from a palace or dark room can't achieve that. Paranoid government officials who trust only their kin will never reach a change. One of the biggest failures of the Somali government in the early eighties were, the Somali elite and the bureaucracy hated the Kacaan way of doing things and abandoned before even the civil war started. Musiq maasuq Soomaali waa meheredeediiye. This is the biggest cancer in every corner of the Somali people. Whether they live in the diaspora or back home. The " Boono", or a corrupt receipt. The Boono or the receipt is an Italian thing that became famous in Somalia in nineteen eighties. The way it works is, a government minister or a top official from the ruling class will write for you an invoice to buy a commodity from the government controlled industries. It could be fuel, pasta, chemicals or merchandise produced in these factories. A boon for 4000 boxes of pasta will be written by the minister to be purchased in a whole sale price. . The holder of the Boono does not have a business nor the money to buy, so he transfers the Boono to a businessman who buys in a wholesale price, then he pays the Boono holder The difference between the market and the whole sale. In that scheme the Boono holder makes money without doing anything. The other type of Boono is the government will write direct Boono to be cashed in the nations bank. The thirty five years old corruption and injustice. When I came back to Hargeisa, I visited a uncle of mine who was the Accountant General of Somaliland. These titles will remand you the former Kacaan. How about the Minister of Planning ( qorshaynta qaranka). only in the socialist economies you will find these titles. Any way he was the chairman of Kulmiye party in Awdal. After Siilaanyo became president he was appointed as the Accountant General. In 1975, he was " Xisaabiyaha gobolka woqooyi Galbeed". In those days everything was centralised. T he ministry of finance decided the expenditure of the regional governments. One day a a member of the " Xisbiga", wanted money for one of his activities, and asked the accountant to release certain amount. Qalib, being the early serious Somali bureaucrats of his time refused to release unless the minister approves. When the news reached the governor of the North West by the name of Bile Rafle Guuleed, he became angry, and ordered the arrest of the accountant. The accountant spent one ful month in jail without trail. After friends contacted the ministry in Mogadishu , they finally released him fro jail. Disappointed in and angry, he decided to leave his post and the country. for the next twenty years he spent working in the gulf country financial institutions and finally came back home in the nineties. Just like Mogadishu of yester years the Boono system took a big hold in Somaliland. During Rayaale the Boono was used almost in all government invoicing. When I visited the accountant in his office, he told me he leaves his office sometimes six in the evening. Before he left for treatment for his illness, another hard line bureaucrat minister Mohamed Haashi instructed the accountant to keep an eye on the finance and do not let these bogus Boono to empty the bank. The problem is Hirsi and company have to reward for those who helped them win the election. Every Ali and Omar in town comes with these Boono and demands cash. He said that if he approves every one these Boono, their won't be any money for the public employees, so I have to delay some, refuse some and pay others. One day before I visited him, The vice minister of finance, another incompetent who left Alberta two year eleir to join the Siilaanyo campaign, came and threatened him for to fire him if he keeps refusing these Government issued Boono. He said, " waar Wasaarada ma anagaa maamula mise adiga", Since the minister is not here, he is in charge. The accountant did not back down. In his mind he thought the government will back him up by safeguarding the nation's finance. Finally the Chief cabinet, Hirsi showed up and told him " waar nin madax adag ayaad noqotay ee xilka waan kaa wareejinayaa". The accountant was expecting to have a meeting with the President and explain the reasons for his refusal of these Boono. What he did not know is, Hirsi is in charge and his word is final. The next day he was fired. Soon after he got a job from one of NGO's and he never felt better in his life and said he has no regrets. Some of my family members said " waar ninku doqonsanaa, jeeg markuu qoraba isna muu mid qorto, cidna wax ma weydiiseen si fiicana wuu u qoyi lahaa". They felt an opportunity to get rich was missed by this hard headed bureaucrat. The more you go south, the corruption gets even worse. While in Somaliland we are dealing with few thousands or small time corruptions, in the south of Somalia, we are talking about hundred of millions. How about a county without order for twenty some years and when a light comes at end of the tunnel, the southern politician want to rob all the money sitting in a foreign bank. For them the whole life measured in a "beeso". If that was Bile Raffle yesterday, it is Hirsi now. They say the more things change the more they stay the same.

I think a mistake made last time when Ina cali shire attacked taleex in order to stop the Khaatumo "shir". again he threatened a war. now, no war has taken place, it was an invitation from the locals. Somaliland may even protect for Ali khaliif to hold his khaatumo shir. Puntland must avoid war on this.

A/qaasim was a follower not a leader. This group of guys are different from the both the founding fathers and the dictators. They do not have the greatness, the history or honours of these statesmen, nor they have the ruthlessness of the dictators. but they had few things in common. First they are all educated men. Ali Khaliif has a PHD in government and public administration. In fact he was one of the first Somalis who gained that distinction. Ahmed Siilaanyo has Masters degree in business and economy. C/qaasim has enough education. Although they call him Dr. C/qaasim, he is neither a medical doctor nor a holder of doctorate, but it is one of those bogus titles southerners always like to be addressed. Hassan Sheekh is the most educated president of Somalia since 1960, he has a Masters degree in technical education. I do not know what that means but, again it is a southern thing. Any way he is a well educated man. Some are wondering what Ali khaliif is doing there. Well Ali and Siilaanyo are inseparable. Together, they share some the events that shaped the trajectory the nations leaders have taken. We shall come on that part, but first the Carta president. This group works and the water. It is difficult for the naked eye to see their plots. That is why I will be spending a lot of ink to expose their machinations. Looks like someone is prempting me on my stories, I have prepared some insights between Siilaanyo and Ali khaliif, I will try to write as soon as possible before these events proceed my stories. Follower not a leader. A/qaasim Salaad Hassan, started from the top like most of his friends from that era. As soon as he came back from Russia. . As we noted in the previous articles we are not looking the biography of these men but the impacts they had on the journey of the nation. Since these articles are of the cuf bios, we will start from when he joined the cabinet. Legend says, that C/qasim's dad was killed by a man who shred subclan With Siyaad Barre, since then He never missed the cut to make the cabinet. IHe was the last Interior Minister of Siyaad barre responsible for so many issues regarding security. Yet when Somalis convened in Carta, Djibouti to select a transitional national government , he was one of the main candidates . Although he went to Carta early, the idea to convene a somali conference of reconciliation and restoration of the state wasn't his idea. A man by the name of Mohamed Abshir Haamaan, went to Hargeisa in 1999 to meet Then President Cigaal. Abshirt and Cigaal were some of the longest prisoners of Siyaad barre after the revolution. They were in Jail from 1969- 1979. When Siyaad made rapprochement with west and particularly the Americans, they pressured him to release these the two men. In 1999 Cigaal visited the United States as the president of Somaliland. He met some congressmen and officials from the sate department . I was in The States at the time, and read in one of the articles in which Cigaal complaint the Ignorance of the American congressmen by mixing Somalia and Somaliland. He said" I am trying to explain our history and government , but they think I was talking about Somalia. The problem is for an American congressman fro Georgia or Nebraska, the only reason they probably heard about Somalia is through Black hawk Down or other claminities. Finally Cigaal met Susan Rice, then undersecretary of African affairs. while Cigaal was in Washington a Puntlander who was friend of mine shawed me an article from the noted bi-weekly, newsmagazine "The Economist". In the paper their was a map of Somalia., inside you see the separate map of Somaliland. In that map there was a huge junk of Somaliland , almost a their of the land marked with colors and written "disputed land". In the ensuing debate the lady told him Cigaal to resolve these issue, and keep the stability of the area under you control. Some other people told me that the meeting was unsuccessful. The Puntlander who was at the time promoting the one year old Puntland administration founded in 1998, said that Ms. rice showed Cigaal that map, and jokingly added hawshan anagaa ka soo shaqaynay". Any way Cigaal organized a referendum in 1999, in Somaliland and the Sool region did not participate. In the light of these events, Cigaal visited Nairobi. While their he met The former members of the Somali regime and other during the civilian rule in Nairobi, now refugees waiting for miracle. Cigaal was saddened by the condition and the state of the Sonali affairs. There were a lot of discussions and almost all of them urged him to do something. Some reports said Cigaal being a very generous, gave around Fifty thousand dollars for Shaxaad among his old friends. Although there were a lot noises in Hargeisa about people saying " in uu na afduubuu rabaa", cigaal wanted to to hold a national reconciliation conference in Hargeisa. As soon aS Geele and the opportunists heard these rumors, they went in full gear to hijack the proposed plan. Geele who was a member of the vice police of Djibouti ( I will not say more than that since SOL is a family site), took over from his Uncle Hassan Guuleed in 1998. Immediately after his uncle become the president of Djibouti in 1977, Geele , first became the body guard of the president, then , the security chief. By 1991, he became the chief cabinet of the government. THis is the same title Hirsi Ali Hassan of Somaliland holds today. He was't part of the cabinet , but was running the country from the Palace. If you hear "wasiirka Madaxtooyada", it is the chief of staff of the president masquerading both as a minister and palace insider. only the feudal systems do. YOu guys probably remember Farah Abdulqadir who was the campaign chairman of Qoslaaye turned Wasiirka madaxtooyada. Mohamed abshir agreed with Cigaal that as soon as Parliament is selected, they may even bring to Hargeisa to reciprocate the action the northerners did in 1960. While Abshir and others are working to bring north and south, the opportunists embarked to implement their agenda. Some of the major mistakes Carta did was huge. First , rather than incorporate the regional governments that have achieved some kind of government and stability, they decided to invite the clans directly. In Somaliland, you had a functioning government and a senior Somali politician. Geele called the hargeisa and Borama elders directly and ignored Cigaal, who was in the politics before he was even started walking. He also ignored Puntland who had established a government. Instead of minimizing the fragmentation they encouraged it. A group of southerners, led by Abdiqasim, C/raxman Baadiyow , hassan Abshir, Mohamed A. Yusuf and Cali khaliif with guidance of Geele implimented a new Tribal system called 4.5. I remember listening from the news a delegation from Muqdisho, among them Cali kinmiko saying, that Somalia is entering a new territory, which will add fuel to the fire. Any way Geele and the opportunists decided that since A/qasim's clan won the war to control the capital, the power should be given to them. Almost everyone accepted the notion that since his clan militia controlled the capital , they may bring peace. What they ignored was , A/qaasim was one of " kacaanka" guys, and he does not have any influence among those who supported Caydiid to fight Siyaad Barre. When the election finally came, the two remaining candidates to choose from were two cousins from the same sub clan. After A/qaasim was selected, members of the international communities and some neighboring countries, requested that the prime minister should be given to he missing group, and specifically named A/lahi yusuf. By the year 2000 C/laahi yusuf had the support of most of the warlords and he helped the formation in Baidoa of the D&M administration. While foriegn governments have their own agenda, it would have minimized the opposition to the governmrnt . Any way, C/qaasim nominated Cali khaliif and a government among friends were stablished. When the president landed in Mogadishu half million people welcomed him. There were hope in the air. The elders of mogadishu who were mostly HAG Sultans, met Aqaasim and gave him two impoertand adiveses. They said " laba mid kala dooro", first, make peace with warlords and work with them or use your capacity as a president and defeat them ( Iska hor Kaxee). Muuse suudi who was by now one of the main proteganists of Mogadishu summed up his statement toward the new government. When asked what is he going to do since a A/qaasim is coming, He said " Areey haday Bir Noqotana waa Ka Leexahaynaa, hadday bac noqotana waa Bujihaynaa". roughly means " if the governmrent becomes Iron , will get out of her way, but if it a baloon, we will take it out of it". Well, as Muuse predicted it became a baloon. Rather than challenge the status qua, he decided to settle in a hotel called Ramadan. The man who suppose to be spread heading the first legitimate government of Somalia since 1991, decided to be a broker( Dilaal). When you compare the kind of opposition faced by C/lahi yusuf, Shariif ahmed and Hassan sheekh, it was one of the weakest challenges. I used to wonder how Muuse Suudi, a man who didn't even finish grade three is blocking the restoration of the state. " waar si uun baan iskaga hor dhaqaajin lahaa, xeelad iyo xal waxay noqotaba". Rather defeat them, he decided to co-habit with them in the city. when he flies to foreign capitals ( It is becoming a ritual of every Somali president), he goes through the Cismaan Caato check points in Kilometer 7, and flies from Balidoogle, since Muqadishu airport was closed. On the other hand the warlords did not pother him or target him personally. It was agreed that each side must be left to his schemes. the oppostion sqeezed him and forced him to hide in a hotel. Rather than make the tough decisions to move forward, he became the first president who introduced the firing of the prime minister without a just cause. He was the man who started the buying of the parliament. Rather than build a national army he encouraged the formation of local militia. Those who were trying to build a national army, they proposed to select a neutral man who should not be either HAG or SAHAL. they agreed an able general from the Awdal region, General Talan. Just before he was appointed, assassins murdered him inside a restaurant, among those accused were general Galaal. During his term, A/qaasim was unable to pay even $50 dollars for the members of the army. To make the matters worse, he became the first legitimate president to import illegal currency within a year of being selected. A group of men from his sub clan in the diaspora, contracted a company called American Bank Notes in Ottawa, Canada. The company engraves stocks and bond currencies world wide. They spent about Six million dollars, for the production and took the money with containers. Reports say that they took about 900 billion shilings. THey coincided when the government recieved major aid money from the gulf. Saudi Arabia gave the president $17 million dollars in his first visit. The way it works is when people go Hawals companies to receive the remittance from abroad , they need local money for their d other transactions that need Somali shiling. So, they take the dollars from the people and in return they give people the bogus money. I heard they made 60-90 million dollars in six months. Some of that money was later used for radio station, media and other legal businesses. a/qaasim was the man who nurtured the so called Islamic courts in Mogadishu. During his time Aweys and others demonstrated openly for Osama Bin Laden in the streets of Mogadishu. The difference between the dictators and the opportunists is the latter are looting the money from the system while they are in charge. C/laahi Yuusuf may have been ruthless, but he did not probably took any money to enrich himself. Some may say, how do I know?, the fact is i do not know, but one thing I know is that i have seen his children, work in the oil batch and other places of employment like most of us. I bet you would not be saying the same thing about the children of A.qaasim, Geedi, Rayaale, Farmaajo and others. A/qaasim, not only was blamed others on his failures, but paved the way for te religious extremists to take hold in Somalia. He created big businesses who chose anarchy instead of the state. in his time business people created their own technicals for securities, rather than encourage legal authorities like local police stations. Finally when the time run out he decided to incorporated his opponents and went to Kenya to extend his term. After he fired his loyal prime minister Galaydh, the man who replaced him, prime minister Hassan Abshir, and the speaker of the parliament Abdalla Derow, signed the Impagati memorandum without his consent. having lost both the initiative and the direction of the EGAD led conference, he was defeated. Having said that , since his retirement from political and exile in Cairo, he is a good Citizen, always saying the right thing. Somalidu bwaxay tidhaa" ayax teg eedna reeb". I consider A/qasimk one of the great failures of the Somali leadership at the crucial moment. next the Cali khaliif and Siilaanyo , they were together for more than forty years, their chapters in history is not done,..........

Dalmar, why do you want these brothers to fight. We have enough war among Somalis. Wakhti kala guura ayaa lagu jiraa, qof walbow meeshaad joogta, iska joog. No need for war