Meanwhile, in 2007

[Castro]

The Indelibles

 

Friday, Apr. 10, 1964

 

If one-party democracy is often hard to tell from no-party dictatorship in Africa, Somalia is an exuberant exception. Election day brought 1,000,000 Somalis to the polls to choose among 21 political parties, including one fringe group running on the single fervent conviction that the country should import only Fiats, to ease the shortage of auto parts. If the proliferation of parties resembled the nightmare of French politics before De Gaulle, the Somalis' fist-swinging, rock-throwing, vote-early-and-often electioneering style seemed more like vintage Chicago. With African differences.

 

One difference is the absence of any means of voter registration. Instead, election officials traditionally dab each voter's hand with indelible ink to discourage indefatigable repeaters. But the ink always proved delible, the voters not so easily defatigable. In one previous election, the obscure hamlet of Aden Yaval racked up twice the votes of the capital city of Mogadishu with 150,000 inhabitants. When municipal elections came around last fall, Mogadishu's voters prepared for their battle against indelibility by emptying the stores of nail-polish remover and other ink-deleting fluids days in advance of elections. But determined experimenters soon discovered that the allegedly indelible inks could be removed by home solvents ranging from gasoline to papaya juice.

 

Faced with such voter cunning, the Interior Ministry before the latest election grappled for weeks with the delibility factor, finally developed an ink so potent that many a horny-handed Somali ballot stuffer came down with a skin rash. That took care of most repeaters. Despite scattered reports of overenthusiastic balloting, not to mention a slight riot (13 dead, 20 hurt), Somalia's election was the straightest in its young history—and one of the freest in all Africa. All but final results announced last week gave the ruling, middle-road Somali Youth League of Premier Ab-dirashid Ali Shermarke 68 of 123 seats in the unicameral National Assembly.

 

The Somali election was exceptional in one other respect: it was held in the midst of a continuing shooting war, the border conflict with Ethiopia. Last week Ethiopian fighter-bombers pulled a surprise daylight raid on the Somali town of Hargeisa—less than 17 hours before the agreed start of an armistice between the two nations. The Somalis, who like fighting as much as voting, were not too perturbed. As Prime Minister Shermarke observed: "We can teach Ethiopia that democracy can be practiced while people defend their soil."

 

Source

 

[Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar]

Soo noqosho wacan, Fidel.

 

The Somalis, who like fighting as much as voting, were not too perturbed. As Prime Minister Shermarke observed: "We can teach Ethiopia that democracy can be practiced while people defend their soil."

May Eebbe's ultimate mercy be on his restful soul, Cabdirashiid Cali Sharmaarke. A true, principled daljecel.

[Xoogsade]

Castro,Xiin, Miskiin, iyo Dhamaan Akhyaarta soomalida xalaasha ah, Waa idin salaamay

[Fabregas]

Originally posted by Dhulqarnayn -alSumaale:

Paul B Henze is a Anti-Somalist and a former CIA agent on the pay-roll of Meles Zenawi so his comments mean little to me cause he is obviously biased if he were not,

C.I.A probably runs Somali today and probably did so in the last sixteen years.

[Jacaylbaro]

Meanwhile, in 2007 Somaliland is taking a step forward to ensure its sovernginity and to show the world the democracy is really taking place in some parts of Africa.

[N.O.R.F]

Xiin, nothing happened saxib. It was all down to SL aggression and Ethiopia meddling. Nothing to do with the split amongst the locals who have been split for quite some time for reasons beyond us all

 

Castro, Ethiopia's meddling is known and obvious to all. The Jackle and Hide show seems to be continueing with all characters playing by the script (prepared in Addis).

 

Question is, what is the way out?

 

I propose a temporary dismemberment (say 10 years) for every region (whether based on clan or not). Each sorts his house out then talks begin in 2017 for 2020 big day.

 

Very sketchy laakin how else can Somalia re-unify?

 

Trust a seccessionist to put forward unity ideas

[Jacaylbaro]

.... trust me we can build and we can demolish it

[Castro]

^^^^ Take your trolling to the General section.

 

Northerner, you've been riding the secession wagon too long. It's high time you got off. The wheels of the wagon itself are about to come off. Think about it, the cognitive dissonance caused by this secession idea will no longer be in your thoughts.

 

You will think clearly saaxib.

[Jacaylbaro]

I think North can see any land to rest ... let the wagon move on until there is a good and suitable land. Show him some hope horta.

[N.O.R.F]

Castro, the wagon is moving rather fast across crocodile infest marsh land (dont ask why the wagging is still rolling in marsh land). Right now, the wagon is stable, has sturdy wheels with the nuts and bolts still doing it jobs. We have encountered a few punctures (dont ask why it has inflatable wheels) but it still functions.

 

So Castro, where exactly do you want me to jumpt to?

[Castro]

^^^ What can I say? I'm always overwhelmed by your simple, concise and impenetrable arguments for secession.

 

Northerner, the fraudulent secession idea has been exposed and has failed miserably. Oodweyne sees the danger in what I say, and rightly so, and that's why he must resort to ad hominems. Still, I'm not asking you to abandon it [secession] because of its failure now but because it was wrong all along. You must see it for what it is, a failed attempt at dismembering an already pathetically weak state. Partition based, no less, on the flimsiest of pretenses: colonial past. As is the custom, few internal elites and their external backers will benefit the most.

 

If you can't see the scenery for the wagon is moving "rather fast", may be it is time to slow down.

[Castro]

Originally posted by Oodweyne:

But, be that as it, with

Marxist’s Theory of Society

been taken into account and all; could you see to it, if you wished to be taken seriously in here, see to it to level with us; particularly, as to why what you hold to be truth - i.e.,

historical truth

- ought to be something that we should entertained seriously, which is your take of

Somaliland's

destiny.

I do not know Somaliland's destiny (nor of Somalia or any other entity). What I do know is the absence of secession in the vernacular of the Somali National Movement up to and including the defeat of Barre's troops in the Northwest. Furthermore, I do know that seceding from Somalia was never written down in any manifesto, memoir, book or any other publicly made literature prior to the infamous declaration of independence.

 

When a small cabal decided to go it alone, all they had to do to sell their unpopular idea is remind a traumatized population of Barre's atrocities and scare them with the mess that is the rest of Somalia.

 

Fear, my friend, is how elites control populations. It works the same in any country.

[xiinfaniin]

I can’t help but admire Oodweyne’s uprising to the hegemony of Castro’s logic !

 

ps-Xoogsade soo dhawoow adeer!

[Taleexi]

Dear Mr. Ooodweyne, you said "Consequently, one can say in here, and it’s also true that then SNM never had an avowedly open political position on this argument.

 

Because the leadership of the then SNM, knew that this argument was something that the owners of the political decision that will effect the country as a whole must finally say so other-wise; namely the clan-leaders who would suffice it, in the absence of a properly-constituted plebiscite held in-order to determine the democratic verdict that the citizens hold where this issue is concern.",

 

That is pure human political re-enegineering where you intended to bluff the gullible segment of the SOL nomads, how dare you fit and reconcile the secession issue in our present times with the SNM's struggle which in all its recorded history confirms the lack thereof dismembering the country.

 

Be that as it may, yesterday was yesterday and today is another!, where each clan went back to their homeland. With that said, do you truely believe that your occupation of SSC regions will bring lasting peace in that part of the country?.

[Castro]

Dear Mr. Oodweyne, where is it recorded the SNM had a liberation "arm" to fight genocidal Barre and a political "arm" to decide on political matters such as secession?

 

Isn't it entirely expedient, sir, specially for a student of history and politics such as yourself, to employ such a half-baked, revisionist narrative claiming "clan elders" where in fact responsible for the call to secession?

 

Is it not true, sir, that the SNM was both a guerilla and a political movement in one? Or did you think all SOLers are too young to know any better.

 

Ma calayna.

 

What is this referendum of secession to which you refer? Are you trying to tell us now that in 1991, every adult inhabitant of the Northwestern province of Somalia was asked to choose between Somalia and Somaliland and the majority chose the latter?