Jacaylbaro Wax Ma Sheego!

[NGONGE]

The Somaliland presidential election is in two days time and regardless of one being a supporter or detractor of SL, this promises to be an interesting event for any follower of politics.

 

There is an analogy floating around the back of my head but refusing to come out. In fact, there are several. Maybe it's a metaphor. Perhaps a simile! I am not sure what it is, but what I am sure of is that we still have not been told enough about the nitty-gritty details of this election. Yes, yes, I see all those raised eyebrows at the use of the word 'we'. I can even picture a few of you hurrying to your keyboards to post some inane nonsense about Somalidiid and other related nonsense. Bear with me though, this is a thread that is meant to put the cut & paste crew on the spot.

 

You see, I have read the articles about UCID’s excellent campaign, UDUB’s crumbling shambles and KULMIYE’s taking over of the world. I (and you) have seen the endless threads about defecting minsters, cheerful crowds and confident presidents. We also read about the now familiar winks and nudges from supposedly impressed international community/powers. We followed the various threads about muggings, postponed elections, quadruple registrations, sacked election commissions and, finally, the certainty of an election date that has not (as of yet) been postponed or put back. All that is good and well, it is interesting in the eyes of some and very futile in the eyes of others. However, how does an SL election work in practice? (The sneering non Somalilanders may also want to pay attention here, for educational purposes if nothing else).

 

Ok. I’ll try to put you in a more comfortable position and paint you a picture you may feel comfortable with (women are more than free to feel excluded again). Here we go..

 

Imagine yourself in a restaurant with myself, A&T, Norf, LST & Maaddeey. There we are at the table. We know we are here to eat. The food that we will eat (in typical Somali style) is either going to be RICE or SPAGHETTI! One or two might prefer to have eggs but it is unlikely that the chef would make it at this time. We’ve been here before and we’ve sampled this food before. Some of us like Rice, some like Spaghetti and some don’t even like the restaurant (“it has not licence” says one, “the meat is not halal” argues another).

 

My worry is not related to the rice, spaghetti, the licence or even the halal meat. What I would love to know is if the food is supposed to be eaten with hands or with a spoon. Do I get a bowl of water to wash my hands with or do I have to go to the toilets to do that? Is there one waiter serving us or several? If one waiter, will there be others loitering about (like we see in most Somali restaurants)?

 

Anyway, cuntada naga daaya...

 

The Somaliland election is the topic and how it will exactly work. My good friend JB is going to wake up on the morning of the twenty six of June and he is going to leave his house to go to vote. He will come back a few hours later and post here that he has indeed voted. He might even talk about it on Facebook. But, how exactly will he vote? What does the actual process involve? Does he know? Have the people been informed of the actual process? Is there a leaflet somewhere or some advert on SL TV? Surely there must be some lengthy article about this particular act on some local SL papers. Surely one can find it on the net (I couldn’t).

 

I say this as a result of hearing of one Somali kid in London who got confused with the recent British election. The boy was born and bred in the UK and this was his first ever vote. When he got to the polling station, he was shocked to see that there was no proper polling booth (with curtains). He was so lost that he ticked on the first name on the list that he was given, passed it to the polling station volunteer forgetting to fold it and then walked out. “I expected to see pictures of the candidates next to their names” he feebly protested when his friends mocked him.

Marka, JB & Co, how does the process work here?

 

I have also asked about the transition of power should the current incumbent lose and how it would take place. In addition, how long did they say the counting is expected to take? There are many questions about details that the cut & paste crew are not telling us about. And now we return to where we started, Jacaylbaro wax ma sheego yaakhi.

[Prometheus]

I'm also very interested in the whole procedural apparatus. The democratic process is messy, so what precautions have the politicians taken against things like voter fraud, voter purging, equipment failure, and a whole slew of election nightmares. I previously said that SL is only mimicking the democratic process. Oodweyne promptly chastised me for this view. I'm still waiting for some SL politico to disabuse me of this opinion.

 

Anyway, SL is hardly a developed country so their election will not be as transparent and reliable as, needless to say, the last presidential election in the US. All things considered, Somaliland, whatever the flaws, is one the verge of putting an end to the myth that Africans are democracy-averse due to their intrinsic "cultural inertia".

[xiinfaniin]

In early 60s Somalia's great mufti, Sh. Mohamed Moallin, visited his family back in Hiiraan. Reerihii oo dhan baa loosoo shiriyey. And they all come to listen to what the good man had to say.

 

Ilaahay iyo ciqaabkiisuu ka sheekeeyey. A young boy in the crowd cried when he heard the Mufti describe the tools of torture Allah has to punish.

 

Markaasaa oday istaagay. Afar qodob buu sheekhii u sheegay, laakiin waxaan ka xasuustaa:

Sheekh Maxamedow, Ali MadaxWeyne, cabsida ha barin cadow badanuu leeyehee

 

Election process aa ngonge ka sheekeynaayaa, oo rabaa in laga shaaafiyo, ragna rag kalay is hayaan oo rabaan inay duugaan

[Prometheus]

If Oodweyne were an American, he would definately be a Republican, as he is ever in the midst of an origiastic, flag-waving jubilation. Nonetheless, more dispassionate and curious minds are not always gripped by such fervor.

 

Queries about the exact conduct of this process, the checks-and-balances, electoral fraud-limiting procedures, and the like are hardly impertinent in this context.

 

I suppose (and sincerely hope) that international election observers and another non-partisan organizations will publish some kind of report on the nature of the electoral process in Somaliland.

 

P.S. Ultra-nationalists are said to be liable to confuse dissent with disloyalty; I would add that some confuse inquiry with idiocy.

[Jacaylbaro]

I'm currently busy working for the nation waaryaa ,,,, I will report if anything major happens but election is moving as planned.

 

Don't have time to report to SOL nowadayz niyow but u have my phone number anyway ,,

[NGONGE]

Xiin and the guru disappoint me. I believe this is a very interesting topic to any student of politics.

 

Oodweyne,

You really need to let go of this defensive posture you employ every time Somaliland is mentioned (I'm on your side, warya). Still, maybe I should have banged the patriotic drums a bit louder to get you onside. Xaaji, just imagine a proud Somalilander going to the polling booth to exercise his democratic right and choose his president. Picture him (or her) in the polling booth. What are they doing? Is it the pen of freedom that they're holding to tick their choice next to Riyaale's name or the keyboard of liberty? Or maybe it is like Iraq in their first election after the fall of Saddam, the ink of liberation?

 

I am a bit dull like this, saaxib. I can't imagine things unless I have enough details. Right now, all I can picture is a midwife walking into a polling booth and coming out later with her hands all bloody and shouting "It's a boy, we called him Faysal". And, like baby births, I can't help wondering if it was a C Section or a Normal Delivery. Wax fahan.

 

Rhazes,

 

Though I agree with the sentiment I suppose I have to pick you up on the comparison with the American elections/democratic process. You spoke about the SL one mimicking that and not likely to be as transparent or fair. But is there really such a thing as a fully fair and transparent election? Didn't the Americans themselves question President Bush's second presidency (I'm sure you still remember all that chad controversy at the time).

 

If we know Somalis, we also know that the SL election is going to be a blueprint for all. Just like PL, Makhir, Jubba, SSC and various others copied the SL idea of creating their own administration, they are almost certain to walk down the same exact path if they ever choose to have elections. Therefore, regardless of one's views on the secession of SL, the actual electioneering process should be of interest to all. Wax fahma!

 

Edit:

Jacaylbaro, war dee ciyaarta iga daa. That phone of yours NEVER connects. Wan ka daalay.

[Jacaylbaro]

Stop calling that Khat seller niyow ,,,, u know my number ,,