The Secret Of Somaliland Government – Part 28

[Deeq A.]

Mr. Hanad, why nations need leaders?,” asked Hinbir.
“Nations need leaders for the following reasons:-
a) Leaders lead nations to the right direction.
b) They tell people what to do, how they do it and why they do it.
c) They lead people by example.
d) They establish vision and then develop a course of action to achieve it.
e) They inspire, encourage and motivate people to accomplish incredible milestones together.
f) They organize and unite people as a functional force.
“How can you define leaders, generally?”
“Leaders are persons who are made up of what makes the persons that all other people are. What makes every leader unique is not when they pretend some people that they are not, as most S/land leaders do, but when they consistantly make people matter and come up with a skill or competency that previous leaders neglected.”
“But can how leaders prove their uniqueness practically?”
“Leaders, good ones in particular, prove their uniqueness by demonstrating that they are self-aware, which is how the individual who wants to become a leader develops his mindset and learns from mistakes, ensures how his behavior affects others, understands other peoples’ needs and feelings, interprets different situations, and responds to events that affect the whole nation.”

“Why one wants to lead others?,” asked.Hinbir.
“Generally, individuals who want to lead others are two types: Those who have the willingness to serve their people faithfully in the first place, before being chosen to lead and those whose primary aim and agenda are not to serve the people, but to steal the show in order to put their own interests before that of the people they want to lead.”
“What qualities do people want to look for in a leader?”
“S/land people never give care or consideration in leadership qualities such as experience, honesty, morality, compassion, and competence. They just give their special care and consideration in ensuring that the leader blongs to their clan. That is, Somalis’ only aim in having leaders.”
“In such instances, no one can come to know whether the leader people want to elect is either good or bad, competent or incompetent, a liar or man of his own words. Isn’t it?”
“See, Hinbir, leaders are people. They are not all good. Nor they are all bad. Some leaders are bad and some are good. Some are selfish while some are selfless. The culture in which leaders grow up is what makes them accustom to acquire different reflections of human behavior.”
“But how can a person like me know the differences between good leaders and bad leaders, Mr. Hanad?”
“Good leaders are not liars in the first place because they grew up in where lies are less told. Thy present themselves as constant and consistent and become role models. They
never promise what they cann’t deliver. They
know what they can fulfill and what they
cann’t right from the beginning. Great leaders think more of what they can do for their country than actually what they can get from it. They make tough calls, to say yes or no, not may be. Nearly all of them are not greedy,
because they recognize that he who gathers
money little by little can grows it.”

“In contrast,” Hanad added, “bad leaders are liars. They always lie to the people they lead, simply because they grew up in where truth
is less told. When they take office, the first step they take is they surround themselves with their kin and clan members. They think that they can fool all people. They hate to acommodate intellectuals in their administration. Bad leaders have no eyes that can see what citizens are to one another and what they share together. They don’t have the heart that believes unity, nor the mind that imagines the future. They think that politics is hit-and-miss management and never take advice from anybody.”

“In general,” Hanad went on, “leaders, regardless of whether they are good or bad, are not equal to one another in wisdom, in perception, in prudence, in tolerance, in courage, in conscience, or in capability. Some leaders are good because they do some good things for their people and some leaders are bad because they do bad things to their people.”

“I understand that good leaders are better than bad leaders. In what ways bad leaders are better or worse than each other?”
“Bad leaders are two types: Arrogants and ignorants: An arrogant leader is worse than the ignorant one, because the arrogant leader is always out there for his own personal interests, and has no social responsibility, never feels how his behavior affects other people, never admits his mistakes, and doesn’t like to see a flourishing society, because he or she is jealouse and wishes that he can only survive.”

“In contrast,” Hanad continued, “ignorant leaders are better than arrogant ones because ignorant leaders sometimes leave room for gowth, as what they lack is information about certain things that can be learnt. The problem with them, particularly those who are obstinate, is that they fear their opponents because the force of power and privileges doesn’t allow them to search for the means to become better versions of their opponents.”
“Hanad, can you please tell the type of
S/land’s current political leaders?”
“Do you have any concern for how S/’land’s leadership rules the country and runs its affairs?”
“‘Yes, I do have.”
“Does your concern relate to how S/land leadership behavior affects your life?
“Yes.”
“Can you mention one leadership behavior that directly affects your life,” Hanad demanded.
“Favoritism.”
“How favors affect your life when your judgments shape your choices and actions that determine what you do and how you do it?,” asked Hanad.
“Favoritism affects my life when it comes to how government contracts are awarded,” replied Hinbir.
“I believe government contracts are awarded through bidding process that depends on evaluation, experiences and efficiency. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with that,” Hanad said.
“There is, Mr. Hanad,” Hinbir cried out.
“What is wrong with the government bidding process?”
“Rigging,” Hinbir returned assuringly.
“Rigging?”
“Yes, rigging.”
“How do bid rigging practices happen in how the government awards contracts?,” asked Hanad.
“Bid rigging practices are always present in the government procurement and logistics contracts, and happen when the contractee, which is the government, determines the firm that will win the contract. That is, a form of collusion takes place between government and particular bidders.”
“Hinbir, don’t forget that National Tender Board, which is a division of the government, is responsible to define, formulate and govern the bidding process, to ensure that favoring one firm over others shouldn’t occur and that all firns have equal access to govermment procurement and logistics contracts. Tell me how bid rigging takes place when NTB is involved in the bid?”
“The National Tender Board’s job is rubber stamp. The executive branch has the hand that makes the decisions and the national Tender Board just rubber-stamps them.”
“Hinbir, have you ever participated in the bidding process?”
“OMG. I participated tender bid many times, and submitted a price that was even less than the price of the winners.”
“Did other bidders participate in the bidding process and lose the contracts for reasons of bid rigging?,” asked Hanad.
“Of course, many other bidders always participate in every bid for government procurement and logistics contracts.”
“Are you fully aware of the conditions under which government tenders are awarded?”
“Mr. Hanad, any citizen who has the means to provide materials or services to the government has the right to participate in the bidding.”
“Hinbir, is favoritism a behavior or a problem?”
“It is partly a behavior and partly a problem?”
“What is the common denominator that makes favoritism behavior and problem in the mean time?”
“Effect – the consequences it causes.”
“Hinbir, I concur with you that favoritism is a behavior that is totally bad in every we seet it. But, what is it that makes it a problem?”
“If I am not mistaken, any event or action that causes difficulty, damage, doubt, stress – anything that affects how humans earn a living is a problem. In this case, the act of offering government contracts to some firms in preference to others is just an agenda that aims at enriching some citizens and inhibiting some other citizens from earning a living.”
“Any behavior, habit or practice that needs to be changed is a problem. Isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” replied Hinbir.
“Great,” Hanad returned with a pleasant smile.
“What is great in what I said?,” Hinbir asked.
“The great thing in what you said is that that you have come to recognize that whatever affects a humanbeing socially, economically, politically and humanly is a problem, if it is not even a crime”

Hinbir pondered Hanad’s words, repeating words socially, economically, politically and humanly in a whisper. He referred back to his own lifestyle, specifically how his actions in earning a living or dealing with others or doing things affected other peoples’ lives. His career, facilitation, came into his mind and then tears welled from his eyes.

Hanad, who was gazing at Hinbir to get a hunch out of Hinbir’s facial impression, immediately felt that reflections on how Hinbir used to earn a living came to his heart and said, “elevation of thoughts is very essential to all humanbeings, especially to men like you, Hinbir, wo think that doing things wrongly is much more profitable than doing them rightly, but I can tell you that one thing that is worthy of note.”
“‘And what that would be?”
“It is about a man,” said Hanad, “who, while walking with a hangover on one Friday noon, suddenly discovered that one of his shoes was cut into halves. He thought the easiest way to replace it was to go to the nearest mosque and steal one shoe from the entry. Once reached the mosque, the man heard a sermon on some certain commandments. At the end of the sermon, the men met the preacher and said to him, “I want you to know that you have saved me from committing a crime. I came here intending to steal a shoe, but after hearing your sermon, I decided not to seal the shoe.”
“Great,” said the preacher. “And what did I say that changed your mind?”
“Well,” said the man, “when you got the part about committing theft, I remembered that I could have my shoe repaired instead of stealing someone else’s shoe.”

In this country of “I have been a mujahid,”
having political and tribal leaders who should make what people all know to be right and fair is just what all the people only need.

To be continued

By: Jamafalaag
Hargeisa, Somaliland

jamafalaag@gmail.com

As per usual the opinions expressed in this articale are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of qarannews

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