Mr Yabarag oo yaaban

[Cambaro]

http://www.wardheernews.com/reflecting-on-professor-ahmed-i-samatars-trip-to-somaliland/

 

 

Mr last nail on the coffin is back with even more vitriol.

[Gar_maqaate]

Reflecting on Professor Ahmed I Samatar’s Trip to “Somaliland”

August 9, 2013

 

Mohamed F Yabarag

 

After nearly four decades, Professor Ahmed I Samatar, the former dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College in Minneapolis and former presidential hopeful in Somalia proper had finally decided to pay his long-awaited visit to his homeland at the connivance of the renegade secessionist enclave of “Somaliland”, who were for the past few years desperately looking for big names to bolster their flagging secessionist dream for statehood. Contrary to what the big wigs in Hargeisa wanted us to believe, professor Samatar was not freely roaming in “Somaliland” as everyone who saw his video clips can testify. In fact, his every move and words were closely monitored by the former Minister of ports, Abdillahi Geeljire and his cohorts who followed him everywhere. Following his high profile visit to Hargeisa, Borama and elsewhere in the self-declared enclave, professor Samatar is now believed to be spearheading the campaign for “Somaliland” recognition and will soon be appointed as the lead man for this elusive endeavor.

 

However, the question on everyone’s lips is this: will professor Samatar’s arrival in Hargeisa bring much needed diplomatic recognition for separatists? Well, the answer is big NO for two reasons. The first one being that the International Community has reiterated an umpteenth times that the Somali unity is unbreakable and will not succumb to separatists’ persistent demands at time a marked improvement is being felt in the Somali capital and its immediate environs. Secondly, no individual regardless of his/her political stature and influence can bring about recognition for “Somaliland” as the issue of separation can only be decided by all Somalis. All the talk that “Somaliland” was once an independent country recognized by dozens of countries is merely for domestic consumption and a cynical distortion of the real facts surrounding the issue. The French-speaking and culturally distinct province of Québec has failed to break away from the rest of Canada, let alone “Somaliland” who shares literally everything with their brethren in the rest of Somalia.

 

The globetrotting professor, who visited more than 59 countries (his accounts) across the four corners of the world during the four decades he was away from home (Somalia), had many opportunities to pay visit to his homeland in the past, but could not stomach the prospect of shaking hands with secessionist politicians hell bent to destroy the very Somali unity the smooth-talking professor cherished for decades – until now that is. Following his failure to lead his country into the pastures land in the last corrupted presidential election that brought the current president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, into Villa Somalia professor Samatar was increasingly becoming paranoid about Somalia. He is an angry man.

 

Despite his extensive writing on Somalia, Professor Samatar seems to have totally underestimated the level of corruption in Mogadishu and how presidents come to power. It is nothing to do with clan allegiance, contrary to professor Samatar’s assertions that the presidency is reserved for two clans. The fact that presidents always come from either ****** or ****** is a mere coincidence. In this latest contest for Villa Somalia, it was purely about who can outspend the other and bribe his way to the highest office. Had it not the Qatari money, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud would have gone back to his NGO business. Even the going rate for becoming an MP was believed to be around tens of thousands of dollars. Professor Ahmed was privy to this unfortunate situation.

 

By turning his back on what he stood for decades and embracing separatist ideology, professor Samatar appears to have denounced his long-held views on Somali unity and caved in to the demands and advances of his maternal uncles, and consequently threw himself headlong into political obscurity. No constituency other than the secessionists in Hargeisa will now pay attention to professor Samatar. Even their supports cannot be taken for granted. According to friends close to the professor, the unrecognized fake so-called “Somaliland envoy” in Washington together with some pro-secessionist members of Awdal Diaspora in the US is believed to be behind the idea of bringing the Fulbright Fellow into the secessionists’ den. Only time will tell if his hard-earned reputation as a champion for Somali unity and advocate for justice is severely tarnished following his ill-advised and much publicized visit to Hargeisa where he painted a rosy picture about separatists who were and still are hell bent to destroy the very foundations of the Somali nation for their own selfish interest. I was amazed when he bowed and kissed the ground upon his arrival at Hargeisa airport. If this was not a charade and PR exercise intended for his hosts, why not done it at Berbera airport, his first entry point? Or why not reserve that big kiss for his birthplace, Gabiley? At least that would have made a perfect sense. The whole thing was farcically choreographed by Hargeisa elite to make it look like a great homecoming for professor Samatar, and of course to show other Somalis, including unionist clans that Hargeisa is, after all, more inclusive and accommodating than many skeptics can imagine. The reality on the ground is far from this hollow show. Despite the few token men and women handpicked from the so-called peripheral clans, the fact always remains that the secessionist enclave of “Somaliland” belongs to one clan – the SNM clan.

 

While professor Samatar was touring the secessionist enclave and lecturing about justice, good governance, fair power-sharing and a whole host of issues among “Somaliland” clans, Ahmed Silanyo has made a sham reshuffle in his already corruption-stricken and lopsided clannish quasi-administration and handed over all the most significant portfolios to his own clansmen, even promoting his loyal cousin and spokesperson, Cukuse, to a minister the same way he promoted Hersi, his other cousin and former Dahabshil cashier and one-time bakery worker in Burao from a mere chief of staff to the most powerful minister in the whole government. Well, that is “Somaliland” justice and fair power sharing for you professor Samatar. Even the role of the elected vice president was usurped by Hersi.

 

If what professor saw in Mogadishu was really bad, and yes things were pretty bad in there, well his beloved new “Somaliland” will put that to the shame. It is a place where power is supposedly shared on equitable clan basis despite the absence of statistical and empirical evidence. And yet all the most important posts, from a mere secretary to a minister, always go to one clan. Despite being peaceful for the best part of the past two decades, “Somaliland” is a place where corruption, bad governance, nepotism, injustice, clan-ism and all the negative pronouns one can think of is the norm rather than exception. Professor Samatar should only look at the latest permanent secretaries to understand how things are really ugly in this tribal enclave. People who never saw a public office in their entire career, and whose educational level is limited to a junior school, were appointed as permanent secretaries for a very important public institutions. That is “Somaliland’s” good governance for you professor Samatar.

 

To conclude this piece, the fast-talking and much admired professor has unfortunately jumped ship at a very, very wrong time. The secessionist enclave is deteriorating at every level possible while Somalia proper, despite its obvious shortcomings, is on the mend. Many people who passionately believed in “Somaliland’ are now beginning to question the wisdom of secession. Many politicians are believed to be contemplating joining Mogadishu administration following the International Community’s reaffirmation and support for Somali unity. A man of a large following in the Somali peninsula, and whose ideals and vision for Somalia were taken into heart and admired by almost all Somalis regardless of their political and tribal persuasions, has now reduced himself to a mere and irrelevant secessionist. He should have noted the trend. A simpl observation professor Samatar would have made is the conspicuous absence of “Somaliland” flag among the thousands upon thousands of people who passionately welcomed him in his ancestral city, Borama. None was carrying the secessionists’ tri-colored flag. If free and fair referendum is conducted in the secessionist enclave today, the overwhelming majority of unionist communities will say nay to secession despite their misgiving of the Mogadishu administration. Politicians are known to change their positions on a frequent basis. Professors don’t. Professor Samatar should look back his trip in Somaliland, examine the facts on the ground and reconsider his views on “Somaliland” Vis-a Vis Somalia to salvage what is left from his distinguished reputation.

 

Mohamed F Yabarag

Wardheernews Contributor

Email:Myabarag@gmail.com