Waryaa Norf Yusuf, The young Mike Tyson, Chimera, has puffed and huffed and raised dust and dung like a teaser bull, all to come down to our conclusion that the only way forward is compromise. I think with that he accepted that Ahmed Madoobe is a reality, not a clown like Barre who could be wished away. So, which clip are you watching? We don't see a knock out here!

Chimera;953128 wrote: Compromise ; A settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions . Isn't this the central argument I have been advancing through the course of this thread? Maxaad ii daalinaysay kolkaa? And who are the 'each side' you refer to? As long as President Hassan doesn't accept Madoobe as the 'other side' to be negotiated with, where does the path for compromise start from? Bashe, I did not miss anything. I don't think the legitimacy Faroole or Ahmed Madoobe has is equal to that of President Hassan. In fact, it is because I think he has more legitimacy by virtue of being the national leader, that I demand more from him and I put more responsibility for what goes wrong on his shoulders? But, I agree with your summary that President Hassan seems to have a problem of distinguishing his personal views and preferences from the agreed upon national views as stipulated in the Constitution. It is his insistence to trust his judgment over the collective opinions of the country that will prove to be his major undoing! With the Gedo governor appointed by Prime Minister Saacid now recognizing Ahmed Madoobe, I want to know if Gabbal still thinks Gedo is not onboard. And I want to reiterate that compromise is the only solution. But it would have been far better if President Hassan had the foresight and vision to foresee that this was coming and could have saved us the embarrassment of foreign leaders mediating between him and a leader of a fiefdom. It fatally diminishes his stature as a national leader. He will find himself in more invidious positions if he does not fire his current advisors and get some real brains by his side.

Chimera;953076 wrote: One example, the UK: - Functioning health facilities supported by UKaid increased from 15 to 60 - Proportion of under-five children fully vaccinated increased from 45% to 65% - Use of contraception increased from 1% to 10% - At least 45,000 sustainable jobs created, of which 15,000 will be for women - £6 million in private investments mobilised, and the business environment improved through infrastructure projects - 16 districts supported to expand access to basic services, and the number of people accessing security and justice increased by 50% - 500,000 people a year provided with basic humanitarian assistance --- UKGov That is real progress, and through donor money. Oh! Chimera! what are statistics without a timeframe or a baseline! These supposed achievements are for which duration? Since September 2012 when the new Government was elected or since last five years? Remember, we are juding the role this current administration has or had in the rise of donor funding, not whether donor funding per se is important or not! Second, WFP feeds 1.8 million people per month in south Somalia. UNICEF provides nutritional support to over 300,000 children per month. WASH services reach over 2.5 million people in Somalia. Blah, blah, blah.... Statistics in Somalia mean nothing and often are false because we are privy to how they are manufactured! don't get me started! Just go visit IDP camps in Mogadishu and then read the websites of humanitarian agencies and tell me if what you read remotely relates to what you observed. False data presented by NGOs who operate in a context where there is no monitoring framework is suspect. The UK statistics is derived from reports these humanitarian agencies submit to DFID and other donors. When I am not doing palaver in this site, I deal with figures and I can tell you up front what you quoted is trash! But you have the right to disagree with me and you are entitled to your maudlin gullibility. We are discussing the Federal government as if this is its second term, its only been in power for less than a year. However the absolute vital recognition of the Somali government for the first time in decades is a serious game-changer, and now we are in a period where the government is signing deals and attending conventions for reconstruction and development funds. We are only giving opinions on what they have done so far and the outlook. We are not writing the government off. So, calm down. As to whether the recognition of the Somali Government is actually for the "first time", I am not sure. Abdullahi Yusuf's government was recognized internationally. Sheikh Sharif was recognized internationally. That meeting with Obama and the wording that came out was not correct! No one cared to correct it, and the Hassan government actually printed the statement and posted on the walls of Mogadishu streets. So, again, I don't think it is a game-changer. What is a game-changer is the defeat of Alshabab and progress in setting up governance structures. Are you really surprised by that after the decades of shameless tuugnimo eminating from Villa Somalia? This Federal Government did not start with a clean slate in their eyes, it had to contend with the fact that the highest offices and the whole Somali political scene in the country was utterly tarnished by the corruption of previous administrations. No, I am not surprised by anything. But I will not congratulate the current government for achievements they have done nothing to contribute to. Not because I don't like the Government, but because it is wrong to give credit where there is none. Through reforms and other measures it has managed to regain the trust of donors, and now they are waiting in line to support the government. Good news. But financial reforms in Mogadishu, while good, are not game-changers, as I outlined above. Changing the unfavorable geo-politics exemplified by Ethiopia's and Kenya's meddling and bringing the feuding clans together is the game-changer. Maintaining security and progress is just as important as establishing security and progress. The Federal government is improving and expanding upon the work of previous admins, as a national government should, Somalia is more important than any single administration. You did not show any evidence for your assertion, but I am fine with it. In any case, security is really in the hands of others and the government is a follower in that front! Truthfully Sheikh Sharif was going nowhere during his period with Nur, but he was lucky to have two Prime-ministers that were both competent and skilled managers to take vital steps forward. I was talking about Sheikh Sharif's Government, not him as a person, the same way I am talking about the Hassan government when I refer it President Hassan, and not the man himself! Actually the EU, UK and US support in terms of development for these regions is absolutely vital, and contributes in major way to their progress. However neither Somaliland nor Puntland can match the capabilities of a national government recognized by the world and with access to funds that could transform those regions. In fact all of their heavy infrastructure, be it roads or deepsea ports date back to the previous central governments. It is vital but if you visit Hargeisa and Garowe, the growth and development you immediately feel is what the locals built! Agree about most of the infrastructure being from previous central government, but then where did I say regions should go by themselves? I did not argue that if regions are fine, we don't need a national government! I realize that the return of the central Somalia state is indispensable, but that it may return in different shape and format! at least for now! It would be erroneous to assume that Jubbaland can immediately be compared to regions like Somaliland or Puntland, the latter are decades old and went through a lot to get to where they are today. Do the people of the Jubbas have another decade or two to spare before actual concrete development is ushered in? You need the Federal government for that, and having your regional president ignoring that same entity is not wise. Straw man fallacy! He who made that argument should step forward and defend it. Poor Abtigiis has nothing to do with it. I reject this! Why are the leaders of Jubbaland so different from the leaders of Ahlu Sunnah with regards to the Federal government? Why are the leaders of Jubbaland so different from the leaders of Galmudug with regards to the Federal government? Why are the leaders of Jubbaland so different from the leaders of Puntland with regards to the Federal government? I see respect for the highest offices there, I see acceptance of the government's national and international status there. Ahlu sunna is not a region, and actually their man in Jubba is fine with the Jubbaland thing. Jubbaland leaders seem to be more conciliatory than Puntland vis-à-vis their relationship with the national government. The return of this or that delegation from the airport is the same as the daily humiliation government decrees face inside Mogadishu with District Chairman's refusing to accept it! Why is it different to Galmudug? You know the answer! Refer to Ngonge's 'it is the clan ******' jingo! I would accept Ahmed Madoobe's Jubbaland project on those terms, but unfortunately, the kind of respect you are referencing is only shown to Uhurro Kenyatta, a president of a foreign country... This is true! it is shameful Ahmed Madoobe is running to Nairobi days after his election, validating that he is a stooge of foreigners! But in history, stooges shaped the destiny of countries. Sadly. Had Moses Tshombe not conspired with Belgian's to kill Lumumba, Congo's current predicament may have been averted! The import of this being that we need solutions to thwart this threat not curses! If assuaging the ego of Ahmed Madoobe can undermine Kenya's grand schemes, why not try it? But one thing you should know is that had it been the case that it is only Ahmed Madoobe running to Nairobi with his community denouncing him as a traitor, it would have been easy. The majority of SAHAL community will be cheering Ahmed Madoobe for running to the cocoon of Kenyatta. if this doesn't tell you, how deep the divisions in our community are, I don't know what else will help you see that predicament! The majority of SAHAL including nearly all of their representatives in the same National Government in Mogadishu, which you support! Wake up! Here, I see you are dreaming. P.S. please don't mind the delivery of my message. It is not civil, I know it. But then if we all act in civil way in this forum, this place will be too serious and we will die of ennui. :D

Alpha, waa khayr saaxiib! Ninkaas waan ku ceebeeys nahay; maanta ama bari ayaan la soo hadli doonaa. Ninyahow hawlaha aduunkaa iska badan oo wax kasta ku iloowsiin! Sida kale waa maqlay inaad gabdho badan uniform ka May aydhiin ( May 18) u tooshay doorkan!

^ It would help this discussion if eland bulls, who do part time trolling part time masturbating with teen peers, keep away from gatecrashing into the duel of grown-up men with cotton tuft hair! :D Otherwise, Alpha, how is Ambassador and Hargeisa? You can't complain. At least your skin is made for Africa. You can't tell me you got a tan since you left the barren cold Island - Albion. :D

The healthcare, education and economic reforms will positively benefit millions of Somalis, in the form of schools, hospitals/immunization campaigns, trade and agriculture, investment funds and reconstruction projects. A new state in the Jubbas would not be capable of providing such drastic changes that the Federal Government through its international gains and reconstructed institutions will be capable of delivering. That you chose the "control of airspace" out of that long list of achievements is disingeneous Abtigiis, and you know it. Chimera, you are equally if not more disingenuous because you are putting words into my mouth. No where in this debate did I imply that health, education and economic developments will not benefit ordinary Somalis. Of course, your assertion that progress in these key areas will come or have came from donor money (international) is erroneous and not supported by evidence . First, Somalia has enough resources, which if marshaled responsibly, can transform its people. Primarily, it needs peace and the creation of an enabling environment for growth and investment, over and above donor money. But I do not dispute international support will help, although no major changes from the international donors really happened after the formation of the Federal Government. 99% of donor money is still channeled through humanitarian and development non-governmental agencies! So, I do not know why you imply the little progress in Mogadishu has to do with the current government. Security improvements -largely due to international support - allowed for Somalis to invest in their country and if you are giving that credit to Hassan Sheikh, so be it. I would have thought Sheikh Sharif laid the foundations for the serious engagement of the international community! Second, Somaliland and Puntland, have registered much more progress with lesser international backing. So, if peace returns to the Jubbaland, economic progress and socio-economic developments will be achieved. I am in no way belittling the very crucial role a fully-functioning national government plays to speed up economic recovery, growth and transformation, but I am alerting you to the fact that economic development and health and education are not a factor of the typology of government that exists (regional/national), they are a factor of the quality of governance! Be it at national level or regional level. Third, my point was that without security and national healing, any progress be it economic or diplomatic is prone to reversals and is not sustainable. On both fronts, security and national healing, the performance of the national government so far is wanting! Also, if I have to choose between the total absence of government or a government that has political issues with a certain region(still largely under the yoke of Al-Shabaab), but at the same time is making serious progress, I will always choose the latter option, 10 out of 10 times. I will do the same. But it seems as if you are confusing centralized government with national government! I want Somalia to have a solid and unified national government. But if the current reality is that regional states will continue to exist, then I am of the opinion that what you call a government is the sum total of these regional states! by the way, I am a centralist when it comes to the centralist-Federalist debate. But I think we should move in phases. Right now, the national mood is allergic to centralized system of governance. That there are foreign interests in Somalia undermining the Federal government, be it Ethiopian or Kenyan interests is not a conspiracy theory, unless we consider Siad Barre's hand in Ethiopia's past misery as a fairy tale, we passed on to the next generation. How many times did I say Ethiopia, Kenya and foreigners are messing Somalia in this forum? So, you are preaching to the converted here. But that our main ailment is domestic and not foreigners meddling is also not a conspiracy theory or my flimsy concoction! So, tell me how we can sort out our mess, while we stand against foreigners at the same time. I will follow you. I trust this government, I don't trust what's happening in Kismayo, that's my position. I trust the intention of the national government too. I DON'T trust its competency to deal with the issues at hand. I don't trust what is happening in Kismaayo, but I don't think trust should be an issue in this matter. I want solutions. And I proposed one. President Hassan must accept the reality that is called Jubbaland and Ahmed Madoobe and his henchmen must adhere to the national constitution and give the national government the respect and the role it deserves. ONLY then, will we be able to stand up to Kenyan meddling. A house divided... Oodweyne, adiga Somalia hawlaheeda talo lagaa waydiin maayo oo waan is ognahaye, Burco, Oodweyne, Xaaji Saalax iyo Maqaayada Inanta side lagu yahay? Soow roobkii ma di'in? Bahashii Somaliland aheyd se soow ma dhaqaaqin oo ma duulin? :D

Dear Qansaxmeygaag, But clearly that normative discussion on what the legislative should do is irrelevant at this stage in the case of Jubbaland. One, the Jubballand process preceded the new parliament and was a work on progress. At least that is the claim of its proponents. Second, the proposed 'top-down' approach of appointing a Governor to regions who will in turn lead the process of the formation of regional states may look as a way of circumventing the bottom-up approach and I personally think it will do more harm than good. The drawback of the current format of clans establishing regional states is not perfect but I believe it is more practical than to ask the legislative (itself divided along clan lines as we can see whenever the submit motions) to take charge of. The moment the Governor you appointed for Bay and Bakool is seen to be favouring a particular clan, you will have raging battles in the same Parliament and accusations that the Federal Government or part of it is supporting this clan against that clan. The proposed top-down approach is therefore not an insurance against clan tussle; it merely exports the tussles at community level to the parliament stage. Third, even if that approach is to be used for upcoming regional states, its relevance for Jubbaland is clearly undermined by the current reality. The only way it can work for Jubbas is if it is supported by a military campaign against the pro-Jubbaland forces. If you endorse that option, let me know. My argument will then go back to what I posted above about what the government to do to stop IGAD and others seen as the funders of the project. The Jubbaland can only be derailed if the clans in that region start fighting each other. It cannot be stopped just because the President is insisting on some legalistic processes that in effect are blunt instruments. Even if the top-down approach is adopted and implemented, I doubt if it will cater for the needs of different regions. I don't think one fit for all format is the right way for the various challenges in different regions. As many others noticed, I may be too quick to write-off the President. I agree we should give him time -at least the four first term years - to see if his approaches bear fruit. If they do, fine. If they don't then I may bore you with "I told you so" baloney, but far more than my advertisement of self-worth is the stake of Somalia. Somalia will be in bad shape and that is the tragedy. Ngonge, Chimera is a genius, whether you like it or not. But his list of achievement of the government is selective and exaggerated. I deal with some of the things he ascribed for the government and the government's role is pathetic. Furthermore, all of the things he listed are the least that worry me now. The main political issues that can make or break Somalia are not in Chimera's list. I agree with you about the criticality of addressing the internal problems rather than exaggerate the international gains, which in the real sense amount to nothing and do not change the living conditions of Somalis. Giving Somalia's airspace from UNDP to government is an inconsequential and symbolic victory, whose lustre will fade in few weeks. It means little to the millions of Somalis suffering from war and hunger.

Dear Gabbal, Horta goojisga ogolow…iyo in lagu maago. Xumaana ha u qaadaan, ragu wuu ismaagaa. Koleey nin adag inaad tahay unban kuu maagay ee hadii kale with tremendous respect for both of them - Oba Hiloowle iyo Xaaji Xundjuf - baan isku qaadi lahaa! :D On the issues, (1) It is a logical fallacy to argue that because B comes after A, A is the reason for B. I do not support Jubbaland nor do I reject it. I told you I have no preferred choice on that issue. Therefore your assertion that I support IGAD is not correct. The gist of my argument is if IGAD is wrong, whose job it is to confront it and stop it? Is that not the role of President Hassan and the current leadership? Let them do that and you will see whether I will support the FG of Somalia or IGAD. The point being President Hassan cannot continue to lavish Ethiopia and Kenya with laudatory epithets and grandiose rhetoric of how supportive they are by day, and cannot whine about their interference and backstabbing by night. If what matters to him is his tenure, which I suspect is the case, he will dance around like he is currently doing because he fears irking Ethiopia and Kenya will shorten his political life. If what matters to him is the conviction that he should stand for the interest of his country – and is ready to accept the consequences of his decisions – he will ask IGAD to stop undermining him. If he is not doing the latter, it is clear his main interest is about political self-preservation and not about Somalia. And by the way, he does not have to be right about his assumptions about IGAD’s role, all that matters is that he makes up his mind and acts decisively, whatever the outcome. In so doing, he realizes that he finds himself in a tricky situation: if he miscalculates Somalia’s political muscles vis a vis these foreign powers, or where the international communities' loyalty lies in this duel, he will be remembered as a foolish President who let Somalia down. If he wins the battle and succeeds in bringing the country back, he will go down in history as the savior of Somalia. It is his call. But it is also our call to analyze and give opinions on the consequences of the choices available to him! (2) Under 1, I have discussed the scenario where we have externalized all of Somalia’s problems. But that is not the case. The political division and clan mistrust in Somalia is not made in Japan. It is of our own making and it is a clear and pervasive ailment we face. Standing up to Kenya, Ethiopia and IGAD or any other power, when we the country is deeply divided may not yield much success. In fact, it WILL not. Therefore, the starting point for the current leadership is not to confront and whine about foreign meddling, more so when the same leadership relies on foreign troops and in some cases attempts to use them to quell domestic insurrection as in the case when Mohamed Amin is flown by Amisom to Kismaayo and President Hassan requests Amisom to impose him as a governor. It simply defies logic and mathematics combined why the current leadership wants to let the excellent to be the enemy of the good. If certain regions –of course not through perfect process – set up a Jubbaland State, which accepts to come under the Federal Government of Somalia (unlike some other regions), and if you know fighting that cause is going to lead to unknown outcomes ( Alshabab resurgence, foreign-backed civil war, waning of international support, and polarization along clan lines domestically), why take the risk of opposing the process or let your god-knows-where-it-came-from “We will send Governors who will lead the formation of regional states” ONE FIT FOR ALL foolish concept derail political progress in Somalia. More so, when you failed to replace the Deputy Governor of Darkeynleey district in Mogadishu – just across villa Somalia –this week? The role of good leadership is not to whine, or prostrate before God for divine intervention, it is to assess your strengths, your weaknesses, your opportunities and risks and make decisions. In the present situation, opposing IGAD is an action. Calling for Qatari or Egyptian or El Salvadorean army to come and replace Amisom in Kismaayo is an action. Putting togather a multi-clan national contingent that goes and ‘frees’ Kismaayo from Ahmed Madoobe is an action. Is the President going to do any of this? Sitting in Mogadishu and issuing statements that do not mean anything or relying on warlords to do your job in Kismaayo at the risk of implosion which will not benefit the national cause is not an action! It is inaction! It is bad leadership! (3) Acting like a normal President in an abnormal country is downright foolishness or at best delusional. Somalia’s current government neither has a “monopoly on violence” – a key requirement for any State – nor can provide basic services to its people. This is the overbearing reality. President Hassan instead thinks just because he was given a legal mandate, he can issue orders and expects all to implement and accept it. The banning of the UN flights from Hargeisa last week is an example. President Hassan can issue a statement, but that can’t help the UN. Which means, international actors will be forced to disregard his statements and to work with the real authorities. It is power play. It is the norm of international politics. This crippling inability to look at the mirror and distinguish if the inflated muscles you see on your shoulders are yours or borrowed ones is President Hassan’s major foible. (4) Maybe this one isn’t a big matter. But President Hassan is both a micro-manager and extremely opinionated person. None of those qualities are good enough to lead a small 4x4 office let alone bring back a country under the earth. The art of compromise demands little ego. He is full of ego. Statesmanship requires rising above the immediate cheerleading supporters or constituencies and taking tough and unpopular decisions. Don’t expect that from him. As one 2012 President Candidate I met commented, President Hassan thinks “just by the mere election of him and his team, Somalia has moved miles. Somalia has got the magical Elixir.” (5) The last point is about the difference between you and me. I don’t know Jubba nor do I claim it to be my home. Apart from sharing the associational blame I reap by virtue of lineage, it is not true I am concerned about who rules that place or who owns it. For me, I am interested in the Jubbas, the same way I am interested in Somaliland. And I proffer my opinions on the basis of the singular standpoint that Somalia must come back. If President Hassan kills Ahmed Madoobe this morning by using the Benadir donkey carts as drones or with a curse, I couldn’t care less. But I want him to show us that he has a coherent strategy to deal with the myriad of political challenges in Somalia, Kismaayo being one! Whining, cursing, fumbling, praying, faataxo, calling Bare Hiiraale (when you say the problem is Kenya on the other side of your mouth), is not a strategy! It has a name. It is called DESPERATION! And a leadership in desperation only leads a country to despair! You, on the other hand, is emotionally attached to the outcomes of the ongoing processes and have a preferred outcome. For all your anger about the marginalization or the lesser share your community got, there are many peaceful clans (I will not call them minority for there is no proof that is the case, I am talking about bajuunis, camel-lovers, bantus, D&M etc), who feel your clan is getting disproportionate share in Jubbas and particularly in Kismaayo. There are some who think your people were planted there during the revolution days. I know better and don't agree with that. But this should tell you that there are conflicting and divergent narratives and the worst a leader can do now is to try to appease all sides. He must do what works given the context. Sida kale talooyinkaaga dib baan u eegi ee bal adiguna Kenya iyo waxan lagugu qufulay dib u eeg oo xal ka baxsan ka sanduuqa aad hada ku jirto ah raadi. For me, compromise is the only solution, and if that means President Hassan will have to sleep with a mad militia leader like Ahmed Madoobe temporarily, it is a good thing. If he can sleep with Barre Hiiraale and Bare can solve the Kenyan menace, it is fine too. Wa bilaahi tawfiik, meesha wixii gaf iyo is xagxagasho ah eek a dacana ha laga raali ahaado, ileen foodleey xaflad meel ay ku dhigatay oo la isu wada heesayo ma ahee! Apophis, I think you can get the answer as to what Ahmed Madoobe can do to allay the fears of the FGS from my last lines to Gabbal. Compromise. But for that to happen, I believe President Hassan must accept Madoobe as a reality. As long as Madoobe is not accepted, in fairness, there is little compromise he can make. If he is accepted, he should allow the FGS to have decisions on the composition of his administration, on port revenues, FGS to take the leadership in the national army, aviation etc. Afterall, he will only end up to be a Governor even in a Federal State, for Federalism is not what Faroole is crying for. Federalism is not to have 6 President’s with equal powers. Horey ha loo socodo, marka Muqdisho hagaagto ee dhaqaale iyo wax walba ay dawlada dhexe heesho, awoodaha regional adminstrations gradually waa la soo uruurin doonaa, laakin hadda ma ha. genius, Good question there! Nin Yaaban caruurtii baa badatay, dee gaboowna wuu jiraa! that is why I can't spend more time as I used to do. 53 jir dee inay Oba is haystaan mar walbana waa laga fiican yahay. :D

Dismissing far-sighted nationalists who rise above ugly but hegemonic ideas as day dreamers is the natural vocation of implacable political opportunists or naive beings. Chimera is therefore lucky he is guilty of day-dreaming in the context of Somali politics, for the allegation in fact is a confirmation of his status as a bonafide patriot. When faced with the dilemma of either ingesting a filthy reality or embracing a redeeming day-dream, it is far better to pick the latter. You can see and compare the fates of those who have already made their choice: the first choice sired Gabbal, the latter Chimera. It is your choice who you want to be. Taleexi, what you said was the moral of the my post but I allowed my rants against Gabbal and the rest of the cabals in the forum to stultify the conclusions. In truth, I am not very angry with the goat-skinners, I am provoking them.

Dear Gabbal, I hear you and I am guilty of many things. Obviously, I am not defending myself here for I am sure I have many foibles. So, I will look through the list of the issues you raised on my person and will deal with those I can and will leave those I can’t shed. Can I count on you doing a bit of introspection and really questioning yourself if hate and clan ego does not motivate you? It may be true that you are an impeccable nationalist we misunderstood, we don’t live with you. We only judge the positions you take in this forum and the last few months were painful to watch. On the Kismaayo issue, people have taken two positions: one group claims to oppose it based on principle, the principle being that the process is foreign-driven and flawed. The other group supports it arguing the process is legitimate and consultative enough. Within both groups, you have people who are sincere and some who are mischievous. It is hard to tell who is sincere and who is using principles to push a sinister agenda. Xinnfanin belongs to one group; Oba Hiloowle belongs to the other. You do not belong to both these groups. What is incontestable is that you have shown lots of ill-will and hate for a particular clan, a clan which you could not resist to badmouth even when you were defending yourself against the charge that you are motivated by clan interest. That level of hate is not normal. (1) It is false to ascribe the Jubbaland issue to Kenya. Kenya may be messing up, Kenya may be doing bad things, but the clans who want this administration will still want the regional administration even if Kenya doesn’t desire it. This is one of the mischiefs I see in your arguments. You twist the facts because acknowledging it defeats your verity. The current geopolitics may be favouring a particular clan to the detriment of the interests of the other clans. That cannot be gainsaid. But to claim that the favoured clan is there simply because Kenya wished it and will disappear if it doesn’t is not true. You peddle that lie with impish abandon. Can you clan chase away the favoured clan if Kenya withdraws? Probably yes. But does that mean that will be the end of the story? Maybe not! So, don’t bring down the bigger historical claim and counter-claims over Kismaayo to the Kenyan invasion alone! (2) In the morning, you imply that you are ready to support the Jubbaland process if it is to lead to particular outcome. In the afternoon, when a different outcome is projected, you reject it. This is what makes you unique and what given the impression that your support or rejection has nothing to do with principle. (3) You are not open-minded about the solution. For instance, it seems you would prefer if war starts in Kismaayo today rather than if a compromise is reached, if that comprise in any way includes a deal that keeps Ahmed Madoobe or a member of his clan in power. It seems you think it is the end of the world if your community does not take the helm in Kismaayo. You must disabuse yourself of this fanaticism. Somalia does not disappear because a particular political settlement in a one town is unjust – assuming it is unjust. There are lots of injustices in the country, but justice is not the exclusive problem of Kismaayo alone nor the priority right now. Pacifying the country and winning the war against Alshabab is the priority. You prefer Alshabab’s revival instead of seeing Ahmed Madoobe ruling Kismaayo. This is abnormal, because Ahmed Madoobe is saying he recognizes the government, but Alshabab doesn’t want to see the government you support. So, how can you support the enemy of the government you purport to like and support? It is this conditional support that scares me about you. There are many things that can be said. Let us just hope I will reflect on the deficiencies you highlighted and you will look at those I raised about you. To the extent each of us finds things to correct and we shed some bad traits and thoughts and we embrace new positive values, this confrontation would be useful. Ngonge, If the driver is zig-zagging the steering and crushing already quarrelling passengers against each other, the first thing to be done is to stop the car and bring on a driver that can steady the car. That is the immediate solution. The durable solution though is to resolve the conflict between the passengers once they are firmly seated in their seats but still not talking to each other. It may be unfair to focus on Gabbal alone when we have all shown clannish tendencies at one time or another, but I believe he is the worst offender and he is too serious about this clan thing. That is my perception. I don't focus on Oodweyne, and the SL contingent because I know their needlessly solicitous fixation on Kismaayo is to them only part of the larger "Ictiraaf" scheme. Nothing more, nothing less. The Ictiraaf can only come if the south continues to implode, that is the logic. So, whatever ignites fire in the south is to be supported and cheered.

Somalia is internationally and spiritually back. You sense the return of hope when you go to Mogadishu. But the current positive development in the international arena are not matched by political progress inside the country. And the President and his team seem to be victims of doctrine-based politics and are in the mood of imposing their 'solutions' on regions. The goodwill in the International stage may soon be reversed if there is no progress between SL and South Somalia, PL and the Federal Government, and if the Jubbaland saga leads to violence. It will also be lost if Alshabab's threat increases. The President has his ideas about how the Federal system should work. It may be good, it may be bad. But unless he is ready to listen to other regions and is willing to compromise here and there, I can't see him going far with Puntland, for example. You should also know there is mounting backlash against him even among his constituency. There are signs the goodwill he enjoyed when he was elected is already lost and we are entering the era of motions, counter-motions and impeachment fetish. All of this is distracting. I think Hassan may have good heart but I just can't see him coming up with the requisite flexibility and problem-solving ingenuity that the challenges require. You may call me a pessimist. But in truth, I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist. I am a pragmatist. For me, the glass is neither half-full nor half-empty, it is twice as big as it needs to be. :D Tallabo, waan ku salaamay walaal, but don't disgrace yourself by telling me you haven't noticed the razor-sharp intellect of Chimera before today.

As Someone for whom I have immense respect and who is clearly not among the loony club of goat-skinners I were attacking in this post, including their infamous chef de band Gabbal, it is hard to disagree with you. You are always one step ahead and I learn a lot each time you speak in this forum. And this is not flattery, for one of my debilitating weakness is to be economical with appreciation for people. I mean it. While I agree with the gist of your conclusion, I will say the jury is yet out on the current leadership at best. I think you will agree with that. What happens in the next one year and the progress of the political processes in the country will determine whether we owe them an apology for slighting them prematurely or whether they should be hanged for taking the country down. So, let's wait and see. Judging by what I see, I think they will not deliver and I believe this is the conclusion of many well-informed Somalis. But still, it is good to give time to people. BTW, with profound sadness I have learned that the bright Carafaat is now the black and white Eshu - the sprit of confusion and oscillation - and is a Somali patriot before lunch and an ardent agitator of communal strife in the South after dinner. How times change.

Dear Gabbal, What you posted as an alibi may prove I can be crude and coarse, but no, inconsistency? Nah! In truth, I find the language I used when I called for the impeachment of President Hassan few moons ago, woefully awkward. But given how things transpired since then, how remarkably prescient I was. All of the allegations I made are no more allegations but an incontestable reality. I said the President would rather have a civil war than allow a particular clan dominate the politics of Jubbas. I said he is trying to use a certain community as a pebble to advance that cause. I think the aborted fart of Bare Hiiraale is the alibi. I said there is a risk of civil war. We have not seen the polarization we witness today for the last 10 years, even during the Ethiopian invasion. I felt impeaching the President may be the first step towards saving the country. I still feel the same way. What changed is that I have realized that I must keep my wish to myself but allow the matter to run its course and leave it to the legislative branch. In any case, as you know, both you and me do nothing but talk in this forum. I am yet to see you deposing a President or carrying a poor women in labour to the delivery ward by way of civic altruism. And therefore, my call for impeachment would not amount to anything beyond the "fart a dog breaks out to put off a furnace" to quote the Immortal Achebe. My current position - and yes the thoughts of sensible human beings do mutate - is that the present political challenges need a mature political leadership and the problem is no longer about who owns what but the existence of a prudent leadership that can navigate through this problem. I do not have a predetermined and preferred outcome. There are only two foundational guiding principles that must not be breached: one, there should be no return to civil war; two, the unity of the country must be maintained. It is therefore my humble submission that the critical problem in Somalia today is a crisis of leadership. Your position last year, and the year before last, and today, - and yes intellectual midgets mistake intransigence for consistency and rarely do alter their thoughts - remains that unless your clan gets a particular town, there should be no peace. It is this undiluted madness that I object to. I do realize the current arrangement in Kismaayo is favouring a particular clan, which also is not right. However, if I were to witness Barrel Hiirale taking Kismayo tomorrow and his community dominating that town, I would have supported that status quo rather than call for mayhem. For I believe, the debate about who owns a town or land is as pointless as who owns the sky. In due course, when law and order comes back to Somalia, it is he who has money who will own land and town, not the fool who recounts ancestral domicile. Waranle, thanks walaal.

Macsaro Discourse We are living in dauntingly interesting and draining times. The age of Internet has solved old questions, amended our ways of living, dashed yesterday’s verities, imposed uncomfortable certainties, doubts and ethos,and ushered in new problems. I am in no mood to expound on this loaded assertion. That is for another day. What I am interested in is highlighting an often overlooked adverse product of the proliferation of internet –the advent of puny pundits and social commentators. It is a clear and present malady, more so when it comes to Somalia. Men with the skills and acumen of a mere goat-skinner dissect politics, tender opinions on weighty technical matters ranging from financial regulation to environmental protection, and issue admonitions and even intimidations via glistening gadgets without suffering the slightest reflexive embarrassment or self-pity. Kindly indulge me for this stylistic superfluity. Let me go to the heart of the matter I wish to raise in this installment. A lot of things have been said and written about the political problems in Somalia. Nearly one thousand clan websites share information and analysis on the causes of the problem and offer ideas on solutions. Innumerable foreign “experts” and reporters divulge who is doing what, why and where in Somalia on an hourly basis. There is no dearth of information or analysis about the problems our Somalia faces. I see little value in re-broadcasting the information and news alerts on the politics section of Somaliaonline when the odds are most members would have seen it or heard it elsewhere. But, I can see that some people might find it useful to get the updates consolidated in one forum. That is not my problem but it is a problem when the same information is posted and reposted under tens of different title, just because some vindictive fool with a laptop or another gadget feels irked enough to even out “the biased” headlines posted by a member of a “rival” clan. There sure must be another way of doing that without boring others by recycling stories. My core problem is when the pertinent and broader national conversation is ignored in favour of petty tit-for-tats. My problem is when discussions follow the disorienting circles camels that rotate wheels to refine macsaro oil in Muqdisho markets make. Misreading a cloudless day Currently, the Kismayo issue and the pitfalls of political processes in Somalia dominate the headlines. Contrasting emotions of national buoyancy and national anxiety co-exist. In time like this, real analysts assess the myriad of political events and issues not in silos and in isolation but in conjunction with temporal and spatial precedents and best examples, and as a sub-plot of a wider socio-economic, demographic and moral transformations of our society. Analyzing the tussle over Kismayo under the theoretical framework of sovereignty, Kenyan invasion, clan expansionism, and HAG Vs SAHAL is not only misleading but pointless. I am not saying these issues must not be factored in when analyzing the problems we face. But these issues must not be treated as the causes of the malady, they are symptoms. But that is not happening. Missing the bigger picture and relishing in side-shows is an abiding and ductile feature of our national body politick and communal consciousness. Will Hassan consult Gramsci? The dual disease in Somalia is leadership failure and the erosion of individual moral responsibility. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was not begged to lead this nation. He stepped forward and volunteered to take the challenge assuring us that he has what it takes to deliver. And he knew he will not be leading law-abiding and affluent Brunei or a country with impeccable institutions like Norway. He and the other dozen Presidential candidates who run for office knew or should have known that what they were seeking was to lead a broken nation. The enormity of the task should have been clear to them, unless their singular interest in seeking the Presidency was about flying to foreign capitals and ensconcing on shiny Sofas in luxurious hotels. The Kismaayo problem, the Somaliland enigma, the Khaatumo confusion, the Puntland shenanigans are among the intricate and difficult tasks that President Hassan and his Government were entrusted to address and solve. It is simply unacceptable that men who cherish authority at the start, hide their inadequacies behind crass conspiracy theories and finger-pointing when they fail to discharge their responsibilities. Perhaps President Hassan should have consulted Gramsci so that he realizes the perils of “expiation speeches” – speeches that seek to direct attention away from the core problems of the day. Somalialand will not come back because he congratulated it on 18 May, a week after he denied its existence by asserting his authority over the territories it claims. Puntland will not come back because Djibouti sided with President Hassan. Jubbaland will not disappear because AMISOM will fly a Governor to Kismayo. All of his wishes may be good, but they will not materialize because he wished them or he made appealing perorations about this and that. The question is does he have the skills and acumen to handle these issues, even if we accept his vision? Hoodwinked plebeians It is even more shameful that people who elect and cheer leaders fall for the tricks of the misfit leaders they elected and start itemizing excuses and apologies on behalf of those who failed them. With authority comes responsibility, and the onus of getting Somalia right is not on the shoulders of Kenya, nor Ahmed Madoobe, nor Faroole, nor Amisom, nor some sleepy Prime Minister. The onus is firmly on the shoulders of the President, who is acting both as the Head of State and Head of Government, in clear breach of the Constitution. The onus is also on the Parliament which is the only body that can hold the President in check. If President Hassan succeeds, the end justifies the means; and if funding Barre Hiiraale can bring results, I am for it. We will applaud the President when four years from now we see that his one fit for all “I will-appoint-Governors- who-will-in-turn ‘appoint’ regional administrations” approach bears fruit. If he fails, and the country descends into chaos, it is only fair we hold him – not Uhuru Kenyatta or Faysal Ali Waraabe – responsible for what went wrong. In return, we should be fair to him and give him time. We should allow those whose job it is to check him, to do their job and call it the day when they feel it is the right time. I reckon it won’t be too far. Somalia will get right when the right leadership comes to power. A leadership that does not engage in conspiracy theories of the type ‘Obama is a close friend of young Kim in Korea’ and 'Ahmed Godane dines with Netanyehu every Saturday'. Doubting the Amen of a devil In the meantime, it is our responsibility to purge and banish the parochial theories of empty jars like Gabbal, characterized by his suicidal zero-sum 'tolka-takes-all-or-hell-breaks-loose' politics. We should laugh at Mintid Farayar who is fond of conspiracy theories and baseless conjectures. For Mintid, if a furious husband slaps an old lady in any parts of Somalia, it must be the case that a certain political group inside the country or even an intrusive foreign freemasons must have been behind it! We should get careful when grey-haired secessionist Oodweyne sings praise about resources in Southern Somalia and crys “Congo”, suddenly morphing into a Somali nationalist upset with foreign exploitation of Somali resources. Surely, Oodweyne will not get ulcers because Somalia is pilfered! We should ask a question or two when misguided characters like Che hide behind simulated nationalism in their nostalgia for extremist theological state. We should tell Gabbal that it would do a lot of good if they could spare us endless threads and inks by making their nude points with poems, as their alter-ego in medieval ages were wont to do when they were doing the same job this reconstructed village boy is trying to do in this modern time. For instance, he could have parted with these beautiful lines, which summarize his feelings, and we would have got his point the same way we get his English threads: “Waxaan dooni reer Cag-dheer, qiblada inaan u daayaaye Daantay Jiraan uma tukado, diinta la I farayee” People of my soil, we should not answer Amen to the Amens of the devil! Doubt, my people!, doubt!

Uxorious Ngonge is not only a committed family man, it now emerges. In what can only be described as atavistic literary ingenuity, he has composed a rendition of his villagetrait (compatriot) Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame (Hadrawi's) timeless "Togdheer song" for his other love: Shiisha. I received this poem from him courtesy of a facebook message. Taksiile suuqa joogaan Talafoon u dirayoo U tilmaamay bahashoon La soo taw dheh ku idhe Isma tarin dhaqaaquu U tabaabushaasytoo Taab gaabnidiisay Naftu tiigsi awgii La tawaawacaysaa Ma traafik baa qabtay? Ma tilmaanti buu gafay? Mise tu yaruu qaaduu Tiir uu ku tiirshoo, taataabanyaa? Tolow miyey qaniintoo Tab aan loo fadhiyin iyo Tu hoosuu ka tuugsaday? Todobaatan jeer baan Tuujiyey indhaha oo Siday timo haldhaaleey Ula tagtay shiishadaydii Taah iyo xaraariyo dawakh baan la toosaa!" :D

:D NG, caruurta baratay sida loo akhriyo SOLna sidee laga yeeli. My son asks me these days you are not opening the "camelthreads..whatever!" to quote him? We share the computer at times...markaa wuu nacay meeshan i mashquulisa!! :D Gheele iyo rag baa ii muqda ee aan salaamo asxaabta.

Ngonge, thank you. You have raised a very important and timely discussion. Personally, I have been one of those who used to peddle clan jingoism in this forum, almost always for self-amusement and to enliven the political section with humoruos and often stereotypical brickbats. To my utter dismay, I have discovered that what we do here for fun, others are actually doing for real. The level of clanish vitroil and preoccupation with the latest interest of the Tolka is distressing. Now, what do you call Gabbal's "I am for Jubaland, but if so and so clan is to be the head, I am not for it". What do you call the craze with which Xinnfanin is ululating for a Jubbaland, a Jubbaland that he wants at all cost, even at the expense of the the disintegration of the central government! Having finished all I could say in the General section (and having reached a milestone where it is no longer possible for me to utter carnal nonesense without risking my progeny reading it on SOL), the politics section would have been the only place to ventilate humour. But it is turned into a section that summarizes all the gibberish rer heberl Vs rer hebel baloney that the likes of Puntlandi and Kismaayonews are running day in, day out. I will be lying if I don't say finding many Somali live friends have also partially reduced my appetite for virtual banter. :D Afterall, I joined this site when I was Zimbabwe and when hearing one Somali joke meant the sky and the earth for me.

I was having tea with these Puntladers, my favorite friends these days, when one of them got emotional and told me: " war ninyahow heestan ku dayo Puntland, ku dayo Puntland ayaan heesaha ugu jeclahay." I was cursing the retrogression or rather stagnation of our people and was wondering how new identities are superseding the noble Somalinimo. Ready to confront him, I asked him why? I was expecting him to give me the Faroole philosophy which you all know about and which underpins the moral ground for the existence of this fiefdom at the expense of the national government. But his response shocked and entertained me in equal measures. " marka magaalooyinka la tiriniaayo heestan, Burtinle ayaa loogu horeeysiiyaa!" He said. Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. Is there any doubt who he is? Aaaaaah! Rer-Xirsi pride!

Last week was a euerka moment for Ogade.een intellectals. For one full year now, every O intellectual I meet was confused, staring blindly at the sky, trees and the hollow air for answers to one nagging and painful puzzle. Why and how a vulger killer who massacred O civiliians in a scale no one could have imagined was gaining popularity by the day was an engima to everybody. "Is it you and so and so who are spreading good words about Iley" you ask any member of a subclan. The denials and outrages were vehement. "No!". How dare you suspect me or us to be saying good thing about Iley when so and so is in detention or hebel was brutually tortured and killed in this or that prisons, everyone retorts. Cajab!!! If every O intellectual is not saying one good word about Iley, why is he becoming a D-block hero -" tormentor of secessionsts, conqueror of Kismaayo"etc?? Last week, I solved the mystery and briefied a group of very influencial O intellectuals. The roof was nearly blown with a mix of laughter and ecstasy once I announced the source of our confusion. " you see brothers" I said, " our killer is morphing into a king. We are not crowning him. The elders of Fiiq and Sheygosh or Banbas are not putting the laurels on his thick neck. Nor does he need us or these elders to don the crown. It is not because of Universal TV or money paid to diaspora spin doctors that he is becoming a star politician. We can do nothing about this. None of these would have raised the whirlwind that swept us for a year now. The whirlwind is Puntlanders' propaganda. It is Puntlanders who are cheerleading the lionization of the petty tyrant Iley." No one disagreed. The men took after me and provided not only the evidence for the validity of the assertions I made, but why Puntlanders are marketing this baloney. It dawned on us that the old rivalries of D vs H is being exported into our region by self-seeking Puntlanders and that we are a mere pawn in a bigger high-stake politics played inside Somalia. Our questions as people oppressed by Ethiopia, our pain, our casualties do not count for much; they can wait. Bringing the Puntlanders back to the helm of Somalia's politics under the cover of reviving the D-block is the most urgent task. Our centuries-old sufferring should be deferred because our cousins need our numbers in the political casino that is Somalia. We must hate fellow Somalis - the HAG, chase them out from regions where they live in, hold Somalia hostage through the borrowed might of Kenya, so that a clan can show the middle finger to a rival one. The rhyme and the reason of Xinnfanin's adulatory bait is about this. In the Somali Region, we never had a D Vs H problem. The narrative is now changing even in Jigjiga. The tone is hardening against the people closest to us - the Somalilanders. Extremist O members and mischievious Puntland political elites have perfected the art of scare-mongering to create scenarios of doom if Kismayo is shared. I personally have no problem with that outcome. My problem is to wrestle political rights from the regime in Addis Ababa. What kills us is normalizing to tyranny, not sharing Kismaayo. We should fight the right war not the wrong ones others pick for us. We cannot always pick the foul carrion meant for political i.d.i.o.t.s scavenger like! Puntland has a problem. It is called Mogadisho. We have a problem. It is called Addis Ababa. They are not helping us fight Addis; we shouldn't fight their wars with Muqdisho. Xinnfanin's post is the formal validation of what we have been suspecting all along. The perceptive Lenin once said that Imperialists cannonize dead revolutionaries to blunt living revolutionary ideas!!! They do so by misrepresenting the positions of the dead revolutionaries who could no longer speak for themselves. Puntlanders' canonization of the O is intended to blunt our legitimate struggle against oppression, make us shirk our moral responsibility of resisting subjugation, and instead make us fight wars in lands where we are already free and equal citizens like the rest of Somalis. We should look for peace in Somaligalbeed, but we should fight HAG in the jubbaland. Peace and compromise is better than fighting futile wars in Somali-galbeed; but when it comes to Jubbaland, peace and compromise are defeat and shame. We mus fight the HAG and their Gedo "lackeys" to the last man. War is futile inside Somaligalbeed; peace is futile inside Jubbaland. That is the import of the canonization project!!!

Xaaji Xunjuf;905089 wrote: ...berigi hore anigu xabad English ah aqoon baan Micheal jackson dhegeysan jiray you mean 2010? ileen ilaa 2010 ingris maadan aqoone? :D

HAG views were under represented in this forum for a long period of time. I think the arrival of UNITED SOMALIA is a useful and timely addition.

Haatu, you have a point. They say music is an international language, but I think knowing the message adds more flavour. But you must understand when the Oba's of this forum say they like this song, in most cases what they like is the girls in the videos or the scenery. :D

I think Mela Belu,a promotional song preaching prevention of HIV/AIDS, was the most profound song of the last decade. In the video, the house of representatives are singing with the singers. Wyre, the old man with the white hair is Menelik Wossenachew (google for his other songs and you will be rewarded. He is the most underrated Ethiopian singer but that is mainly because he left the country during Mengistu regime and by the time he came back it was a different generation.Still, hugely revered. I think he was better than Tilahun Gessesse.) My favourite song Meskerem Birhanu's "Hilm Ayeheluish" - where she is singing about Ethiopia - Last night I saw a dream for you, ... and when the dawn arrives, and the clouds clear the dream as you predicted will come true...because the meaning of dreams depend on the translator (and the translator in this case wants this dream to be a good one...). Wyre and Carafaat, this is a MUST watch! (below). The girl is full of jinniyad and the song is very patriotic (for Ethiopians like Passerby). I am sure he doesn't know this song, but he will like it. It was released in 2006.

Loooooool@ the man in the first video. My name is Oozy, I have never been called Osman!! How did I miss that first time I watched!

When I narrate those stories, raise your concerns at the appropriate threads; don't ambush me when I make innocuous jokes elsewhere. Anyway, I got your point and I think that is enough. Thank you.