In response to Mr. Abdi Guled

[Gabbal]

In response to Mr. Abdi Guled's Article "A glimme of hope on the horizon for Gedo residents"

 

 

 

 

In order to move successfully to the future, we must look back to the past and learn from it. Even though our past introduces depressing stories, we must be prepared to bury the past with its distasteful memories. Closer examination of the past suggests that if we are to stay away from a repetition of the mistakes in the past, we must take a note of it, and we should not be ignorant and victims of the past. I have examined the forces that strengthen and divide societies and the forces that promote social stability, and have concluded that trust has a great impact on the unity of society. Trust is the key; therefore, this lost key must be located. If we do not put together workable strategies for unity and take critical steps to form an all inclusive political association, Gedo people will again be fighting in the midst of themselves. I think social change; social order and progress should work together to eliminate conflict and poverty.

 

I was so overwhelmed to read, observe and analyze the brilliant thoughts which Mr. Abdi Guled has put together. Mr. Guled recently wrote an article titled “Glimmer of hope on the horizon for Gedo residents†the article is well written, clear and indeed very informative. Not many of us think clearly and reasonably. Not many of Gedo intellectuals have attempt to identify Gedo problems, locate solutions, and shy away from asking hard questions. Not many of us have suggested some type of workable solution to the problem under investigation. By no means can Gedo intellectuals, politicians and religious leaders wash their hands clean of responsibility for the meaningless war. My simple advice to these groups is that when they wake up in the morning, they realize that they have been given a second chance, and do not hesitate to do good for the common interest. I appreciated Mr. Guled’s Article to the highest degree.

 

Humans are blessed with an amazing bio-computer brain. This is where intelligent and complicated behaviors are based. Unlike animals, we can think, predict, solve, create and invent things. For several years, I have been writing about Gedo’s past, present and future with reference to its culture, history, social and political issues. The purpose of my work was to give some insight into the origins of Gedo armed conflicts so that we can find viable solutions. By creating academic argument, I have been attempting to explore the right direction for further investigation in the light of reasoning and objectivity.

 

Needless to mention, for far too long, Gedo has been associated with armed conflicts, diseases and poverty. It became too divided and too weak to defend itself from external or internal attacks. However, the resolution of conflicts in Northern Districts of Gedo is an indication that Gedo people are maturing and ready for change.

 

History demonstrates that there are two ways of curing the ills of a society: by removing its causes and by controlling its effects. In order to do so one must recognize the ills, define the problem and come up with possible solutions. In the course of my investigation, I came to the conclusion that Gedo troubles cannot be attributed to a single cause nor do they represent a single underlying tendency. This means that there are multiple problems that require multiple solutions. Probable root causes include poverty, mistrust and lack of a visionary leader. Multiple consequences include power struggle, mistrust of leadership, dishonesty, animosity and greediness.

 

The lack of credible and visionary leadership has led the Gedo Region in the wrong direction. As a result, Gedo people are confused and lacked a clear political direction. Based on my studies, there is compelling evidence that Gedo needs a transformation. I have tried to show that the most prevalent factor of Gedo problem is mistrust and a lack of leadership. The most effective and successful visionary leader is the one who responses to the needs of his people and one who knows how to listen, respect and learn from other points of view, and appreciate their input and expertise. In the course of my studies of the Gedo region, I discovered that the collapse of the Somali National Front (SNF) was the caused by competition for resources that were scarce and for power. Unfortunately, this is the same problem that caused the collapse of the President M. S. Barre’s Government. History makes obvious that without visionary leadership, a society will pass away. The Gedo Region lacks a capable guardian with a clear picture of the future that works for all Gedo people.

 

It is my view that the absence of a commonality of ideas, the absent of modern thinkers and the absent of an intellectual movement can greatly be attributed to the Gedo misfortunes. What is needed is to educate Gedo people so that they can free themselves from the dependency of warlords. Through education and debate we are obliged to make some changes because our people are ready and capable of changing. â€Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is successâ€. However, the beginning is the most important and the most difficult part of the work. Let us begin to change systematically, and let us do it together for the sake of peace, development and growth. Let us play a role for the betterment of our society because where there is no vision, people will perish. If we want to change, we should not look to and blame neighboring countries and other Somali communities for our misfortunes; rather we should look into our problems and accept our responsibility. Honesty is the key to solving the conflicts; therefore, we must be honest with ourselves.

 

A better Gedo will grow from accepting, respecting, appreciating, and understanding one another as equal members of society. This enriches our communities and fosters harmony. For truly, is that not what our struggle is about? Aren’t we merely trying to lay the foundations for a brighter future for our children?

 

We must educate our people because education stands for:

 

E quality

 

Deteriorates

 

Until

 

Common

 

Attitude

 

Toward

 

Individual

 

Observes

 

Normative ideology

 

 

 

Thanks for reading. Comments are welcomed in the course of my email at raamoraaxo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Ali Malaaq Ahmed

Criminologist and political scientist

Jan. 3, 2005