Harowo.com: Somaliland On The Brink of Imminent Collapse

[Liibaan]

Wadani Jacaylka Mucaaradka Somaliland

 

 

Harowo.com: Somaliland On The Brink of Imminent Collapse

 

September 10, 2009

 

If recent social and political developments are anything to go by, Somaliland is teetering to the edge. Everything seems to be going in the wrong direction for the past five or so years. The country once dubbed by some as the oasis of Africa - rather hastily in my humble opinion - and accorded many more superlatives is stuck in quagmire and weaving through one stumbling political block after another.

 

The government and its main ally, the Guurti, are at constant war with the opposition and the House of legislatives who are on the other side of the fence. In the meantime, opposition parties are at loggerheads with the executive branch of the government and its Guurti backers, the un-elected house of elders. It is a complete gridlock. Things seem to be going from bad to worse.

 

This week’s fist-fight between the opposing members of the legislative, which was brewing for quite sometime and the ever hardening stances between the two warring factions, had ushered in an era of uncertainty for Somaliland people in general and Rayaale’s government in particular. The fact that some members of the legislative - entrusted to lead this nascent democracy by example - are prepared to take the law into their own hands to the extent that they brought in weapons to the debating chamber and even prepared to use them is a reflection on the sorrow state of affairs Somaliland is currently in.

 

There is no love lost between Rayaale’s government and the opposition members of the house of legislative. As soon as the opposition parties have gained the overall majority of the House of legislative, it was obvious that an era of confrontation had begun for Somaliland. This was not because the house will be confrontational but because Rayaale’s government was never prepared to work with the newly elected house, claiming that opposition legislators will be a thorn on the side of the government.

 

A government heavily relied on tribal chiefs for its survival for the best part of its term in office instead of putting faith on its institutions and divided the country along tribal lines , not to mention creating exclusive tribal regions to cement its power, is bound to face such uncomfortable trying times. The opposition, in desperation, has recently resorted to scare mongering tactics including inciting tribal hatred and even evoking old memories to destabilize the country in the mistaken believe that the government will collapse and that they will form the next government through the back door entrance, a move the incumbent government will always fight tooth and nail.

 

Even the old derogatory term, “******”, dreaded by large parts of Somaliland communities, is resurfacing nowadays in earnest and publicly used by some members of the opposition parties (including Ucid’s Faisal Ali Waraabe) and often labeled it to Rayaale and a large number of his government cabinet members who did not belong to SNM, the ragtag army that liberated this country from Siyad’s brutal regime. It is back to square minus one. It is back to early nineties when Somaliland was fighting along tribal lines, except this time we are not shooting each other as yet. But the way things are going now, it is just a matter of time before we begin that too.

 

There is no shadow of a doubt that the bulk of the blame lies fairly and squarely at the feet of the current government, but the opposition has their fair share of the blame too by hardening their position on almost every policy issue the government had put forward for discussion before the house of legislature’s chamber of debate in the past few years. Ever since the House of Legislative was inaugurated, the opposition was on confrontational mood. They vowed to play nasty no matter what. In democracy, opposition political parties are there to form future governments if and when elected, consequently they need to support the government of the day when it is right and oppose it in a constructive way when it negates its duties. That did not happen in the case of Kulmiye and Ucid. They were simply dishing out dirt towards the government even when it is perceived to be doing the right thing.

 

On the other hand, probably distracted by the fierce opposition from its political opponents, the government has lost the pig picture by failing its basic duties to its citizens to the extent that cold-blooded clannish criminals, who slaughtered innocent travelers like animals and mutilated their bodies in tribal ritual on the road between Gabiley and Dilla, are drinking the best saloons (or rather chewing khat in the best Mafrashes) in Gabiley without fear of prosecution. Three months to that horrific day, the government is nowhere near catching these heinous thugs.

 

This is another abject failure on the part of the incumbent government. If it cannot bring criminals as wicked as these to the justice, how does it want to be respected. If such things can occur within thirty to forty miles from its seat, Hargeisa, imagine what could happen in faraway places in the eastern and western regions. Low and order was what this government was boasting to be on the top of it. Now that too is disappearing from its radar.

 

Somaliland is at critical juncture and the coming days rather than weeks are going to be decisive. Failure to arrest the current spate of political violence will almost certainly bring the country down to its knees. The current division between the government and its opponents are hardening by the day. Both houses of parliament, the Guurti and the legislative, are split down in the middle with no sight of compromise in the offing. Even the Ethiopian mediation, or rather Ethiopian lib service, has failed to bring them to a compromising position. The continuation of Rayaale’s government in office, in the current circumstances, is a recipe for disaster. The opposition parties, too, need to soften their uncompromising position and create an environment conducive to political dialogue.

 

The best forward, in my opinion, is to form a government of national unity consisting of members of the three political parties plus some members of the civil societies- though it is difficult in the current political climate - until such time this mess is sorted out. This may not be acceptable to the government as it demonstrated on many occasions, but this time it has no choice but accept if this country is to be spared from going down in the drain. The current political structure has dismally failed Somaliland, and the prospect of Somaliland coming out unscathed in the current political stalemate is indeed very grim.

M. F. Yabarag

[Liibaan]

About This page — Harowo.com

 

Harowo.com is a daily blog dedicated to be the authoritative internet information source for the peoples of the Horn of Africa, particularly Somaliland, a grassroots democracy in a region otherwise characterized by misrule, cyclical famines, environmental degradation and chronic underdevelopment. Through the selection of relevant news articles, cool analysis, witty commentary and passionate argument, Harowo.com strives to provide its readers a forum where they can find objective information and up-to-date news about the Horn of Africa and beyond.

 

Haworo.com is maintained by Ahmed Sh. Farah, a longtime resident of Washington DC. USA.

[AfricaOwn]

^^Still emotional over Riyaale mugging over the people of LA in Oct 2007? All these threads about Somaliland haha..calm down.

[Thankful]

Riyaale hasn't even gone to LA once, so what does that tell you? I think he still has nightmares of the the last time he went.

[RedSea]

Please lets not even start the back and forth argument again.

 

AO,

 

let him be sxb.

[GAAROODI]

looooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooool.

 

you wish saxib, and how did you reach that conclusion..by looking at a cartoon.

 

walahi somali's always amaze me.

 

 

loooooooooooool, If only i could see your face couple months from now when we are still standing stronger then ever.

 

 

loooooooooooool..