The Danger of Silanyo-mandering Somaliland (Gerrymandering)

[Saalax]

The Danger of Silanyo-mandering Somaliland (Gerrymandering)

 

Written by Ahmed M. Adam

Nov 20, 2012 at 05:17 PM

 

Today, Somaliland is in the grip of the most dangerous gerrymandering in its history. From the day of gaining independence from British Colonial rule to the present day, Somaliland has suffered many instances of gerrymandering.

 

In fact Somaliland's gerrymandering started with its union with Somalia when the Government in Mogadisho rigged the 1961 National Referendum on Union Constitution, in many small villages in the South the most famous one being Aadan Yabaal where votes were very

heavily rigged. The word "Aadan-Yabaalayn" was coined to mean gerrymandering and electoral fraud.

 

What makes today’s gerrymandering of Somaliland more dangerous is that it is so multi-faceted and extensive that it is threatening the complete implosion that its enemies have been plotting and praying for the last twenty-some years.

 

What is gerrymandering?

Gerrymandering is the illegal and unfair use of the political power to give benefit to one side of the politics (A political party, an ethnic or religious group, a tribe or a clan) at the expense of the other who gets the losing end of such misuse of power.

 

Salamander: A lizard-like amphibian (In Somali: Siilaanyo-biyood ama mulac-biyood) The word “Gerrymandering” was coined in 1812’s when Governor Gerry Eldridge of Massachusetts, USA created a new electoral district the map of which looked like a salamander. The first name of Governor Gerry was combined with last 5 letters of the word “salamander" to form the new word “gerrymander

 

 

Gerrymandering would translate into Somali as: “ siilaanyo-biyoodayn” which fits neatly in the current Somaliland situation since the president himself is nicknamed “Siilaanyo”, which is the Somali name for a small lizard that looks like a salamander.

 

Electoral Fraud: Gerrymandering usually refers to electoral fraud in its many forms where electoral districts are changed or the election system or process is manipulated by the Government, or elections are rigged or votes are

misrepresented. However. Gerrymandering be economic where the Government in power enriches some groups or districts at the expense of others. "Idi Amin's African Economic war" was economic gerrymander at the expense of Uganda's Asians. Gerrymandering could be geographical where the maps are changed or demographical where the population density or identity is changed. But the connection thread for all forms of gerrymandering is the unfairness, illegality and the long term negative consequences of the gerrymandering and the de-gerrymandering that usually follows when the government that gerrymandered finally collapses or is voted out of power.

 

Gerrymandering is a favorite political tool for despots. It is one of the best indicators of the kind of the democratically elected leader or head of a military junta who is likely to become a long staying dictator.

 

Forms of Gerrymandering: Gerrymandering in elections can take one of many countless forms or a combinations depending on the intended effect, but the following examples illustrate the concept.

 

Splitting or dilution of of the concentrations of the opposing ethnic or religious group or the power base of the opposing party.

 

Packing of or concentrating the opposing political, ethnic, or religious group in as few districts as possible, wasting a lot of their votes, while at the same time creating many districts/regions with moderate or exclusive margins of the leader's party, ethnic, or religios group

 

Spliting regions/districts loyal to the party or Government in power, however small these regions be in order to allocate more seats.

 

While acts of gerrymandering are occasionally committed by officials/leaders in democratic countries in limted way and confined to one instance and/or one district to gain an advantage in one election, dictators use it extensively in its many forms and shapes, with destructive results and far-reaching consequences.

 

Dictators and would-be dictators resort to gerrymandering, as a means of c onsolidating or clinging to power. They usually stay for a long time and leave behind untold death and destruction.

 

Four Case of Gerrymandering Close to the Somali.

 

The list of totalitarian dictators who clinged to power with help of gerrymandering which brought civils wars and destruction of the country or desolution of the State is very long. However, I would like to mention the following four which closely resemble or relate to the Somali case.

 

Marshall Josip Broz Tito, from minority Croats ruled Yugoslavia for 25 years. He was elected originally in democratic fashion but later named himself “President for Life” his gerrymandering politics contributed to desolution of the Republic of Yugoslavia (Now the seperate sovereign states of Slovenia, croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montengro, and Macedoia).

 

Mohamed Siad Barre gerrimandered Somali’a 6 regions into 18, ruled Somalia for 20 years. The whole world has been trying to fix the mess he left behind for another 20 years to no avail.

 

Saddam Hussien gerrymandered Iraq favouring his minority Sunni Muslims at the expense of majority compatriots. He ruled Iraq for 23 years then ended up on the gallows. Iraq's situation is even more hopeless than Somalia.

 

The Gerrymadering politics of Hafiz Al-Asad and his Al-ba'ath Party had partly sown the seeds of the current civil war in Syria and the similiarities with Iraq, Somalia and Yugoslavia are unbelievable.

In conclusion the current Government of Somaliland must stop gerrymandering, abuse of power and national resources. Somaliland's nascent democracy should not be and will not be turned into a dictatorship.

 

The people of Somaliland particularly the intellectuals must pressure the government to stop gerrymandering in the current and future elections as well as other abuses of power and national resources

 

The international community and the donors must exert pressure on the Government as well to stop gerrymandering in the current and future elections as well as other abuses of power and national resources.

[Saalax]

http://www.somalilandpatriots.com/news-12844-0

[AfricaOwn]

Saalax;891401 wrote:

 

In conclusion the current Government of Somaliland must stop gerrymandering, abuse of power and national resources. Somaliland's nascent democracy should not be and will not be turned into a dictatorship.

 

.

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time" Lincoln

[oba hiloowlow]

saalax you are them habr younis maaha?

[Aaliyyah]

horaa loo yidhi wixi xaqdaro ku hishiiya xaqa bay isku dagalaan.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

The problem with today's Somaliland is there is no clear opposition the Kulmiye regime is to strong there is hardly any opposition a proper opposition like when rayaale was the president ucid and Kulmiye were good opposition. People can write so endless articles about Siilaanyos regime but at the end of the day we need people who can bring it to the ordinary people. There are lots of shortcomings in Siilaanyos regime, when we talk about the journalists being arrested, When it comes to creating jobs for the youth. When it comes to corruption when it comes to foreign policy but all of that needs a clear empowered opposition party people with the credentials who can be the constructive opposition to the current government of the Somaliland republic.