Revisiting Gen. Ilka-Jir's Impact on the Formation of Makhir State (By Nassir)

[Xudeedi]

General Ilka-jir's meteorite impact on the formation of Maakhir

A Government in exile

By Mohamed A. Elmi

 

Feb 16 , 2009

 

General Abdullah Jama Ilkajir's last decision to run for Puntland's presidential election of 2009 was influenced by his determination to unite his fragmented society, eliminate corruption, hyperinflation, and the violation of Somalia's marine and land resources and in part to correct and reverse the entrenched injustice of Puntland's electoral base. Perceived rightly as force for good, he gained a great deal of recognition from home and abroad. He hails from Maakhir, a self-proclaimed state in northern Somalia whose President he forced to go in exile, according to confidential sources.

 

 

Inside Sanaag and its environs, General Ilka-Jir is revered for his celestial principles. He is also associated with unprecedented high-level of experience as an Army Commander and the head of the Directorate of Operations of the Somali National Army (SNA). He is also trained in the field of Management and Accounting at Bryan & Stratton College at Rochester, NY. When he was running for Presidency in Puntland, he had obtained enough political backing behind the patriotic fervor and generous spirit of his people. Former retired military generals volunteered for him and spoke on his behalf burnishing further his credentials as an honest and courageous man who can pull Puntland out of its woeful state. A rara avis who believes in prosperity through industriousness and fortitude!

 

Of course, on his arrival of Bosasso, the commercial city of Puntland, he was received by his constituency with euphoria and stratospheric expectation of him that culminated into a tremendous turnout from town to town. Before he headed to the regions of Sanaag, western Bari and Haylaan (SWBH), the stronghold territory of his broad constituency, Gen. Ilka-jir was very successful and worked in close liaison between Sanaag and its environs and the Great Diaspora who hail from this region. He had received royal receptions and people rallied behind him with unyielding hope and support, confident that with him clinging on the political leadership, they will clobber and start an arduous long journey of struggle for a political independence from the clan-entities that claim their regions.

 

Nothing is more useful to grasp how essential it's to stir up the collective energy of a supportive society into a mapped out political strategy assuming their energy, collaboration and loyal support can be steered to bring out concrete results. Gen. Ilka-jir knew this and he capitalized on it, but he missed a great opportunity. Any social and political structure that has evolved into a functional and recognizable form came through the efforts of the people who believed in their collective capacity and had held a burning desire to elevate the position from which they are seen by others. With that in mind, one with known leadership qualities would therefore understand how equally momentous the occasion would be to begin or aid an organizational project of self-governance assuming the energy directed on such noble endeavor would beget and multiply a similar and more efficient ones until it reaches its expected goal.

 

However, Gen. Ilka-jir utterly failed to preside over our political decline, seize the opportunity, and wean SWBH off Puntland following the unfair selection of a highly corrupt individual. Farole's records are well kept for all to retrieve and see as he raided the parliament leading to the deaths of dozens or so people during Ade Muse's tenure. Therefore, It's no longer a guarded secret that Puntland demands for a continued submission to its three sinister policies of nepotism, land expansion and exploitation. Those individuals who made the case that Ilka-jir would lay himself open to accusations that he used his clan as an instrument of power in luau of challenging the status quo in order to effect an improvement of his lot are actually calling for submission and silence.

 

There are some plausible reasons and the General does not lack the dynamism and charisma of a great leader, but he chose to avoid the risks and adventurism of politics, a scenario which would undermine the political rights of his masses. For instance, the people who had invested Ilka-jir with huge emotional resources such that the golden trust they bestowed on his capacity to lead and properly manage the complexity of their political environment were extremely disappointed and their unity shattered. Thus Ilka-jir opted for expedience than real change when Sultan Said Sultan Abdisallan and other prominent Garaads in the region endorsed him to be their political leader and thus gave him the Overriding Power.

 

Consequently, this political decision by Gen. Abdullah Jama to work with Puntland very much reflects the dismal political leadership and controversies that are palpable within our regions' lack of institutions. For instance, the prevailing attitude of Maakhir folks including politicians, former civil servants, businesses, and reputed elders can be classified into two camps, each with a pair of policy prescriptions. The first camp is best seen as collaborationist of the status quo. This camp constitutes the old guard. Some of them have a long civil and military career but majority are made up of the traditional council of elders, business interest groups, and directors of local NGOs. Their philosophy of governance is that the interest of Sanaag, western Bari and Hayland and that of Puntland is of symbiosis and non-negotiable.

This political alliance, they aver, is indispensable to the ongoing preservation of our phalanx and common values. But this entails a huge cost of its own such as politically directed projects, lack of consensus on priorities and capacity building, disorganization, and alienation. Furthermore, the decentralized aid programs of the U.N will keep on getting diverted as no country or legal body formally recognizes our leadership and clout to enter treaties, memorandum of understanding, security pact or other relations with international bodies and the developed world thus failing, in international legal parlance, to protect our land from foreign-owned corporations’ direct exploitation. Conflicts triggered by Africa Oil and Range Resources in Majihan, Bari are examples to note.

 

The renowned 20th century civil rights protagonist of America, Dr. Dubois wrote once on the ignorance and terrible vacuum of leadership that can afflict a society with definite territory.

 

"In failing thus to state plainly and unequivocally the legitimate demands of their people, even at the cost of opposing an honoured leader, the thinking classes... would shirk a heavy responsibility,---a responsibility to themselves, a responsibility to the struggling masses...whose future depends on (them).....We have no right to sit silently while the inevitable seeds are sown for a harvest of disaster to our children"

Some of our representatives ostensibly work for themselves and can be easily persuaded to hold positions that mean nothing in the long run; it's almost outside the realm of possibility to envision our regions undergoing a process of structural change from its current isolation and neglect to the ideal state we all love to see one day. Meanwhile, we continue to belittle our political stake when we do own 20% of Somalia's territory.

 

We are held hostages by our own ignorant elders and self-interested individuals. Oftentimes they make this weak argument that our people have no resources to self-support and build a viable government. But, as proved by Max Weber(1864---1920), "Political power does not stem just from economic resources, as Marx argued, but also from the expressive qualities of individual leaders(charisma)....power can reside in ORGANIZATION (not having resources ) . Furthermore, what benefit do we have with clan-based entities that take our share of aid and development for granted? A simple inquiry begs why we have inherited this Territory/Land from our ancestors if we can't figure out simply how to develop such land resources and transform it into modern, competitive economy.

 

I am disappointed NOT by the present conditions under which our people throttle but the audacity with which such propaganda with hidden regressive agenda are advanced and defended by the same people who supposed to have dispelled it and demanded for an immediate and alternative solution. The socio-economic conditions of SWBH are easily reversible upon our acknowledgement of its origin and agents and thus strive hard to help ourselves. Optimism begets optimism, and I guarantee that once the Maakhiris' desire for self-governance are consummated, they will gradually develop this sensible sentiment that they have a big stake in their own administration, and the pace of growth through Diasporic direct investment will pick up, which will then bridge the gulf of unemployment and drastically raise livelihood standards. We will be recognized as people who have a legitimate stake in the country's polity and its direction.

 

I urge those who are interested in understanding the overall situation of Makhirto read this.

Penned by our own Nassir

[Xudeedi]

I am disappointed NOT by the present conditions under which our people throttle but the audacity with which such propaganda with hidden regressive agenda are advanced and defended by the same people who supposed to have dispelled it and demanded for an immediate and alternative solution. The socio-economic conditions of SWBH are easily reversible upon our acknowledgement of its origin and agents and thus strive hard to help ourselves. Optimism begets optimism, and I guarantee that once the Maakhiris' desire for self-governance are consummated, they will gradually develop this sensible sentiment that they have a big stake in their own administration, and the pace of growth through Diasporic direct investment will pick up, which will then bridge the gulf of unemployment and drastically raise livelihood standards. We will be recognized as people who have a legitimate stake in the country's polity and its direction.

Most honest and acurate analysis of Makhir that i've ever read.

[Cowke]

Lol at makhir. If dhahar can't get along with qardho which is 50km apart and las anod cant get along with garowe which 100 km apart how can we purport such an idea called "somalinimo"? dadka caqliga la saxib ah know the unity of puntland wa muqadas iyo cid la waydin maayo.

 

It's funny you come up with makhir whenever their is problem but let me tell you something running away doesnt solve the problem usually thats cowards way out.

 

Sitting down and talking like men and coming to an agreement is how puntlanders do it so please take your "snm" syndrome elsewhere dabecadasi malaha puntlanders regardless of which part of our region they may hail from.

 

Our policy is somali-weyn. Our policy management is federalism. To achieve the dream of this we must work together at local level so dadka kale inay nagu daystan.

 

Already some are and many mamuls are being formed on paper for southern regions. So please Xudeedi save it, wixi aad snmta ka soo baratay garowe hala imaan u know it doesn't fly well with us.

 

"Waan ka ordaya iyo qol baan isku xira" waxaa loo arka mangaabnimada uga xun waana sida habar carodhay oo kale oo maslaxad uu bahan lol. U know the great men of puntland dont behave in such a manner so grow up yusan dadka kula yaabin sxb.

[Liibaan]

Originally posted by Nassir:

We the majorities of Sool and District of Buuhoodle and Sanaag and western Bari had made a major political mistake when we helped the formation of Puntland.

It will take us years and years to eliminate all the opportunists (both the ignorant elders and the self-styled or appointed politicians) and rise to the challenge of putting our regions before the Federal or Centralized form of Government of Somalia.

 

Why do we need

a middle man

to represent our regions. Gen. Ilka-jir, Haabsade and their equals have only added to the plight of these regions, being content with a mere ministerial post that mean nothing in the long run..

[Jacaylbaro]

We the majorities of Sool and District of Buuhoodle and Sanaag and western Bari had made a major political mistake when we helped the formation of Puntland.

Hmmmmmmm ,, Interesting