Somaliland Vice President paints Bleak Picture for Somalia’s Secessionist Entity
By: Osman Jama Adam
“We don’t Know What is in This Constitution; it is in English and I can’t read or write English”
In a candid conversation with Diasporas Somalilanders the Vice-President of the self-declared Somaliland Republic painted a bleak picture of the economic and political crisis facing Somalia’s secessionists’ enclave. He shared with the audience, apparently in confidence, that he is in complete disagreement with President Riyaale with how the government handled the controversial issue of exporting livestock from the enclave.
Ahmed Yusuf Yassin (WayDhaqaaqDay)
On August 3, 2008 I was invited, I believe by mistake, to participate in a Tele-Conference organized by Somaliland American Council, a Washington-based Ad Hoc group dedicated to the lobbying for the recognition of Somaliland as a State independent from Somalia. The subject of the conference was “Current Situation in Somaliland’ and the Keynote Speaker was Ahmed Yusuf Yassin, Somaliland Vice President.
The following are the highlights of the Vice President presentations to an audience he believed was solely made up of the core constituency of the “Somaliland” Project.
1. The Government does not have the capacity to control events on the ground in Somaliland. “If a lawless teenager (Jirri) burns the Quran in the centre of Hargeisa, no government can do anything to stop it; let alone bring him to justice,” Mr. Yassin stated. He added if the government intervenes the whole incident would be turned into a clan against clan issue.
2. On the controversy over giving exclusive rights to a Saudi national to export livestock from the country, the Vice President stated that he is not in agreement with President Riyaale to give monopoly to a foreign national to export our livestock. However, in order for a free market to take effect for the export of livestock from Berbera we are required to come up with 3 million dollar deposit as a guarantee that the live stock is free from Rift Valley disease. The government does not have that kind of money; neither the business community.
3. Responding to a pre-submitted question on the Somaliland Constitution and how it relates to the controversy surrounding the export of livestock, the Vice President said that the Constitution was written 10 years ago in English by a Sudanese constitutional expert. No one is able to translate it accurately into Somali. Therefore, neither “the President nor myself know what is exactly in the Constitution.” “We need you, guys in the Diasporas, to translate this important document.”
4. In concluding his speech, the Vice President, who was calling from Burco, stated that the only good news I have for his Diasporas audience is that we succeeded in our long campaign to capture Las Anod. The key element in this campaign was, in advance of our militia invasion of Sool in 2007, we quietly and clandestinely sent dozens of former convicts, trained by our Ethiopian allies, to infiltrate the Sool communities in Adhi Cadey and Yagori. They settled and married from the community while all along providing intelligence, smuggling arms and recruiting local collaborators. The Vice-President added that they will continue following the same strategy in completing the occupation of Sool. At one point the Vice-President was enthusiastically interrupted by the tele-conference Moderator who gushed with glee that” “it seems we learned this strategy from our Protectors, the British, and thank God it is working! Laga Baray-ba; Laga Badi !!”
5. Also the Vice-President time and again reminded his audience that the Ethiopians are our friends and that you, meaning the Diasporas Somalilanders, not to listen to those who malign Ethiopia. He also praised and thanked international NGOs. He said without them Somaliland could not survive for a day. So every Somalilander overseas should try his best to bring one NGO.
As a staunch defender of Somali Unity in spite of our current crisis, this is the first time I participated in a “Somaliland” meeting whether by telephone or in person. I was flabbergasted by the contrast between Ahmed Yassin’s honest briefing on “Somaliland” current situation and the deafening boasts and naked propaganda of Diasporas Somalilanders that their ‘country’ is well-governed, peaceful, booming, and it is destined to be an international tourist destination. For a country that can not afford to come up with a 3 million dollar deposit, what do you expect the condition of the average Somali in Hargeisa and Burco?
Another question that comes to mind isn’t the Vice-President a member of the Somaliland Government? During his presentation he time and again spoke in the plural ‘We’. “We are against how the Government is handling the livestock issue.” Does the ‘We’ refer to a Somaliland Secret Society that excludes President Riyaale but includes the Vice-President, Ahmed Yusuf Yassin? I am just wondering. On the other hand does the ‘We’ refer to the Opposition? If so why is he still the Vice-President? In other jurisdictions in the world the Vice-President would have either voluntarily resigned or sacked by the President.
The Vice-President should be commended for his candor. He is popularly known in Somaliland as “WayDhaqaaq’day!,” meaning “Somaliland is on the Move”. It is a popular phrase he uses when addressing the masses at public events. But based on his presentation on August 3, 2008, it seems Somaliland “May Dhaqaa’qin.” i.e. Somaliland is not moving. On the contrary Somaliland is “stagnant” in a cesspool of dysfunctional governance that is plagued by crude divisive toxic clanism, sub-clanism and corruption.
In conclusion I wish to thank SomalilandAmericans for organizing an open Forum (albeit mute) for all those interested in the affair of “Somaliland”. It was an eye-opener and learning experience.
Osman Jama Adam
