NASSIR Posted March 30, 2005 From Hope to an Inferno: Riyaale Administration Crushes Press Freedom and Democracy Ahmed A. Hassan March 29, 2005 In a country where its withdrawal from the union with Somalia is based on the atrocities committed against its people, intimidating journalists, civil societies and human rights organizations might not seem the most sensible policy – yet that's exactly the tack taken by the current administration of Somaliland in its agressive campaign against the free press, the opposition groups, the civic organizations, individual citizens. The year 2004 will go down in history as a negative spot in the fragile democratic process of Somaliland and this year is not fairing any better so far. The level at which human rights abuses were orchestrated and meted out to civilians whether they were groups or individuals whose only activities were exercising their rights by the security forces through out the duration of the last two years is glaring. In 2004, the government arrested journalists, lawyers and withdrew the license of a legitimate NGO and threatened others. The administration also denied the appointment of Mr. Mohamed Hashi Elmi to the electoral commission simply because he was very vocal of the gross mismanagement and corruption of the state. In Riyaale's administration, impunity has also become the central problem in Somaliland where state actors and law enforcement agencies commit widespread human rights violations without being brought to justice. To date, police officers that were accused of serious crimes such as rape and torture are still doing police work without any investigation into the allegations leveled against them. And unless this cycle of impunity can be broken human rights abuses will continue unchecked and victims and their families will not see justice. However, the attitude of the administration, when questioned about mal administration, always resembles that of the bandits who tried to pass themselves off as lawmen in the Humphrey Bogart film “ the treasure of Siera Madre.†Asked to show their badges, they replied, badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!†Similarly, the Riyaale administration's response always seems to be “abuse of power? We ain't got no abuse of power? We don't need to do no stinking thing about abuse of power! Despite the government's denial, the problems that the country is facing are formidable. To day, finding bad news about Somaliland is easy: the press brims with stories of its travails. Of all, institutionalized corruption and misadministration pose a major threat to the stability of Somaliland . And now the dismissal and the arrest of two journalists are once again in the headlines of the international news media. What is Wrong With The Riyaale Administration to Behave This Way? It seems the ruling party is extremely worried and insecure about whether it will hold on to power. The administration failed to organize the long awaited parliamentary elections and press freedom in Somaliland . As a result freedom of expression continues to suffer. Particularly the situation of press freedom in Somaliland remains alarming as the administration's control over the media, particularly broadcast media is rigid. Moreover, this administration, just like most unrepresentative democracies, feels that it has not earned all the legitimacy it needed to run the country efficiently with a degree of confidence. This feeling is rooted in the history of Somaliland where Riyaale as an individual fits that history. He was on the wrong side of that history and so are most of his loyalists in his administration. This history and Riyaale's place, therefore, generate two contending forces. One, for he does not see himself as legitimate as, say the late Egal, he often plays politics of confrontation. And it is this confrontation that leads him to take drastic measures against small acts performed within the limits of free press and the right to descent. But another problem is that a lot of the opposition groups and the elite in general do not respect him as a martyr and as a hero of what Somalilanders call â€the second liberation†from the Barre rule of Somalia. This bold opposition groups usually take actions that naturally belittle him and in return invokes his militarist and ugly side. The combination of these two hardened attitudes crash more and lead Riyaale to take extra-judicial measures that are outside the norm of democratic rule. Due to the conflict between opposition that does not respect Riyaale and a ruler that has a militaristic tendency, opposition in Somaliland is on the verge of going underground and to wage a war of insurgency. The recent emergence of what Riyaale administration considers a clandestine radio stations that is heard in Hargeysa and through out Somaliland , reminiscent of the SNM days, is a case in point. The BBC Somali program has run an excerpt of a poem of what sounded a typical insurgency Hadrawi poem and this is telling the distance between the opposition and the administration. Ultimately, Riyaale is reverting back to the only trade he has known, the military, ala the Barre way, to silence those whom he thinks disrespecting him. Monopoly of The Means of Communication And the Channels of Press The former secretary general of the U.N Boutros Boutros-Ghali said nearly a decade ago democratic processes “ channel competing interests into the arena's of discourse and provide means of compromise that can be respected by all people.†One of those of processes is free press. It is reported elsewhere that one of the cornerstones of democracy is a knowledgeable citizenry. Freedom of the press is therefore essential in a democracy. In fact, the media is the only means by which the governed can hold the administration accountable. In Somaliland , the administration does not allow ownership of any radio broadcast media. It has continued to insist for the past 10 years plus that the administration is in the process of drafting a press law and until then, ownership of private media is on hold. When is that going to be completed is any body's guess. However, what is clear is that the current government of Somaliland has no intention of opening broadcast media to private ownership. In the case of a pastoral society like citizens of Somaliland radio is the most important media that the people get their news from. De-monopolizing radio broadcast media is therefore a fundamental prerequisite for a functional democracy in Somaliland . The administration currently uses Radio Hargeysa and other state media to propagate propaganda and hate messages against the parliament, individuals and selected groups that the administration sees as a threat. This type of monopolizing the means of communication and the media by the government leads other groups to resort to other means of propagating their political viewpoints. And that is where the new grassroots, if you will, or the as the administration calls clandestine broadcasting of the opposition views, come in. On 22 nd of March 2005, on the orders of the infamous minister of interior Mr. Ismaaciil Aaden Cisman several police officers detained Mr. Ahmed Suleyman Dhuhul, a part time worker of Radio Hargeysa and took him to the headquarters of the CID. The Following day Hodo Ahmed Qarbooshe, another presenter and part-time employee of the same radio station was arrested. Both of them were fired from their job and were accused for working for Radio Horyaal, a new radio station based in London . They were both interrogated about their links with Radio Horyaal and were finally released when the president of the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) posted bail for them. The administration is abusing its authority as it has done in the past. The administration wants this action to have a chilling effect on independent reporting and free speech. In this case, as stated by Reporters Without Borders, the administration wanted to make “an example of the arrest of these two journalists and put Somaliland 's journalists on their guard, while trying to stifle a radio station they dislike by depriving it of local correspondents." Journalists should be able to report without fear or repercussions. Thomas Jefferson once said that he would rather have newspapers without government than governments without newspapers. A privately run radio station is essential for the free exchange of information and ideas in Somaliland . Press freedom is essential for democracy and multi-party system based governance. Ahmed A. Hassan Encinitas, California Source: Wardheernews Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NASSIR Posted March 30, 2005 In a country where its withdrawal from the union with Somalia is based on the atrocities committed against its people, intimidating journalists, civil societies and human rights organizations might not seem the most sensible policy – yet that's exactly the tack taken by the current administration of Somaliland in its agressive campaign against the free press, the opposition groups, the civic organizations, individual citizens. hmm, I haven't been following the politics of North Western Somalia , these developments raise your eyebrows, however. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
