Daydreaming about my Country

[ailamos]

So here it is, on a recent flight from NYC to San Diego I've had the time to write down some of the things I've daydreamed about while on the train going to/from work... they're all centered on the thirst and longing for our homeland, and I thought I'd share it with everyone.

 

I'm you all have some ideas as well, so please do share them. I'm certain I've missed a lot of things

 

• - get rid of all the AlShabaab goonies
• - get rid of the entire TFG, have a government comprised of this generations brightest both from inside and outside of Somalia
• - create a union of Somali regions in federal government that allows for the autonomy of the federal regions
• - Adopt the official name: The Federal Democratic Republic of the Somali People or The Somali Federation for short
• - create ministries of: foreign affairs, interior, agriculture and fisheries, natural resource conservation, petroleum and mineral resources, culture and heritage, Islamic affairs, transport, education, science and technology, defense, justice, finance, immigration, human rights and equality
• - have three 'capitals' in different regions e.g. the federal in muqdisho, administrative in hargeisa, and judicial in garowe ... so authority is not centralized in one region
• - a free educational system, a national healthcare system (NHS) and a national pension system
• - Healthcare facilities present in every settlement and village as well as the institution of services to the Nomadic communities
• - every citizen possesses a national ID card that allows the receipt of free services from the government and also allows visa-free travel to neighboring countries through agreements and treaties
• - start a government funded exchange program whereby Somali students (high school and university) can go to countries they're interested in and have international students, funded by their home governments, come to Somalia to learn about us
• - the empowerment of the industrial sector and indigenous products
• - the creation of an indigenous mechanical industry producing and exporting cars, trucks, heavy machinery, planes and marine equipment
• - advancement of the public transport sector with an extensive railroad system, bus network and low cost flights to other parts of Somalia, creating more jobs and independence from personal vehicles
• - the facilitation of fair trade deals with as many nations as possible and the creation of two national airlines, one headquartered in Hargeisa and another in Mogadishu to facilitate those business and tourism ties
• - having most major cities install a no-car zone in city centers to reduce CO2 emissions and encourage the use of the extensive public transport... and also applying a yearly tax per personal vehicle owned
• - create a country-wide network of renewable energy stations such as solar panels and wind turbines to enable both urban and remote communities to receive energy
• - encourage residents to purchase solar panels or other technologies in order to contribute to the national grid and reduce their energy costs
• - establishing national parks in different parts of the country (including ocean and beach areas) that have advanced conservation programs to maintain Somali flora and fauna particularly the endemic species
• - encourage tourism and foreign investment in the country with the guarantee of rule of law, respect for all and fairness and equality
• - advertise Somalia as one of the premier international vacation spots that rival nearby regions in the Middle East and East Africa...
• - Tourism slogans… e.g. "The longest coastal train trip in continental Africa... from the lovely beaches to Kismayo to the cultural heart of Saylac" ... something similar to the famed TransSiberian Railroad...
• - empower women and encourage them to take up jobs that are currently dominated by men... guarantee equal pay and instill a sense of gender equality in the society
• - institute a national Somali cultural center for the propagation and advancement of Somali culture and language around the world where there are members of the diaspora
• - Increase the literacy rates through the Somali cultural center and establish offices and centers in rural communities as well as service to the nomadic community
• - officially adopt the status of a neutral country and make peace with our neighbors
• - guarantee freedom of speech (this does not include hate/inflammatory speech), freedom of press, freedom of association and the freedom of worship
• - institute a culture of religious tolerance and understanding; allow the construction of churches and temples
• - establish Sunday-Thursday workday... Friday and Saturday are holidays... allow the flexibility for companies to institute a 10-hour workday and a three-day Friday-Sunday weekend
• - Institute a maximum of 15 minutes break per prayer time for employees
• - Minimum of three weeks and maximum of five weeks vacation per year per employee
• - 12 holidays per year [Prophet's Birthday, Eid Al Fitr (3), Eid Al Adha (3), 1st Muharram, Independence Day, End of Civil War (Federation Day), 1st of Ramadan, Labor Day]
• - propel Somalia as a multicultural society while at the same time preserving Somali culture and heritage
• - Ministry of culture and heritage fully encourages the arts and participates in international artistic events to showcase Somali artists as well as hosting events ourselves
• - advance the sports sector and take part in regional and international games
• - form international treaties that allow Somali citizens to have freedom of travel that rivals that of Western countries
• - create a world class educational system centered on wholesome learning where the core subjects in primary education are: Somali Heritage and Language, Science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry), Mathematics, World History & Geography, World Religions (with a focus of Islamic History)
• - Institute Somali National University in every region
• - Options for university studies include 3-year Bachelors, 2-year Masters and 4-year PhD ... free education benefits expire after these time limits
• - Somali higher degrees officially recognized by the ministries of education in the EU, USA, Canada, Australia/NZ, South Africa, India, Gulf States, Brazil and AU
• - Turn Somalia into a country of immigration rather than emigration
• - Allow permanent residency to foreigners after 5 years of continuous residence with no unlawful activity and without absences lasting more than 3 months
• - citizenship conferred upon permanent residents after 10 years of residency
• - citizenship test includes knowledge of Somali language, culture and history
• - Allow dual citizenship
• - Deny citizenship or residency to nationals of countries that deny Somalis residency or citizenship
• - At the age of 18 every citizen must undertake civil (non-military) service for a period of one year. This could be divided into eight months of service in Somalia and four months of service in one of Somalia's humanitarian missions abroad
• - Adopt the slogan: Unity, Equality, Prosperity
• - Create a police force that is there to 1. Serve, 2. Counsel, and 3. Protect. These values must be instilled in every cadet to avoid abuse of power

[B]

From the outset I should say that rural romanticism is a dangerous thing, its a distortion of reality, since your so removed from the place in which you seek to build. Worst of all your suggesting transplanting silly western ideas of governance to the motherland. We are a people of culture, history and intellectuality. Westernisation does not equate to modernisation. We need to make our benchmark of governance. you ideas are foreign, by arguing for these things, you inexplicably admit to the the dominance of the white man over the rest of mankind.

 

P.S - I particularly like your social policies. You remind me of a young Thomas Sankara.

 

B.

[ailamos]

Originally posted by B:

silly western ideas of governance

And what may those be?

[B]

Originally posted by ailamos:

[*]- citizenship test includes knowledge of Somali language, culture and history

interesting idea, but this will be discriminatory, how we define these factors and whose version will be used. Somalia is a diverse country. uniformity and convergence is to deny diversity and pluralism.

[B]

Originally posted by ailamos:

quote:Originally posted by B:

silly western ideas of governance

And what may those be?

for instance your whole argument is underpinned by the separation of powers.

[ailamos]

Originally posted by B:

quote:Originally posted by ailamos:

quote:

---

Originally posted by B:

silly western ideas of governance

And what may those be?

for instance your whole argument is underpinned by the separation of powers.

... did I explicity mention that? Whoa! B you sure exposed me for the secularist that I am... truly I am shocked!

[B]

Now, lets not let the conversation go to waste by being cynical. You started a fantastic thread, which has been lacking on these boards for some time now.

 

Again this idea of secularism is embedded in the enlightenment (funny they call it that) period, which among many things was overtly responsible for creating many things - including a denial of oral traditions and customary law of many African countries would be considered void under their positivist/legocentric (law has been written to be law) methodology. Also, they denied religion/custom because its architects were afraid it would endanger the supremacy of the law, not natural law but positive law.

 

People of Somalia and the global south ways of living is interlinked with socio-cultural realities and religious elements that most legocentric find difficult to incorporate into their analysis of secularism and the division between state and religion. This is overtly a western tradition, which should be contained in its places of origin, the whole idea of secularism is place-specific.

 

Given that Somalis emphasises the close link/overlap between law/religion any form of legal recognition of secularism in somalia, will shift in favour of religion - thereby endangering the laws supremacy as the secularist would argue.

 

What we need my friend is to recognise a process which doest turn into a combat scenario between Islamic extremists/ and militant atheist. The prosperity and richness of Somalia's religious identity is testament to the assertion that religion is as strong as the law, often forming the law.

[Fiqikhayre]

ailamoS that dream and system already exists in one part of Somalia, namely the Puntland State of Somalia.

 

Without wanting to politicise your thread I say this is the only rationale and way out of the quagmire that is a defunct Republic of Somalia.

 

These are noble goals and ideas to attain and Puntland State and its people have sworn a solemn oath that it will be part of a future federal republic of federations of Somali States that have signed the act of federation and union between them or they will not take part in anything that is regarded below the federal system, that is a solemn oath sworn by the people of Puntland.

 

The powers to be realise that the only system Somalia can come back together in a union of States is by the federal system, without it, Puntland will not negotiate for an alternative!

 

A unitary or a centralised system will not work. So the title of the country should be The Federal Republic of Somalia, the States with in should be called the National States of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

 

This only functional and fair system is despised by ignorant and ill-informed folks, anarchists, secessionists, long-term war profiteers, Looters.inc, clan wailers, small time criminals, idealists, supremacists and advocators for certain ignoble agendas, false nationalists in disguise of pan-somali etc.

 

^In short everything that is wrong with Somalia today.

 

We should all embrace federalism and build the building blocks that will eventually make up the federation of States that will come together under the Federal Republic of Somalia.

 

Each nation, ethnicity, tribe, clan, regions or people with similar interests should come together and form a platform to be a State that will be making up the future building blocks of the Federal Republic of Somalia. This is the only way forward a bottom up approach to the problem. Each village, district and region of that State should have its own revenue collection and say to how they will utilise it.

 

Each village, district, region and State will thus be accountable to its own and it will be up to its people how they progress and develop the area under their jurisdiction.

 

Long live the federal system and the State.

[Polanyi]

i guess they didn't have a tv on that flight.

[Showqi]

Great Topic Ailamos

 

karl_Polanyi , :mad: Rabshada jooji sxb.

[ailamos]

Originally posted by Karl_Polanyi:

i guess they didn't have a tv on that flight.

Spot on! It was a Delta flight... go figure

[Showqi]

Originally posted by ailamos:

quote:Originally posted by Karl_Polanyi:

i guess they didn't have a tv on that flight.

Spot on! It was a Delta flight... go figure

My appology Karl_polanyi I thought you were being Rabshoole,,,

[nuune]

My appology Karl_polanyi I thought you were being R

a

b

shoole

,,,

apologydu ma sidan baa, caadi maaha

[Showqi]

Nuune, Laqdabada jooji. Ee Threadkaan wixii ku darsan kartit ku darso

[nuune]

^^ Maxaan ku darsadaa markaan halkan marayo ayaan dhahay waa another Allow Sahal, no offense to Ailamos though!!

 

 

- guarantee freedom of speech (this does not include hate/inflammatory speech), freedom of press, freedom of association and the

freedom of worship