SECESSION: HEADLONG DIVE INTO THE PAWS OF THE BEAST

[Taleexi]

SECESSION: HEADLONG DIVE INTO THE PAWS OF THE BEAST

Rashid Yahya Ali

December 01, 2005

 

 

Waddankey ku noolayd abido waaqeed ay joogtay From eternity, their ancestral land since beginning of time,

Ummad waaraad loo qaybsadoon kaba walaacaynin divided, pieces and parcels indifferent if it is chopped into spheres

Ummad aan ka waababa aqoon dabinka weegaaran Ignorant and unwary to the laid traps and the pits concealed

Ummad wadajirkii diiddanoo kala waswaasaysa Fratricidally paranoid, rejecting unity and inflicted with delusion

 

Ummad waddici gobonimadiyoo wacan gumaystiina Faithful to yoke, scorns liberty and inviting the tyrant colonist

Ummad uu wadkeedii galoo waalo tumanaysa !!!! In the hour of death, unbeknown, a nation dancing intoxicated

 

Eng. Cibaar

 

45 years and few months ago, the first azure blue flag for the birth of a nation called Somalia was hoisted in Hargeisa. Exactly in that same moment at that same square, the first colonial flag was lowered, ushering a dawn of freedom and nationhood to a people who long struggled for self determination and to take charge of their destiny. In less than a week, approximately 1000 Km to the South, in the city of Mogadishu on the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, another symbol of colonialism came tumbling down. Foreordained by common heritage, binded by unbreakable bond of fraternity and a shared faith, both peoples embraced each other in unison and merged to form one nation, the Democratic Republic of Somalia.

 

Regrettably, that very same hollow ground, the symbol and birth place of our nation, today stands starkly to be stained with an eternal infamy by turning it into the graveyard of those noble dreams and the chopping block of the very nation which our fathers so valiantly fought for its birth.

 

Granted, the honorable intentions of our founding fathers were not realized. The goodwill set forth by our brethren in the North and their counterparts in the South to build a nation founded on brotherhood, unity, justice and freedom under which the Somali family is sheltered, protected and nurtured to prosper and multiply never came into fruition. The noble cause was not fully reciprocated and the dreams of our nation were hijacked by spineless political opportunists beholden only to self aggrandizement and thievery. As a result, the aspirations of our people dwindled into institutionalized tribal patronage, political decay and ultimately into dictatorial despotism.

 

In the latter years of the nation’s turbulent history, the country took a worse turn to more repression and state sanctioned violence against any perceieved threat to the authoritarian rule of Siad Barre. Consequent to the scorched-earth policies of the dictator, devastating military assaults were unleashed against major cities and population centers in the North. Indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment led to estimated 50–60,000 civilian deaths and over 400,000 refugees fled to Ethiopia. Helplessly, the entire country watched with horror as entire towns were obliterated and citizens were subjected to incalculable losses and pains. Similar atrocities, though nothing on the scale of barbarity, were also committed against the people of Bari, Mudug, Galgudud and the Bay regions. The entire land was then under the clutches of a ruthless tyrant, bereft of moral fortitude to spare the innocent and the unarmed.

 

Now that the tyrant is gone, the North is relatively stable and the rest of the country is trapped in a seemingly intractable conflict, what would our forefathers have done? Is secession a panacea to the North? Will it cure the many social ills lurking beneath and ready to erupt at any moment as it did in the South? Is the greatest concern facing our brethern in the North fear of domination and the hegemony of the South? Is the south a burden or partner for a better and more prosperous future and common destiny?

 

By all odds, Somalis in the South hold nothing but respect, admiration, a sense of solidarity and common nationality towards their brethern in the North. They are encouraged and emboldened by the great achievements taking place in the North, from institution building, free elections and the budding seeds of democracy taking root in the region. The sense of security and peace prevailing throughout the North is a source of pride as well as a motivating factor for the South to put its act together and steer the nation towards a dawn of peace. Still, many are disturbed and saddened by the seccesionist drumbeat emanating from the North to dismember the country.They don’t see justifiable grounds in breaking up the country. Being aware and never complacent on the cruelties subjected to the people of the North and their legitimate grievances, Southerners contend that unity has far more promises and brighter future than separation.

 

This nation was entrusted to us by our ancesstors to look after our fellow countrymen and pass it, in whole not fragmented, on to the next generation. If Somalia, under these extreme deprivations, is allowed to disintegrate into small, weak estates, the fate of its people is troubling and worrisome. A hand washes the other and the close fraternal ties which embelled our forefathers to seek each other to award us a sovreign nation is is truly worth cherishing, especially when the rest of Africa was falling apart and fathers and sons, brothers and causins were divided and fenced under imaginary colonial borderlines. There are insatiable hounds salivating, ready to devour us at any moment of perceived weakness. Many have already shown their true colors and it is depressingly heart breaking to see fellow Somalis waving the plight of other Somalis on the international arena as a valid justification to dismember the country or espousing the arch enemy of anything Somali and giving unbridled access to the waterways of the Red Sea to win their recognition.

 

One needs to question the true intentions of the current Zenawi administration in Addis Ababa. Are its overtures to the North really genuine and sincere? If so, why almost every warlord, from the highlands of Hargeisa to the plains of Puntland to the riverine swamps of Hiiraan to Middle Shabelle and on to the plateaus of Bay and Bakol and onwards to Gedo, all the way to the Kenyan border, are all equipped, trained, financed and coached by none other than Zenawi’s administration?

 

Ask why almost every bullet and shell which maims and murders innocent Somalis could be directly traced back to the western border? Ask why over 7 million Somalis in the so called 5th zone are falling far behind in basic services and infrastructures such as hospitals, schools and watering wells? Why almost ¾ s of the Ethiopian army bases are all located on the Somali frontier? Do they really wish good for the North? Just ask.

 

 

Mar hadday is wada waydayoo wiririflaynayso Confounded roaming aimlessly, bereaved and lost

Mar hadduu wahsigu tabar ka yahay iyo walaahowgu Disposed to idleness and with insanity mumbling

Mar hadduu waraabiyo dugaag ku ag wareegaayo Hunted by predatory beasts, when stalked by hungry hyenas

Wan dhaylaa sidiisii haddii weerar lala maagay Like the vulnerable calf when assaulted and devoured

 

Oo waaxyaheed lagu murmoo la wasladeynaayo In pieces when her flesh is torn apart and carrion scavenged

Iyaduna walaalba u qabtiyo ehel wanaag doon ah Yet beholds the carnivores like brethren or sincere friendly kinfolk

 

By Eng. Cibaar

 

The blossoming freedom, democracy and the indomitable spirit of our people in the North suffices to withstand any temptation to alter their hard won civil liberties and autonomy should they choose to remain in the union. It is not the intent of the South to diminish or take away an iota of the freedoms won in the North. Furthermore, the Interim Charter stipulates in chapter 4, Article 11 that The Transitional Federal Government of the Somali Republic shall have a decentralized system of administration based on federalism – That the Somali Republic shall comprise of: -

(a) The Transitional Federal Government.

(b) State Governments (two or more regions federate, based on their free will) and

© Regional Administrations

Those guarantees must at minimum suffice to put to rest any concerns or fears of eroding the exclusive regional rights of our brethren in the North. Moreover, by remaining in the union, the North as a fully autonomous region and an integral part of the nation will serve as a bulwark against the excesses of any central government, the bedrock bearing the weight of freedom, the pillars of democracy and the foundation for a federal government in Somalia. On the contrary, its secession from the rest of Somalia will inarguably whet the appetite of larger and more powerful neighbors, such as Ethiopia, to reduce its sovereignty to a mere sphere of influence. It took the Eritreans over 30 years of toil and tears to disentangle themselves from the paws of the beast.

 

The South does not insist on unity for ulterior motives. It does not seek unison because of its anarchy and your stability, not because of destitution and for your riches, nor because of weakness and your impregnability, but simply because from a sense of duty and fraternity. For sustaining the eternal flame of freedom burming in the hearts of millions of other Somalis and for posterity. They intend no malice nor harbor envy, unlike many whose friendship and recognition is sought.

 

This nation, Somalia, conceived in the love of freedom, delivered in brotherly union, nurtured by a rich culture and guided by a righteous faith, will rise and must rise majestically to an oasis of peace, a beacon of hope and justice and it shall take its rightful place among the nations of this earth. It will rise to its destiny, the land its founding fathers wanted it to be, democratic, free and prosperous. It must and it will, Allah willing.

 

Rashid Yahya Ali

Baltimore, MD

Rashid_Ali_66@hotmail.com

[RedSea]

salamu calaykum,

 

This is very moving article indeed. It's true as stated in the article that we are better off if Somalia was one nation under good leadership instead of small states like Somaliland, Puntland, Jubaland --etc. I feel the pain of my Southern bretherens and there isn't a night in which I don't think about the Somali people as a whole and as a nation.

 

I would like more than anything to see once a strong centralized somali government in my lifetime. I would like to see all somalis enjoying freedom in their respective regions not just the north alone.

I would like to see all Somali people come back to their homeland and enjoy the freedom of their homeland.

I would like to see myself and my family back together and living in our home country with peace rather than one peaceful region and another on fire.

 

As a Muslim and Somali it does bother me much to hear about the death and destruction that occurs in southern Somalia today and I feel its my duty as well as anyone else who comes under the family tree of Somaal to work together in order to bring peace to southern somalia.

 

The politicians have done their work; they destroyed the country, let us do our share of rebuilding it and let us not side with them. For God sakes this is our country not just theirs,so let us rule our country how we wanted it to be ruled.

 

Salamu Calaykum.

[Qudhac]

there is chines proverb that translates roughly as the body is Nothing but a rotting torso withough the Head.

 

Now it has become clear that since we Hoisted the first ever somali flag on soverign somali soil on liberty park and then we came to your backyard and told you what mandeeq was and what it could be we meet nothing but ignorance greed and corruption from your end so please spare us crocadile tears.

 

 

you have never ever to this day understood the principle of mandeeq and you properly never will so why should we bother really.

 

 

everything these pen moryaans go on about today was the Ideology somalilanders nurtured and implanted in your hearts only for you to rape the whole beatifull dream so fukc you and fukc somalia.

[Gabbal]

^Idealogy "Somalilanders" have implanted and nurtered in us, hhm. War ninyahow dadka ha gafin. All the people that worked for the unity of our people were composed of all Somalis, including yours, and to abuse their legacy for today's purpose is a disgrace to their memory and the ideology they stood for. Those halyeys are way above both you and I. Marka maxaa adigu, shaqsigaada, meesha ku heesaa instead of accrediting other's accomplishments to your person in the name of clan? What have you achieved?

[Qudhac]

^^^

 

 

sxb history been ma sheego somalimo ciday ka daacad ayeyd iyo cidii ka dhiganaysay sheep skin iyagoo waraabe ah has been well and trully established today there is no sheep skin to hide all that greed and munaafaqnimo has over taken those that raped mandeeq.

 

 

well my friend like we say over and over again you are not fooling anyone with your crocadile tears.

[Gabbal]

^I'm not crying, and infact I am trying to stop you from shedding the crocodile tears. Ninyahow waxaad maalinkasto la timaadid is redundant to say the least, and frankly doesn't bring out pity anymore. The sympathy is clearly being over-used.

[Qudhac]

my friend the only person unable to move on is you and your ilk, its you that is stuck on some utopian dream that you farted on and cannot seem come back to reality, shame really if you had been honest with yourself then maybe you wouldnt be in such mess today, the mistake you made and make to this day is believing we live in the day of pan-Utopian dreamers and headless chikens

 

 

atleast be original and make destiny for yourself for once instead of always waiting for the milk bottle.

 

 

waxaad midnimo ku sheegto anaa sameeyay anaana dhabarka ka jabiyay because it wasnt viable

[Gabbal]

^^If it makes you feel any better, then by all means adaa sameeyay adaana dhabarka ka jabiyay. Really! Dadku daciifsanaa.